I was recently asked via Instagram how I started with photography, and it made me realize that we have never publicly told our story. We gladly tell our story when people ask us in person and it’s actually a very funny story. It all started about 5 years ago…
Vic had a regular point-and-shoot camera that we would both use just to take regular pictures of us and all of our shenanigans. This was before we were married, and at this point in life, Vic had no idea what he wanted to pursue as his career. He prayed for years for God to show him something that he was good at and something he would love and be passionate about. He tried studying computer networking and business administration and about halfway through he realized that he didn’t really like either of them. All the while, I was in my second year of college pursuing my career in teaching. Vic had a warranty on his little point-and-shoot camera and decided to take advantage of it. He dropped his camera in a glass of coke (literally). We then returned it to Best Buy and we were able to get credit towards another camera. In a nutshell, we ended up with a Nikon D80 and had no idea how to use it properly. Isn’t it funny how God works?
Vic then started taking pictures of me, our nephews and our families just for fun. We never thought it would turn into something more. Little by little, Vic fell in love with photography and started taking online trainings and practicing like crazy. He would spend hours and hours watching YouTube videos on how to edit and how to work with the settings of our camera. His passion for photography grew like wildfire (cool simile, huh?). He began taking pictures of everyone and before we knew it, people were paying him to take their pictures! At this point he needed to upgrade his camera and invest in a few lenses in order to really pursue this wonderful art that he had fallen in love with. God works in the most amazing ways and I can remember seeing him and knowing that this was what he was supposed to do for the rest of his life. By this time, I was almost graduating college and had no intention of doing anything else but teaching.
As time went on, he became Victor Arias Photography and he dabbled in all kinds of photography. He shot landscapes, newborns, children, couples, maternity, families, women; pretty much everything that would stand still for a few seconds in front of his lens. It was soon after, that he realized he loved shooting weddings and any other momentous occasion that included 2 people in love. Fast forward to 2012. We had just gotten married in March and Vic was booking small jobs here and there. Because I did not want to stay home alone, I would go and assist him with certain jobs. One day our friend asked if I wanted to pursue photography as well, and in all honesty, at that point in my life I wasn’t sure. I had an amazing day job doing what I loved. But I took a risk and borrowed his camera to shoot. Vic gave me a crash course on shooting manually, I practiced photographing a few trees and off I went into the unknown! Never in a million years did I think I would fall in love with photography the way I did!
After many lessons from Vic about composition and lighting and an awesome beginners photography workshop, I began shooting weddings and portrait sessions alongside Vic. I absolutely loved every, single minute of it and all the amazing people I was meeting and the fact that we were able to document their love stories. Soon after, we became Kristy and Vic! It has been a whirlwind journey but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are so blessed to able to work alongside each other and capture some of the most important moments in people lives. God has amazed us from the beginning and He has brought us to the place we are right now. It is because of Him that we are able to stand and tell our story.
I just realized how much I wrote, and if you got this far, thank you for listening :)
Happy Tuesday!
-Kristy & Vic
