Today we’d like to introduce you to Eliana Fajardo.
Eliana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been artistically inclined since I could remember – I have loved to draw, sing, dance, act, etc. since I was very young. Up until I was thirteen, I was certain that I was destined to be an actress. That is until I saw the work of one of my older sister’s classmates. He is a fashion photographer. Seeing the way he would turn his classmates into beautiful works of art truly impacted me, and that’s when I decided photography was what I wanted to do.
When I turned fifteen, my family gave me my first DSLR camera, but I never quite got started until the following year, when I began studying film photography in school. From then on, I fell in love with the process of photographing, developing film, and printing. It also allowed me to fall in love with it as an art form.
I did film photography, both black and white, and ultimately in color all throughout college. During my last two years of college, I invested in a new DSLR and began to do digital photography. Currently, as a college graduate with a BFA, I have begun projects, both with film and digital photography, and am looking forward to carrying them out in a heartfelt, and creative way. It is the life I’ve been meant to live.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Any artist could tell you, no, it isn’t a smooth road. For me, personally, the struggle is with myself. Studying art still feels like a gamble to this day. I produce work almost constantly but feel as if a small percentage of it is good enough to put out there. And I think ultimately, I constantly second guess whether or not I truly have something to say.
The advice I would give any woman like myself starting this journey is to ultimately believe in what you do. All second guessing will do, is stop you from feeling the passion that kicked off your journey, to begin with. Who knows, maybe you might be incredibly good just because you love the process and because you love the people you interact with along the way because of it. Do it because you love it, and share it because whether you believe it or not, the world needs to see it.
What do you do? What do you specialize in?
I love art, I love to do a lot of things that require multiple disciplines, but I am a photographer best.
My work is mainly portraiture, it’s what I started doing since I began to study the craft. At first, I began to photograph my friends because it was easier but soon realized that I could get within a more personal space to photograph them. My portraits eventually evolved into a study on portraiture in which either just face, just hands, or body language is featured. It has become a mix between my love of the photographic process, with the love of the people around me. It has seeped into some of my digital work, and the more I work on this project, the more I like what I do It is probably a project I will pursue for the rest of my life.
Currently, and through my digital work, I have been working on other projects, and my personal evolution by photographing building corners and flowers. I am currently contemplating bringing these to print in photographic books.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
A woman’s superpower is her uniqueness, intuition, her sensitivity, and her creativity. Sure, opportunities for women are so incredibly limited, but now that an awareness of this issue is spreading, there are chances for women to reach platforms they couldn’t previously reach. I think more than anything, these times are perfect for women to embrace their feminity and bring a spotlight to what it means to be a female in these times, and do it in a way that only women can. The opportunity lies in more people recognizing that this is possible and supporting it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elianafajardophoto.yahoosites.com/
- Email: efaja012@fiu.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/efajardophoto/
Image Credit:
Claudia Rodriguez (Photo of me)
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