Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Ortiz.
Evelyn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My whole life I have been very attentively observing nature, I have always felt a deep admiration and connection with it, every aspect on nature is a daily poem in my life.
Since young age, I found myself drawing and painted flowers, trees, and clouds, I painted them in oil, crayons, pencils, and pastels, almost in any media that was available to me; I could have spent my whole life just doing that bringing to life those little moments that nature was offering. But like many of us, life circumstances separate us from our childhood dreams; if we are lucky, they return at the right time with a deeper vision and passion.
And I’m lucky, in 2013 my family and I were living in Singapore, and I had the opportunity to go back to painting nature, this time in a new medial: Printmaking, which I learned to love and enjoyed so much. It’s like thinking in the negative plaque first and then in the final image. It is a great way to understand my photography today.
In 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer; it was a year of much reflection, learning, and reconnection; I was always a very spiritual person; perhaps that is why I felt the presence and protection of angels from heaven and the love of my angels on earth as I call my husband, my children, and friends and family with their unconditionally love it was much easier to cope with the disease.
Singapore it’s an exuberant tropical country with ixoras, gingers, plumerias, and all kind of orchids in every branch, so when recovering from surgery, my daily walks were filled with this amazing tropical bliss. That was the best healing energy; I can still feel the power of those early morning walks, the fresh rain, the sunlight coming timidly from the trees, and the moon hiding from the day. All this energy conspired for my rapid recovery. That period of my life was hard but thanks to God I am free of cancer today.
During this kind of trials, we always ask ourselves what is our purpose in life? What’s will be our legacy, big or small … what can we do for others, and what we have learned from these testing periods… I found my answer in capturing that healing energy in reflecting the beauty of nature and all the creation of life… a miracle repeats every second in nature, and we are overlooking, taking for granted the immense power that mother nature confers.
After this time, inside me there was always a question: what is my life’s purpose?
My evolution to photography was easy it was the best media to capture beauty, but I wanted to do it right, so I took long hours of face-to-face and online courses; I have devoured hundreds of books of photographers I admire like: Michael Kenna, Sebastiao Salgado, Amsel Adams, and Steve Bloom; today I can say with humility that I am an emerging nature photographer. That I have come back to my childhood dreams painting flowers, trees, and clouds but now with Canons, Nikons, and Leicas.
In my photography, I try to express the feeling of being present at the right time, I want to show the sublime magic of the light printed by the universe, the moments that will never repeat … like a poem that will be recited only once.
I’m privileged for being able to capture the unseen details of a flower, the innocence of the animals, the ephemerality of the clouds, the peace of a sunset, the emotion of the new day, the dance of the birds in the sky… we live in a beautiful garden called earth and every day is a gift.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The largest challenge for any new artist is find a space to interact with right audience; what we do is a labor of love, and we only hope people will appreciate that. I have been applying to contests, to open calls, talking to galleries, and funding my own spaces so people can see up-close my images; all social media is great, but the moment of true is when you are inches from these pieces, and you can immerse yourself in the art. There’s also a lot of declines but I believe that everything comes in God’s perfect time.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m very grateful to life, and my photography is a permanent tribute to nature. I want to capture the raw beauty. Nature is so perfect that doesn’t need too much digital manipulation; I’m more purist. I’m interested in capturing the moment as it is – with the ethics of a journalist or the responsibility of a witness. That’s the best way to appreciate my photography, sometimes, the technique is not there because one second adjusting the lens will be one second late in capturing the moment; so I try my best to find the balance each time I’m out there.
The purpose of my photography is to trigger curiosity and appreciation, so after seeing some of my shots, the audience can come back to the streets, the beach, the park, and their own gardens and admire nature from a more conscious perspective, encouraging them to look twice and stop and observe carefully, I only hope that I will create more love and respect for what we have, and people will become protectors.
I’m very proud of my early days as a photographer, recently I participated in HISPAFEST, the Hispanic American Art and Culture Festival, celebrating the Hispanic Heritage month with the exhibition called “The Colors of Miami, Second Edition” – it was a great experience I was able to meet many talented Latin Artists. I also had my solo exposition at Spectrum last year during Miami Art Week; now, I’m getting ready to work with the Black & White Gallery of New York to showcase some of my work from many trips to the Everglades and the Big Sur in California.
What makes you happy?
I read a quote once that said, “The most beautiful things in life are not things. They’re people, places, memories, and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter” the author is unknow, but there’s a lot of wisdom on this; also, Coco Chanel said, “The best things in life are free. The second-best things are very, very expensive.” and so I always have that kind of appreciation in my life.
What makes me happy cannot be purchase anywhere. Only exist in the peace of knowing that the most certain destiny for all of us is to leave this planet, knowing that’ you ask yourself what are you leaving behind. I hope my photography is about happiness and fulfillment, and through those images, people can learn to enjoy all the beautiful free things we have Love, friendship, family, the rain, the sunset, the little bee, and the giant whale.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.evelynortiz.net
- Instagram: evelynortiz.photography
Image Credits
Evelyn Ortiz
