Amairani here! So glad you are here!!!! An introduction to my photography journey is long overdue in my blog.
As an introvert, blogging was one of those scary interests I never fully committed to. The anxiety that came from opening up to others stopped me from ever moving forward with blogging. Conquering fears and opening up to potential clients! 🙂
Let’s start with my photography journey. This will be a little insight into why I do what I do.
I was born in Acapulco, Mexico. Viva Mexico! My mom sacrificed a lot to bring my brother and me to the United States when we were 7, and 10 years old respectively. In later blogs, I will definitely talk more about THE trip and those sacrifices that my mom made to give us a better life. For now, make note that my mother is one of the strongest and most hardworking women I have ever met. She is the reason why I am able to do what I do, but more on that later. We moved a lot making it difficult to make roots anywhere we went. We finally settled down in Nacogdoches, Texas (try saying that five times fast lol).
I could not make a blog about my photography journey without mentioning my husband, Arthur. We met at Lufkin Middle School. It was my first day in school halfway through 7th grade and you can just imagine how terrified I was. This is by far one of my favorite memories of my husband. I walked into Mrs. Brown’s homeroom and saw two guys at the front of the class goofing off. Mrs. Brown got onto them and said: “Arthur! Denzel! Stop and sit down please!” This set a precedent for the goofy and laughter-filled life we would have together. We both grew up together but drifted apart due to some very wild circumstances. Eventually, we made our way back to each other. One thing will always be true with us, we will always put each other first.
We are about to celebrate our 6th year wedding anniversary on March 13th. The same day we started dating back in 2009. Wild to think that its almost 15 years since we first started dating! Insert brain-blown emoji! When we first got married we started from nothing and built everything we have today because we worked our butts off to get it. Today we have a beautiful home, our three sassy furry children, and an opportunity for me to leave a toxic work environment and work for myself. As the sole investor in my business and my personal hype man, I would not be this far into my business if it were not for him.
As I previously mentioned, one of the biggest reasons why I started photography was due to a toxic work environment. I started my career in the pharmacy world as a pharmacy technician. This was something easy and quick I could reach, and as a naive 20-something-year-old I wanted to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Wrong move kids, not everyone has your best intention at heart, so don’t let them have a say in it. Working in a hospital setting was one of my favorite jobs. I absolutely loved making IV medications, and really took charge in becoming someone who knew all parts of the job. Why? Mostly because that is who I am, I give the best of myself to whatever I do making me an easy target for others to take advantage of. After giving 3 years of my life to a job that showed me I was not appreciated and who didn’t care when I left, I decided that I was not going to work for others’ bonuses.
This was the first time I realized that becoming my own boss would be ideal, but I had no idea what to do. At the same time that we were moving an hour and a half away from Nacogdoches, my husband got a job in West Texas allowing me to buy my first camera. I have always wanted a ‘professional’ camera for a hobby. I always wanted to show people what I could see, show the beauty that was around me every day. While surfing Youtube University, I came across wedding photography. I was hooked! I asked anyone who would listen if they would let me practice on them, specifically couples.
Arthur and I decided to get married at the Lufkin County Courthouse, so I didn’t get the wedding that I always wanted. After attending my first wedding as a photographer, I knew that this would be my way into a business owner. As a part of someone’s most important day, it brings me so much happiness to be one of the most integral parts of the day. Early on, I knew that I would not be able to just show up on a wedding day. I wanted to get to know my couple and build a relationship with them.
I know this is long-winded. If you ever meet me and hear my stories you know that I love to give details as to why I do what I do. Photography has filled me with so much joy, and each and every wedding I am a part of heals my young heart. I will always strive to be someone who brings you peace and joy on your wedding day. Someone who you look over to and think ‘I can enjoy these moments because Amairani is here.” Let me be your wedding day hype woman, your spokesperson, and your biggest cheerleader even after years have passed.
If you stayed this long, a huge thank you for reading my photography journey novel. 🙂 I will make sure to make this blogging thing a habit. Let me know in the comments what you want to see from me.