Meet Sibeli Velázquez | Director & Photographer

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

Hi Sibeli, what do you attribute your success to?
I strongly believe that what has influenced my professional success is Persistence. The fact of having a talent or skill cannot take you very far if you don’t do the work, if you don’t have the discipline and strength to be consistent. I have been working in this industry for over 7 years, I always keep evolving, growing and learning – and that is one of the things I’m most proud of.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I entered the world of editorial photography I realized that I loved what made it unique: the storytelling behind each production. On the other hand, we had commercial photography that aims to prioritize hard-sell products. It caught my attention that they were polar opposites and I focused on creating a unique style that focused on both parties, both the product and high top-tier storytelling.

Seeing the work of colleagues from other continents opens my vision. Visual input is extremely important to get your results to be increasingly better, the more you expose yourself to certain styles, your mind will trace that knowledge to translate it into new projects in the future. Going outside and being in contact with nature relaxes me a lot, which is strictly necessary to be able to have more effective periods of productivity.

Definitely my favorite lesson has been realizing that teamwork will take you much further. Having talented colleagues nourishes your mind and environment by learning from other niches. This will sharpen your expertise and give you a broader perspective in the creative field. In my case, I have learned a lot about business, styling, design and many other niches.

Without a doubt, success comes to those who are awake. When you live in the monotony of an office job, without exploring new worlds and new talents, something inside you turns off. I realized this and decided to quit my corporate job to focus on creating my own brand. That surprised my inner circle because we all know that being a full-time freelancer is a big financial risk. Having made those strong decisions led me to slowly build my brand and today it has paid off. I have over 500 projects in over 30 countries and counting; I feel lucky to have trusted my past self.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh! That’s a tricky question, San Diego is so beautifully diverse. What I would do is: I’d start the weekend with a coffee date at ASA Bakery or Hinar Café in Downtown to get off on the right foot. After that, I would go take some portraits in the middle of the bustle of the downtown streets and later I would go to Coronado to have lunch at Henry’s. We will be able to enjoy the prettiest sunset on a beautiful picnic with wonderful people. I think the next best alternative would be starting a road trip to Palm Springs, or even Joshua Tree for a cozy retreat.

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?
Absolutely. I want to dedicate this shoutout to all the people who have welcomed me in this new city since Day One. They have opened doors to colleague recommendations, projects and collaborations that have led me to gain more and more clients and of course, a more solid creative network.

Likewise, I want to thank all the people who have been following my work since I started creating content back in 2017 and trusted that my vision and talent would reach the entire world.

Website: sibelivelazquez.com

Instagram: @siveees

Other: behance.net/sivees https://www.pinterest.com/sibelivelazquez/