Meet Oralia Gutierrez of Oralia Photography in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Oralia Gutierrez.

Oralia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Oralia. It’s a name that’s difficult to pronounce for some, so sometimes people call me “O”, “Lady O”, or “Miss O”. Photography has always been appealing to me. I remember when I was a small kid always asking my parents to buy me those disposable cameras. I have always been intrigued by every aspect of photography; from the preparation process to the final edits. Every year in high school, from my freshman year to my senior year, I tried to get into the photography class. I wasn’t able to because of the commitment I had in orchestra. I had been playing viola since I was in 5th grade. After high school I decided to pursue a career in the behavioral health field. I graduated with a master’s degree in social work in May, 2016 and I am currently a full time therapist at a behavioral health agency, working with children and adults diagnosed with a mental illness. I’ve been working in the behavioral health field, at some capacity or another for more than 7 years now. I really enjoy my job but self-care is definitely necessary. I decided to start playing around with my camera and I genuinely fell in love. Photography became more than a hobby; it became a true passion of mine. Soon after, friends and family were asking if I could capture images for them. I was thrilled! I love trying new ideas and collaborating with models and other photographers who share the same passion. I have met so many awesome people in the process and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experiences I have shared with everyone along the way.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I can say I am still quite new to the photography world, sine I just started taking it a lot more seriously in the last 6 months. I’m an introvert so it as hard to really put myself out there. I look up to so many photographers, and they know who they are. There is so much talent out there and I was intimidated at first. Once I learned to not compare my art with to others, but instead embrace my own journey in self-improvement, little by little, I started to become a lot more comfortable. I noticed I was coming out of my shell more often and I was taking more chances and accepting more challenges. I work full time, sometimes more than 40 hours a week. I cannot spend as much time as I would like, learning more or practicing my photography.

OraliaPhotography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
OraliaPhotography specializes in portrait photography. I have had the incredible opportunity of meeting soon to be moms to take their maternity pictures and I recently took engagement photos for my longtime friend and her future husband. That was really exciting. I’d love to experience more engagement sessions. Recently, I was very busy taking graduation photos and senior portraits. I have been collaborating with models to build my portfolio and establish a name for myself. As I mentioned previously, I am new and feel quite small in the photography world. I am open to new ideas and suggestions and I reach out when I want to make my vision a reality. I am happy to say I have made friends and have been able to connect very well with all of my clients/models. It pays off to be easy going, flexible, and understanding. I find that my experience as a social worker has really helped me get where I am today.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I know I have succeeded when I am happy and beyond satisfied with my accomplishments. Success is trying something new. It’s trying something you’ve done before and doing it better the second and third time around. I believe success is feeling and enjoying the sense of gratitude I have for where I am today and being one step closer to meeting my next goal. The idea is to keep moving forward, even when challenges cause us to take one step back and two steps forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: oraliaphotography.com
• Email: oraliaphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: oraliaphotography

Image Credit:
Photographer who took the photo of me is Pakesphotography_
Photographer for the rest of the images- OraliaPhotorgraphy
Model in the shopping cart and jurassic park shirt- rhnmodel
Model in the hat- LeatherDoll
Model in the pink and black dress: _miss_olivia_
Male model in the shopping cart: Mr_Booger
Model in the black and white photo: WhereisShawnna
Model behind the fence: Caitlin_sass_
Model in the bookstore: JellyEstrada27
Model in the black top and red lipstick: GinaBModeling

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