the love of wandering

“This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
And while she looked so sad in photographs
I absolutely love her
When she smiles”
- “Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)” - Nine Days

Hi, everyone.
Welcome to my first ever blog post! I am truly excited to share my tips and experiences (as well as everything in between) about being a photographer.

I’ve put this off for far too long and I am finally ready to start this blog with a bang.

First off, introductions are in order.

My name is Danielle Rueda. I am a fashion and lifestyle photographer from San Francisco. I took my MFA in photography at the Academy of Art University. I graduated in 2013. In that time, I’ve had various photography jobs to tack on to my resume, including events, editorials, and teaching fundamentals in photography workshops.

I will say, though, that I consider myself going through the baby stages of my career (even with 4 and a half years of school under my belt and another 3 years prior shooting events and portraits with no formal training).

My love for photography (as love goes) came to me swiftly and suddenly - it literally smacked me in the face. I had met some hobbyists back in 2007 who let me tag along with them. I was so amazed at how people could transform in front of the camera. From that moment, I knew that I had found a passion that I wanted to pursue.
I lived in the Philippines back then, and decided to move to San Francisco to try my luck at photography. I’ve always loved shooting people - portraiture and fashion. In the early days of my photography, I thought I knew enough to keep myself afloat but, of course, after going through rigorous practice in school, learned that I was no where near professional.

I learned a lot of lessons the hard way - models/makeup artists flaking, the do’s and don’ts of using social media, using all natural light then going into all artificial lighting then transitioning back to natural light, working with people that either didn’t share their thoughts or were too opinionated for their own good, etc. It has definitely been a roller coaster ride.

Photography has so many elements to consider (as many art forms do). When I started getting into photography, I wanted to tackle each and every element all at the same time; I did not realize that this would clutter my images and make them lack soul and purpose. Eventually, it had dawned on me that I had not yet developed my personal style - and that really bugged me.

Now, years later, I feel like I’ve fallen into my own style. It is a style I am proud of and one that took some time to discover. Among my talented teachers, I mentored with Rus Anson (www.rusanson.com ; she is fantastic and the sweetest person). She really helped me hone in on what I wanted to shoot, for what purpose, and how to distinguish myself from others. I am a very analytical, hard working person, so naturally, my work would tend to be complicated and overdone. I had to take a step back to evaluate what I was shooting, why I was shooting, and the best, simplest way to execute what I wanted to shoot.

future is lookin’ bright

I finally decided to let go. I woke up one day and realized that my style consists of: 1) carefully chosen color palette (according to mood, colors in the actual scene, colors in relation to narrative), 2) soft focus/slight movement, and 3) natural light. Once I locked myself in on these three things that defined my technical style, I had broken a barrier that held me back. New work flowed from me incessantly; easy, uncomplicated and second-nature to me.

I kept at it. I practiced continuously. I honed my craft.

Now, I would like to share with the world what I’ve learned and am learning every day.

This blog is my venue to discuss various photographic concepts, artists, trends, inspiration, and experiences.

I hope you take this journey with me through my constant self-discovery as an artist - as a photographer.