Today we’d like to introduce you to Cecilia Huerta.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My photography journey began in high school many years ago. I used to love creating art and then running to the dark room to develop my photographs. After high school I had no access to nice cameras or a darkroom so my passion for photography went dormant for a long time. While I owned a regular 35mm camera it just wasn’t the same. In 2005 my husband gave me my first digital camera. It was amazing new technology and he thought I would love it, but new technology does not come free of faults. After returning from a camping trip, with a memory card full of pictures and memories, I ran to upload them to my computer only to find that the card had gone corrupt. In 2008 I upgraded to my first DSLR and it was amazing! We were living in Maryland at the time and the camera arrived just in time to capture all the leaves changing color in the fall. I found my love for photography again. The fall in the east coast was spectacular and I knew we wouldn’t be there much longer so I wanted to photograph everything that was beautiful in nature. Living in the tri-state area easily gave way to landscape photography and having been raised in Southern California I had never experienced seasons the way you do in Maryland. Cherry Blossoms in the spring, lush greens in the summer, amazing colors in the fall, and snow in the winter, not to mention the amazing architecture abound.
In 2010 my first daughter, Sophia Grace, was born. She was the most amazing thing I had ever laid eyes on. She was perfect, from the tiny toes, to the wrinkly forehead and I wanted to remember all the details as much as possible. I took a LOT of pictures of her because I wanted to preserve it all. Around the same time, a good friend of mine had twin baby girls and she posted these amazing pictures on Facebook. I couldn’t stop thinking about those pictures and wondering how they were done and why couldn’t I take pictures of my baby the same way. Clearly, I had a camera, I knew enough about lighting, right? What more was there to it? Turns out there is a lot to it. Fast forward seven year later and I am now an award winning newborn photographer. It wasn’t easy getting here. I spent countless nights researching, learning, reading, and to this day I continue to learn and grow. I study, I listen, I practice, I create, I follow the trends and sometimes I avoid them, but most importantly, I never stop learning. But this isn’t about just creating beautiful pictures of tiny little humans, it’s about helping my clients preserve them. Remember I mentioned earlier that I lost a whole memory card full of pictures? I’ve witness people lose entire hard drives, DVDs, CDs, USB drives, cloud accounts, etc. Digital media gets lost or corrupted and your precious memories are lost with those corrupted files. We are the most photographed generation, yet we enjoy photographs the least. My passion for photography has evolved from simply creating beautiful images to also finding the perfect way for my clients to preserve them. I specialize in printed art and want my clients to be able to hold or see these images on their walls and truly enjoy the moment when they look at these images as finished art and remember the tiny details we all long so much to hold on to.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Simply put, no. Learning photography takes a lot of work. You have to invest lots of hours and be committed to learning. I am fortunate to have a husband and family that support me even when I wasn’t very good. But being a photographer isn’t just about taking pretty pictures, there is a whole business side that doesn’t come easy for us artsy types. My biggest hurdles included figuring out how to run a profitable business and knowing my worth. In the beginning I had a lot of trouble figuring out the business side of things. Sometimes I wouldn’t even break even and was literally in the red when it came to paying myself which meant I was working for free.
Sophia Grace Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Established in 2010 by Cecilia Huerta, Sophia Grace Photography is a full-service boutique portrait studio. We specialize in maternity, newborn, infant, and family portraiture. We take great pride in capturing these special moments and making them unique and timeless. Sophia Grace Photography is known for its vivid lighting, bright and airy colors, and classic posing. Our newborn clients are beautifully posed to bring out their womb-like characteristics and our maternity clients are posed to accentuate their beautiful figures and baby bumps. We are also well trained in properly posing our tiniest clients safely. Baby safety is extremely important to us and you can rest assured your baby is in good hands.
There are several things that sets us apart, this includes our timeless portraits, our composite work, but most importantly our product line has been created to find the best method for each of our clients to preserve their photographs. We offer beautiful handmade heirloom albums, classic and modern wall art, unique desktop items as well as digital packages with their matching archival print.
Sophia Grace Photography has been voted Best in Chula Vista two years in a row (2015, 2016) and named one of San Diego’s top 20 newborn photographers by Expertise.com two years in a row (2016, 2017). We are proud member of Professional Photographers Association.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is a relative term and can be defined in so many forms, but for me success is when my clients cry with joy upon seeing their portraits for the first time. Success is when they hug me and thank me for capturing these special moments and creating something tangible for them to enjoy for years to come. And finally, success is when clients continue to refer me to their friends and family. Doing what you love is so rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sophiagracephoto.com
- Phone: 619-302-0962
- Email: cece.huerta@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiagracephotographysd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SophiaGracePhotography/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CeceHuerta
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sophia-grace-photography-chula-vista
Image Credit:
(C) 2015-2017 Cecilia Huerta – Sophia Grace Photography
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