Amanda Diaz is one of the best-known Fashion and Portrait photographers based in Western Canada. Her career as a photographer started in 2008 and in 2012 was nominated as one of the top ten fashion/editorial fine art photographer on the Framed Network.
Amanda, like many successful artistic photographers, has made a brand for herself in the world of photography. Amanda Diaz photography work has been featured in multiple magazines and websites from around the world and has taken over all forms of social media.
Besides her sensational work of taking stunning photographs, Amanda Diaz is also teaching photography and workshops. Her style in fine art photography has brought her the attention of many who are looking to learn from her.
If you are seeking for some inspiration in fine art fashion photography, then Amanda Diaz is the photographer for you.
In this interview, we speak to Amanda to seek out insights into her work and feel her passion for photography artwork.
Let’s start with a small introduction about yourself.
I am a Fashion and Portrait photographer, born in Toronto, Ontario, and currently reside in Western Canada. My shooting style tends to lean more on artistic and fine art fashion photography. I like to add a surreal and ethereal mood to most of my images. I love watching movies and listening to music – I usually will have one or the other in the background as I’m working or editing. I’ve been shooting for almost a decade come May 2018.
Before you started with photography I see that you worked with children for a long time. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes, that is correct. I studied early childhood and started out in daycares. I then began working with children who had special needs. Autism, speech delays, behavioral issues, FASD, etc. It was fulfilling but also extremely stressful and I was getting very burnt out. I then started studying graphic design and fine art fashion photography online part-time as I continued working. It took me a total of 5 years to transition out of my first career and into this one now as a photographer.
At what point did you realize that photography is what you wanted to do as a career?
It wasn’t that obvious, to be honest as I was planning to be a graphic designer, I had to finish my courses to get my certificate of advanced design and choose an additional subject so I chose photography. I was following assignments and used friends to model for me. After getting so much positive feedback on my work, I just ended up going in photography artwork over time.
Were there any hurdles that you encountered at the beginning of your journey as a photographer?
Yes, many and I still do from time to time. Rejection for one, and also that I walked into quite a rude awakening. I found that the more attention I started to get online and off, the more negativity and hateful comments also came my way. It was quite a shock and many nights I would cry myself to sleep in total confusion as to why strangers would talk to me and about me the way they did, making accusations of my character and so on. But as time has passed, I just don’t worry about it anymore and stick to myself for the most part. I would say that was the biggest challenge for me- other than learning the technical side of things which I am not fond of.
Why did you decide to become a fashion/ Portrait photographer?
I actually started out taking pictures of weddings, babies, family, etc. As time went on, I found I was not really happy nor was I interested in doing images like that. I got to the point of nearly just quitting- I started to work with models here and there and really loved the energy and creativity I could have. The planning, styling, shooting and even editing was something I enjoyed a lot. Over time, I just started to only shoot portraits, fine art fashion editorials and have been doing that ever since!
In 2012, you were nominated as one of the Top 10 Fashion/Editorial Photographers. How did that feel?
I was pretty excited and quite surprised actually. It was very encouraging for me as I was placed in a category with a couple of other photographers whom I admired and looked up to- So even though I didn’t “win” -being nominated was more than enough!
How much time do you spend taking photos? Can you tell us a little bit about your workflow?
Well, these days actually not very much! I’ve been so busy with working on a new project that will be coming this spring its left little to no time for shoots! I’m trying to get back into some more creatives coming up though! But as for my workflow, I usually begin with some kind of inspiration like a makeup or hair look, some style of clothing, lighting, etc., and then from there, I build on the idea adding more elements and trying to create something unique. Once I have my idea I start gathering my team, set a date, shoot, and then spend forever trying to narrow down the images. Sometimes I get so critical of my photography artwork that I don’t even want to look at the images again…It’s the artist in me I suppose. It’s a very bad habit but I’m working on it.
How do you market yourself to your clients?
Well, luckily, my social media helps me a lot when it comes to being hired for work. People tend to see my work more on platforms like Instagram or Facebook so that makes it easy, also word of mouth from past clients.
You’re also in the photography education industry. How long have you been teaching photography workshops?
Yes, I’ve only been teaching fine art fashion photography workshops for the last 4 years. In October I will no longer be doing physical workshops as I am now moving my curriculum online. It makes it a lot easier for students too as they can learn in the comfort of their own home.
What projects are you working on now?
I have two brand-new projects coming up that have been keeping me really busy. One of my project is in partnership with a couple of friends, and it’ll be a resource site for females in businesses and the other is my online photography courses that I will soon be releasing.
You have around 53.3k followers on Instagram, what tips you can give to photographers who want to showcase their work online?
When it comes to social media, I think the most important thing is to remember to be true to yourself, your style, and your brand. Not to worry too much about what others say to you, unless it’s to motivate you, otherwise it can get discouraging watching what everyone else is doing. Also, be patient and consistent with your posts. Even I sometimes fall off, affecting my visibility if I don’t stay on schedule after a few days. Social media honestly can be very draining and time-consuming… especially since I am such a private person, sometimes having difficulty thinking about what to post other than an image! But I’m trying to be better at it though!
Any final words of wisdom you would like to share with all the aspiring photographers out there?
I would say just to keep focused if this is truly your passion. It can be a harsh and competitive industry and there will always be ups and downs, but if it’s something you love – just don’t give up! 🙂
Find out more information on Amanda Diaz’s photography tutorials & insights here!
