Meet Latavia Ellis of Latte Visuals in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Latavia Ellis.

Latavia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My passion for art and capturing moments began as a seed when I was young. Entertainment and media surrounded me growing up. My mom and dad did photography as a hobby/side business when I was in elementary school. My mom created custom design shirts and many other things. My dad was into media production and went to school for it. I always thought it was cool but wasn’t something I thought would become my passion. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. When I was in high school, I took multimedia classes and that is where the seed was watered and began to grow. I always found myself taking pictures everywhere I could because I wanted to capture the moments that everyone was busy living. I loved capturing those moments so that my friends and family could look back at it and relive those memories. That is when I decided I wanted to go to college for film production. My mom had bought me my first Canon camera to get me started and I was the happiest girl ever!

I remember sitting in the movie theatre and at the end of the film I would stay and watch the credits and I would always say “One day, my name will be on those credits!” Haha, big dreams but not impossible.

While in college, that is when my love for photography really took off and I began taking more higher quality pictures. I would take pictures at events, of my friends and really just anything or anyone nice enough to get in front of my camera. I then came up with Latte Visuals. I went with that because my nickname has been Latte since middle school (given to me by my best friend) and I didn’t want to just have photography or videography because I like visuals as a whole. I want to be able to capture clients visions and give visuals that people will enjoy and remember. Now I freelance and create content for clients of all types and have fun while doing it.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I mean, between not having the models and/or struggling to find clients that can take a toll on you. But I would say my biggest obstacle on this journey is myself. I had a hard time truly believing in myself and I relied on recognition to boost my self-confidence in my work. Is my art good enough, is anyone going to like it? I would always compare myself with other artist and it would tear down my confidence. Eventually, after some soul searching I realized that that’s a very toxic trait and I have to create for me. Create what makes me happy and what I feel inspired to produce and let that lead me. I’m not going to make everyone on this planet happy and once I accepted that not everyone is going to like my work, as long as I stay true to myself and do my best the ones who truly support me are the ones I hope to inspire.

Please tell us about Latte Visuals.
I am a visual creator who loves to capture moments that people are living so they can relive those memories for as long as they want. I do photo shoots for people who either just want some new photos, models who are working on building a portfolio, photograph and record events, etc. My favorite would definitely be catching those candid moments that just happen naturally when I can.

I am most proud of my growth. The knowledge I started with and where I am now is a great accomplishment. Also, being able to give people the images, or visuals they want and love.

What sets me apart from others is my personality and connection with who I work with. I tend to make people feel comfortable and I like to build a relationship with anyone I work with. We are a team and I am always looking out for you to make sure you look good or your company looks good.

What role has luck had in your life and business?
I wouldn’t say luck but rather a blessing from God played several roles in my life and business. One that kickstarted my business would be when I was in college and we had to create a music video but the music had to be original and copyright free. I was stressing out because I didn’t know anyone who created music that I could create a music video for. Well, luckily, one of our group members knew a rapper from a church he was going to who was local and he asked him if he would let us shoot a video for one of his songs. He agreed and I took on the role as editor. I was so nervous but God gave me the vision and ability to edit the video in a way that he was very impressed and that free video leads to paid work in the future for him on other projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lattevisuals.myportfolio.com/
• Email: Lattevisuals@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latte_visuals/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lattevisuals/

Image Credit:
Latte Visuals, Personal Photo: Dear Heart Films

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