Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose.
Jose, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
“From Sneakers to Storytelling”
By Jose Mena Diaz, Founder of La Vie Studios
My love affair with photography began with sneakers.
In high school, I was deep in the sneaker forums — buying, selling, connecting with collectors around the world. The photos in those threads were electric. They made me pick up my first camera, a Canon Rebel XTi, and I haven’t put one down since.
Today, that passion has evolved into La Vie Studios — a collective of photographers and filmmakers creating art that feels timeless. Our work celebrates love, connection, and every beautiful, unplanned moment in between.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
To say there’s a learning curve in the wedding industry is an understatement. Over the years, we’ve faced just about every curveball imaginable, from hurricanes to a global pandemic, and navigated all the ebbs and flows that come with serving real people on one of the most important days of their lives.
The true mark of a wedding professional is longevity. Businesses that make it past the decade mark have seen it all, learned from it all, and found a way to keep showing up with excellence.
Our biggest challenge early on was finding our own voice. We knew we didn’t want to approach weddings like everyone else. We wanted to create something that felt true to us: authentic moments, a joyful experience, and true-to-color, honest imagery that would feel as timeless in fifty years as it does today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about La Vie Studios?
La Vie Studios is a luxury wedding photography and videography collective based in Miami, but our work takes us to some of the most iconic venues across South Florida and beyond — from Vizcaya and The Biltmore to destination weddings in the Keys, the Caribbean, and Europe.
We specialize in capturing weddings with a modern, true-to-color approach that celebrates the vibrancy and emotion of each day. Our work is known for its balance of artistry and authenticity — editorial and cinematic when it needs to be, yet unobtrusive and documentary-style when it matters most.
What truly sets us apart is our commitment to creating an experience as beautiful as the images themselves. We believe that your wedding day should be joyful, effortless, and deeply meaningful, and we take pride in being calm, professional, and present throughout the entire process. Our couples often tell us that we helped them slow down, breathe, and truly enjoy their day — and that is the highest compliment we could receive.
Brand-wise, we are most proud of the trust we’ve built with both our couples and our vendor partners. Over the years, we’ve become known as team players who elevate the entire wedding experience — working seamlessly with planners, florists, caterers, and designers to ensure everything runs smoothly and every detail is captured beautifully.
At our core, we are storytellers. We create heirloom-quality images and films that will outlive trends and still feel as fresh fifty years from now as they do today. We want readers to know that when you work with La Vie Studios, you aren’t just hiring photographers and filmmakers — you’re bringing on a team that is deeply invested in your love story, and in making sure your memories are preserved with care, creativity, and heart.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happiest? It’s that moment, just before the night is over, when we slip a freshly printed sneak-peek album into our couple’s hands.
We print the highlights of their day in real time, and in an instant, the room shifts. There are tears, gasps, and laughter. Bridesmaids gather around the bride’s shoulder to sneak a peek, their excitement spilling over into more surprise and delight. Parents hold the pages like something sacred. The disbelief that these images already exist, that their love story is captured and tangible before the last song plays, is pure magic.
Those reactions remind me why we do what we do. It’s not just photography; it’s giving people a way to hold on to one of the most beautiful days of their lives, right there in the moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laviestudios.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laviestudiosweddings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laviestudiosweddings
