Art & Life with Briana Leyva

Today we’d like to introduce you to Briana Leyva.

Briana, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
We all started somewhere, here’s how I started…

I have always been passionate about photography. In high school, I had a point and shoot camera that I carried EVERYWHERE until it was stolen my senior year of High School. Fast forward a few years later I found myself dating someone who loves photography just as much as I do. We traveled a lot during college so we decided to finally get our hands on a DSLR Nikon camera to document our travels and start a travel blog, Hungry for Adventures, which you can find at www.hungryforadventures.com.

Fast forward to after college, I found myself in a job that did not fulfill me personally, and it did not provide an opportunity for me to express my creative nature. I did a lot of soul searching during the weekends with just about any time I had off. During one of my soul searching moments, I came to the realization that my passion had been sitting on my lap the whole time! I was afraid to pursue my photography passion at the beginning due to the uncertainty of many factors (sometimes I feel we make excuses for ourselves) but the time came. I quit my job, and I took the leap! Honestly, it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. So yeah! That’s how Briana Leyva Photography began. But the credit truly goes to the people that believe in me and have supported my journey from the beginning: my clients, friends, family, and boyfriend who happens to be my second shooter during weddings. When I first began my photography journey I photograph just about everything (and I still do), however, I feel the most passionate about photographing weddings and couples. I am amazed to see how far Briana Leyva Photography has come and so excited to see where Briana Leyva Photography will be in the next few years!

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I started Briana Leyva Photography to pursue my passion for photography, my goal is to inspire you! I want to help you express yourself by capturing both the special and ordinary moments in your life. I would describe my style as natural, clean, and timeless. I am most inspired by the people I meet, places I travel too, and nature!

I believe and encourage EVERYONE to take the time out of their busy schedules to take professional photos and document their memories, its super important! I promise I’m not being biased. =)

Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
I believe that passion fuels purpose, but if you don’t take the time to take care of yourself and recognize the VALUE of the work you are producing you will not be able to fund and pursue your passion and purpose.

I believe in learning, and being open-minded to evolve at any given time as it is essential for success. Also, everyone needs to believe in themselves, if they don’t believe why should anyone else?

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.brianaleyva.com/
• Email: brileyvaphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianaleyvaphotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianaleyvaphotography/

Image Credit:
Briana Leyva from Briana Leyva Photography

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