Photographer Tamara Velazquez is Obsessed with Flowers

Welcome to Hero of the Week, an ongoing series sharing stories from some of the best photographers in the Pexels community.

Based in Madrid, Tamara Velazquez shoots everything from weddings to still lifes, with nature as her inspiration. Flowers are a favorite theme of hers, and her Pexels profile is full of captivating still lifes. We talked to Tamara about how she got started with photography and the artists who inspire her.

Pexels: How did you get started with photography?

Tamara: I began to take photos in 2008, though it was my hobby. I studied in a photography school, but I didn’t find the education interesting: we had to shoot very typical still life themes and portraits, and I wanted more creativity.

In 2011 I took photos of my first wedding and then I decided to dedicate myself to wedding photography; but I received a very good proposal in one international company and took photos only on weekends, mostly weddings, love stories, and family photo sessions.

But in the year of 2016 I decided to dedicate myself to photography only, because I was starting to get more and more orders, and I was eager to work with companies in order to shoot campaigns, tabletop, and other themes. Since that time I've done more than 1000 shootings for clients and companies.

What camera gear do you use?

Canon 1DX, Canon EOS M.

Lenses: Canon 35 mm 1,4 L, Canon 24-70 mm II L, Canon 70-200 mm L, Tamron 85 mm, Canon macro 100 mm L.

What's your favorite type of photography to shoot?

My favorite type of photo shoot is still life photography, because it gives you a lot of possibilities to experiment with lighting, textures, and composition. Objects never have a bad mood and don't tell you they are tired.

What inspires your photography?

"Sketches" from everyday life, books, nature, and of course good movies.

Tell us about your favorite photo on your Pexels profile.

I think most of all I like my self portrait, because it tells so much about me: I am a pretty introverted person, who admires nature (and I am obsessed with flowers), and I want people to look at me and at my art as they look at ancient statues.

Who are some other photographers or artists who inspire your work?

Emmie America, Alessio Albi, Elena Pavlova, Dmitriy Zverev, Danil Golovkin, @leelacyd, @d.chapala, @sivophoto, Polina Washington.

What's one piece of advice you would give someone who is new to photography?

I think that the only way to succeed in something is to work hard. This may sound a bit inside the box, but, unfortunately, in photography there also doesn't exist a magic pill.

Practice more, buy courses from photographers that inspire you (they give much more useful information than any photography school) and do a lot of creative photo shootings, this will make you grow professionally and develop.