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Meet Karina Cinnante of Cinnante Photography in Hallandale Beach

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Karina Cinnante.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I first picked up a camera while I was in college, it was a Pentax 35mm film camera. I walked around the city and took photos of all the interesting architecture and subjects I could find. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to express myself professionally in an artistic way.

After college, I purchased a digital camera with a few interchangeable lenses and my first Mac computer for editing. I still remember the model, it was a clunky “G4”, not like the sleek desktops available today.

My family was really impressed and proud of my hard work and the new tools I equipped myself with to get started. I took a year-long certificate program at a local University in photography, Adobe Photoshop and design to learn all the necessary programs and techniques in the field. At the time, I wanted to become an Art Director for a forward-thinking advertising agency. Since I loved photography so much, I thought it would be a great way to get started.

During my certification, I applied to a local wedding photography studio and got a job as a second shooter. I was hired with practically no real world experience and ended up working there for many years. I can still remember my very first wedding like it was yesterday. It was a Chinese celebration filled with traditions I had never seen before.

From that day on, I was to photograph so many different types of weddings from a variety of cultures. What an eye-opening experience all of that was for me. I spent most of my weekends shooting. I got the chance to photograph hundreds of nuptials, practice my photography skills and learn all about how weddings “flow”. I have to admit, many of those days were long, anywhere from 10-14 hours each! But, it was well worth it, the experience alone was golden. A few years later, I moved to Miami which was a lifelong dream for me. Who has been here on vacation as a young adult and thought to themselves, “wow, I could totally live here”. Well, that was me. I spent years visualizing what it would be like to live here, start a business and a family of my own. So I packed my bags, mainly with all my cameras, lenses and laptop, and made the move. At first, I had to work regular jobs to make a paycheck and meet new people, but I enjoyed it. For me, meeting new people and making friends along the way is something I really enjoy doing. I also got a job as a photographer for a Miami-based wedding photographer which I had already been connecting with before my move. She hired me and I immediately started shooting for her almost every Saturday.

So, I really kept myself busy. After a few short years of living in Miami, word started to spread that I was a photographer and people started requesting for my services. I built a new website, printed new business cards and registered my business in South Florida. When I had enough photography contracts and was ready to quit my “day job”, I did. Of course, it wasn’t an easy transition. But, I remained faithful and had some very good support along the way. I met a wonderful man who at the time I did not think much would sprout from it, however, he persisted and was very gentle and kind, and is now my husband. He had a lot to do with me taking that “leap of faith” from quitting my day job to focusing on Cinnante Photography full time. And here I am today, still working hard and doing my best to document weddings for couples in a natural and candid way. What an honor it is for me!

Has it been a smooth road?
Wow, yes there were some struggles. Well, the first one I could think of was making the move to South Florida. I was born and raised in Canada with Argentine and Italian parents. I was born in Belleville, Ontario and grew up in Montreal, Quebec. Since my parents and family are a blend of South American and European, I grew up learning how to speak Spanish fluently. I always had an itch to live somewhere Spanish-speaking.

When I came to Miami for the first time on vacation, I really believed this was the place for me. It really encompassed who I was, born in North America with a Latin background. So many people here have had the same upbringing. The challenge was in the move. It was a true leap of faith. I had to trust that the universe would see that I accomplished the move in a successful way. Really, I never felt a huge difference in the way things are here and I never really experienced a “culture shock”, but I did have to start fresh in a city that I didn’t know that well, network with new people, get my working and living situation in order and of course, hustle!

Another challenge was losing my parents. A few years before my move, I lost my mom to cancer. She was my world. It was devastating to everyone in my family, especially for my dad. He was so saddened by what happened, that he only survived for a year on his own, until he somehow also got sick and passed away. He was very emotionally dependent on my mom and they had been together for over four decades. He just could not do it on his own. This was actually something that impacted me to move forward as much as I did.

My mom always told me to “follow my dreams” and “do what made me happy”. She knew I had aspirations of changing my location drastically and be successful in an artistic way. She always encouraged me to move forward and make the moves necessary to be where I wanted to be in life, without any fear.

Another challenge that is more relatable to my career as a photographer itself was branding myself. As a younger photographer, even though I had at this point tons of experience in the wedding industry, I wasn’t sure about what type of photography I wanted to focus on, so I categorized myself as an everything photographer. I soon realized that shooting weddings was really something I enjoyed, and marketing myself as a wedding photographer would be great for me. It helped me focus on my craft even more, becoming more in tune with everything related to wedding photography. I began to establish a professional relationship with my suppliers, connected with other professionals in the industry and really carved the path to becoming a more refined Wedding Photographer. Even though I still enjoy taking photos of things like portraits and landscapes, I feel the most connected to the love stories behind each wedding and couple I meet. I just enjoy the whole process so much.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cinnante Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a wedding photographer. I specialize in candid and documentary style wedding photography. One of the best compliments I can get is that I took beautiful photos that truly captured the essence of the day, yet remaining completely behind the scenes. I am not one to artificially stage my shots. I shoot what is real. In the end, my goal is for my clients to have a set of wonderful photos that tells the story of their special day.

I take pride in communicating with my clients as much as needed. I work with my couples prior to the wedding in order to have a timeline in place. I want to make sure that all the parties involved, the bride, the groom, bridal party and sometimes families of the couple are aware of what will happen and when. For example, if I am shooting what is called the “First Look”, which is when the bride and groom see each other for the first time before the actual ceremony, I let them know well in advance what time we will start, what location, how long it will take and what happens next. Another example are the family photos. Almost every wedding has a set time to photograph the traditional family portraits. Depending on how the day is planned, we work on scheduling when this will be taking place. Usually, family portraits are done after the ceremony so that everyone is already present. So I let the couple know how much time I will need to complete this and I advise them to inform their immediate family members to stay behind so we can take the photos. My goal is for the day to flow smoothly for everyone!

I feel like what sets me apart is all the attention to detail, before the wedding as described above, on the wedding day and the editing afterwards. I also try to have fun with my clients and remain calm if the bride or groom is having a tough time with something. It does happen. I am one of the only vendors that are with them almost 100% of the time throughout the day, so my energy around them is very important. I have had couples tell me that my demeanor really helped them at a time they may have been stressing out over something. If I was able to help relieve some sort of stress for them, that really makes me feel good.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I would like to develop a team of photographers as my brand expands. I love working with other people and I have always seen myself having more of a leadership role. I currently hire a few talented photographers as second cameras and I really enjoy working with them. I would like to put more time into the development of a Cinnante Photography team and document more weddings as my business grows.

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