Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Laine Romero.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Caracas, Venezuela to a family of musicians, dancers and actors. My first steps, according to my grandfather, the great Venezuelan composer Aldemaro Romero, were on a stage while he was conducting one of his wonderful pieces in tempo “andante,” which means “walking”.
My love for music and arts started at the age of 2.5 when I first stepped on stage. I studied Music, Dance, Theatre and Arts since a very young age at the most prestigious Dance and Theatre Schools and Music Conservatories in Caracas, Venezuela. I have been lucky to be a dancer myself, an actress and a singer. I am bilingual and I also have a BA in Special Education and in Educational Psychology. All these tools have helped me capture “that special moment” through my lens.
I started doing photography at the age of 17 when I received a small point-and-shoot camera and began taking pictures of dancers, children, and pretty much everything around me. I fell in love with it and decided to save some money to buy a camera that would help me achieve my goal. However, the situation in Venezuela was challenging, so I had to leave my country and move to the US at the age of 27, where I was able to pursue my interests much more. After relocating to Miami, I was able to afford a used Nikon D40 and the kit lens that came with it. It was a limited option, but I was determined to create wonders and keep the memories of those I photographed for many years to come. I started attending local dance performances and taking pictures backstage of some of the dancers, by the wings or in the front of the house.
I was later called to take pictures from the audience, and to my surprise, it was a success. That is when my professional career as a photographer began. It’s been 30 years since I started taking pictures and over 20 years since I started doing it professionally in Miami, and it’s been an incredible journey.
I have grown with the dancers and artists I photograph. Some dancers started in small roles in the Nutcracker, and now they dance professionally at local companies or in other companies in the US and internationally. I have been lucky to be around important artists from the music industry who have called me to document their own journey and have given me the opportunity to build my own path as a photographer.
I have been the photographer for very important artistic, dance events and other related performing arts work in Miami, such as Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, Dance Now Miami, the International Ballet Festival of Miami, Chayanne (Miami Tour), El Nuevo Teatro, Bolivar Phil Orchestra, Kameristika Chamber Orchestra, 305 PR, Encantus Voices, Ensemble 7/4, Aldemaro Romero Foundation, Vladimir Issaev’s School of Classical Ballet, Daniel Lewis Miami Dance Sampler, Juan Carlos Ruiz at Paseo de Las Artes, Miami International Ballet Competition, International Young Dancers Festival in US, Denmark and Malaysia, Turn It Up Dance Challenge National Tour, Maria Teresa Chacin, Telenovela Grachi for Nikelodeon Latin America, Telenovela La Playa with Glauber Barcelo for Telemundo Miami, Orlando Urdaneta, The Opera Atelier, The Arts en Pointes (Pointe Ballet shoes exhibit), American Dance Competition / International Ballet Competition, Youth America Grand Prix Finals in Tampa 2022, Dance Open America, Conchita Espinosa Festival of the Arts just to name a few.
My work has been published in The Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel, El Nuevo Herald, Miami New Times, Community News, Aventura News, Hong Kong Dance Magazine, Danza en Escena (Spain), Pointe Magazine, Miami ArtZine, Arts Burst, El Lugareño (Cuba), Dance for You Magazine, Culture Owl, Diario Las Americas, Brickell Magazine, La Nota Latina, The Wonderful World of Dance in London, a Special feature in X-Posure Magazine in Turkey and also published in many more magazines and important newspapers in Denmark, Peru, Brasil, Indonesia, Panama, Ecuador, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, USA, Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Germany, South Africa, Poland, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Turkey and Malaysia. It was also featured in two dance books: Vision 21/21 by Baltasar Santiago Marin, and La Danza en Miami (1998-2017) by Orlando Taquechel.
I must say I am very proud of my achievements, I’ve never taken any official photography class, but I’ve learned on the way by try and error, by asking questions to my fellow photographers, which I respect and I have achieved their respect as well, and by self-instruction watching videos on the web, but most importantly by listening to the dancers and the artists view trying to learn from them as much as I can.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I must say that the biggest struggle has been to be afraid of making mistakes, but I’ve learned along the way that mistakes sometimes can create beautiful art as well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional photographer specializing in theatre, dance, music artists, and families.
My clients describe me as a passionate artist who understands that photography is a form of art by intent and purpose, and that I have all the desirable qualities every good photographer should have, such as creativity, imagination, and an eye for detail, also saying that everyone who has had any interaction with me comments on my energy and the positive environment that I creates and encourages. One of my clients said, “Patricia is someone who works with such passion, and that rubs off on everyone she meets”.
I always try to be as understanding as possible with all my clients, make them feel at ease when photographing them so they can feel comfortable enough to let go of themselves and enjoy every minute of the session.
You can say I like to take pictures when they are not watching, those are the most genuine ones!
What’s next?
I would like to open my own photography studio in the future, maybe 5 years from now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.patricialaine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriciasphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patriciasphoto/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-laine-romero-494a6b68
- Twitter: https://x.com/photosbypatty
Image Credits
Patricia Laine Romero (@Patriciasphotography)
