Daily Inspiration: Meet Maya Perez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Perez.

Hi Maya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My passion for photography started around my sophomore year in high school. My mom encouraged me to join the Photography Magnet program at Lee, so I did. One week into the program and I was so excited to learn and have the chance to be able to be creative. I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures but learning it from a different perspective and learning it the right way just made it way more interesting and fun. Mrs. Slaton was my teacher at the time. Still one of my favorite teachers. I also always looked forward to going to that class. She would give us projects and portfolio assignments and would challenge us creatively. I remember when she entered our whole class into an art competition and our entry had to be submitted by like Monday and I waited super last minute to turn it in, the day it was due to be exact. So I’m in class and get on my computer and pull up the two last pictures I had recently taken and merged them together. I turned it in and thought nothing of it. A week or two later Mrs. Slaton comes up to me and tells me about a Congressional Art Competition award I received. This made me realize that no matter how bad a picture is if it’s an art to you then it’s art to someone else.

It also made me realize that photography and editing were things that I really enjoyed. That year I also decided to join the yearbook and I learned a lot by doing that as well. I had to get shots under different lighting environments and sometimes I struggled to get a good shot, but I definitely enjoyed the challenge. It taught me the pressures of different photography environments and what it takes to capture a good picture. The following year a different teacher came in and completely switched it up. Instead of the digital age, it was more like the middle age. After a month or two, I really did start to enjoy the class though, even if it was frustrating at first. He introduced us to the history of photography and made us appreciate the process of producing a physical picture. Which I thought was pretty cool, but after exposing several films to light and messing up the pictures through the bathing process it truly was starting to get frustrating. Imagine taking one of the best trips of your life, and then losing every picture you took on that trip. It’s basically that feeling every time you mess up. After a while, I got the hang of it and couldn’t stay out of the dark room. Watching a blank paper turn into an art piece was truly one of the best feelings ever.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think life in general can get in the way of people and their creative projects. Sometimes you may lose an SD card, or forget to bring a backup battery or an extra lens and so it becomes a frustrating process especially if you’re in a rush.

One of the biggest challenges is making sure the subject is comfortable enough for the pictures to come out well. So having to adjust to different personalities and people can sometimes be challenging but at the end of the day, it always ends up being fun.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a photographer and editor who specializes in Lifestyle and Portrait shots.

I’m mostly known for Photography and Editing, mostly editing and that’s what I’m most proud of as well. I always enjoy the process of trying to make a good picture look better and I think my patience for it sets me apart from others.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I really wanted to attend an Art College or University and pursue an Arts degree but I talked myself out of it and decided to go to school for Nursing instead.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://squareup.com/appointments/book/t0cjxaxpy337dc/L8K5A2VDZ884R/services
• Instagram: instagram.com/azlynphotography 

Image Credits
Jamar Carter and Maya Perez