Client Feature: Cortez Seafood + Cocktail

The ambiance in Cortez sets the stage for beautiful photographs. Chef Oscar said he envisioned an experience that felt like landing on a tropical island after a stormy shipwreck—hence all the foliage, moody lighting, hints of teal and the teak tone in the handmade wood tables I used that inspiration in my photographs, while also keeping in mind that the restaurant is located on downtown Raleigh’s Glenwood Avenue, a more flashy, poppy, party neighborhood. With the bright colors at my disposal, I can also use the creamy, grey-ish stone bar as a canvas to highlight both the playful colors and sophisticated technique of the dishes. One side of the space is floor-to-ceiling windows, so beautiful natural sunlight gets in easily. When I do use a flash, I use my profoto A1.

Needless to say, my shoots at Cortez are incredibly tasty, sometimes boozy and definitely hilarious. This crew knows how to have fun!

Here we are, already in the year 2020. The end-of-year pressure to reflect has been compounded by an onslaught of end-of-decade recaps. A whole decade! And here I am, a few days into the new year, still contemplating what I learned in and out of the photo studio.

It’s because I stuck my neck out real far—and I’m proud of that. I’ve also just now taken a breath. Through the nonstop hustle (isn’t freelance always?), I’m genuinely grateful for the lessons I learned as a photographer rooted in my own creative vision and authentic storytelling.

If I could describe 2019 in one word, it’d be brilliant. And I mean that in every sense of the word.

Smart: like a million, flashing light-bulb-moments that guided me in new directions.

Bright: Literally. I dove into a very focused mode of food photography, challenging myself with different lighting techniques and compositions to let monochromatic color palettes shine.

Inspiring: if any of you kept up with my GRITO project, you know that five years of working with this group of youth finally culminated into a tangible visual story (thanks to VSCO Voices), which was absolutely surreal. Those dancers taught me so much (and I’ll wax more on that in a future post).

In Spanish, brilliante implies illumination. I found light in moments where I realized who and what were helping me. And I let that brilliance radiate through my work. I gave myself permission to let go, learning it is always worth asking for help or doing something I don’t know how to do. In the past, I let my insecurities get the best of me. But in 2019, with the help of some amazing friends and colleagues, I began to think more confidently—and I started growing. As cliche as it sounds, there’s a real truth to not being afraid of putting yourself out there. My advice to any budding photographer (from my own hard-earned lessons): Be vulnerable and transparent about your work, especially when working on a story with others. The more transparent you are, the more trust you gain.

Stay tuned for detailed posts on the past year — a mix of client work, journalism and passion projects that kept me and my work fresh. I can’t wait to share more. Happy new year!