Meet Valérie Aguila | photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valérie Aguila and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valérie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My current activity is wedding photographer, pregnant woman photographer, baby photographer. Before this activity, I was in charge of human resources in an association of reintegration of young people in difficulty.
It was an interesting job, but I felt that I was not fully fulfilled.
The association encountered financial difficulties and the entire staff was laid off.
I had to reorient myself professionally, I knew that if I did the same job I would not be happy, I had to find another professional path.
My partner had a similar life path to mine, a few years before me.
He had a job with responsibilities, he was not happy and he became a photographer and videographer.
I accompanied him on several weddings and trained in photography for pleasure.
When I left my professional activity, I naturally turned to photography, my hobby made me happy, it was an evidence, my only questioning was on the economic viability, I did not know if I could live of this activity, I decided to launch me in this new trade and I created my company.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a wedding photographer, pregnant woman photographer and baby photographer. Each photographer has a different look, on the same service, even with similar equipment the rendering obtained for the images is different. What I try to transmit through my photos is emotion, I love it when my clients tell me after receiving their photos that they were touched by my images. The reactions of my clients, and all these beautiful moments of sharing during weddings or photo shoots fill me with happiness and comfort me in the professional path I have chosen. Before being a photographer, I was in an association where I managed human resources. I was not fully fulfilled in this work. My fiancé followed a similar path to mine before me, and now he is a photographer and videographer. I did photography with him when I was employed, and it was just a hobby. When I found myself without a job, becoming a freelance photographer was an obvious choice. It was not easy, there was a lot of uncertainty at the beginning, especially financially, it was a risk, but I do not regret, the financial results, and the reactions of my customers confirms me, I chose the right way.to overcome the challenges, I was helped, first by my fiancé who has always supported me and has always believed in me, I was also helped by my parents, and my friends who were very patient and were my guinea pigs to train me to make shootings. There is an African proverb that says, “alone we go faster, together we go further.” What I learned as an entrepreneur is that making beautiful photos is not enough, you have to communicate on social networks, get known to have customers, these are essential tasks, recurring. What I can tell you about my brand is that I am proud of it, I am a craftsman of the image, I try to be always in the benevolence with my customers. If I managed to do it, others can do it too, you just have to be tenacious, believe in yourself and work hard.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am lucky enough to live in the south of France, in the Vaucluse, a place full of history, with a lot of local products, and very good wine.I would advise first to visit the village of Gordes, which was elected as the most beautiful in the world by the American magazine “travel and leisure”. I would also advise to visit Avignon during the Avignon festival, it is one of the most important events of the contemporary performing arts, the atmosphere is crazy.To eat my favorite restaurant is the house of Célou, this restaurant is located in the charming village of Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne.It is a local cuisine revisited which is very pleasant to taste.To drink, I advise you to taste the wine directly in the cellars. For the contemplative and cycling lovers, I recommend a sunset on the Mont Ventoux (in August so as not to be cold), it is an unforgettable spectacle, and if you take a picnic with good wine, good bread, a little local charcuterie and local fruits, you are close to paradise.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my story to my fiancé, Eric Martinez. He is also a photographer, and watching him blossom in his profession has been inspiring and has helped me to change my profession and find my own path.

Website: https://www.av-photovideo.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerie.aguila.photographe/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-aguila-15378518a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AGuilaValeriePhotoVideo/