Today we’d like to introduce you to Silvia Ros.
Silvia, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am a Cuban-American, Miami-based photographer with a master’s degree in architecture. After over a decade as a museum photographer, I launched a freelance career, taking on not only my own creative projects including Photographing Cuba: My Myth, My Reality and Average Places, but serving as the official Art Basel Miami Beach photographer for five years, and with clients including Ford Motor Company, the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, The Biscayne Times, and Artsy.com. In 2014 the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s permanent collection acquired 86 of my photographs documenting the LGBT movement in the United States. I was awarded a 2018 Knight Foundation Miami Arts Challenge Grant for a project on Cuban Modernist Architects in collaboration with the University of Miami, School of Architecture.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
As a photographer I document the world around me. Photography allows me to explore, experience, process and articulate with images, what I could never express with words. I use the camera to create distance between myself and my subject, all the while sharing the intimacy of my gaze, transcending my own story to create a new experience for the viewer. My work is my vision, but the medium allows it to become a new story and create an alternate meaning for the viewer.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Don’t work for free! It took me a long time to realize that working for free would only get me more work that didn’t pay. Even if it is only a small amount while you are building your portfolio, you need to place value on your work, skill, talent, time and your own investment and get paid! The most difficult part of being a working photographer is negotiating payment but be willing to discuss it and ask for what you want. Also, put your photo credit in the terms of your contract. You won’t always get one, but it makes a difference for people to see your name out there. Challenge yourself professionally and artistically to try new things and step out of your comfort zone, including taking jobs that are a little bit out of your wheel house. It is the best way to learn and grow as an artist and professional.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Please visit my website www.silviaros.com and sign up for my newsletter (which is quarterly) for updates and more information about my work and current projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.silviaros.com
- Phone: 305-510-4978
- Email: silvia@silviaros.com
- Instagram: silviaphotog
- Facebook: @silvia.ros.photo
Image Credit:
(C) Silvia Ros
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