Carmen Alvarez Photography
Why do you want to work with APW Couples?
I absolutely love the APW sanity pledge, and APW readers are the kind of couples I want to work with - honest, open-minded, unique & fun people looking for personalized attention. Also, I really love a site that represents all sexual orientations equally!
Describe your artistic approach to weddings?
You have no idea how many times people come to me insisting that they just don’t photograph well. I usually try not to giggle, ‘cause I know that this is an amazing human being sitting in front of me, and once we start taking pictures, they’ll think something else altogether!
Of course, my job has all kinds of technical aspects to it, and all kinds of artistic issues. But my real job is to connect with the people in front of me and bring out everything that wants to come out in its full glory – their beauty, their quirkiness, their depth, their silliness, their sexiness. I never sacrifice authenticity for any pre-existing concept.
I am drawn to weddings because of the gorgeous exuberance, beauty and emotion of this ritual. Movement is important to me – being a lifelong dancer, I see & follow flow differently than other photographers, giving me access to unique moments that others may not even see, much less capture in a photo.
The overriding response the couples I work with have to me is that I was so real and they were so comfortable and natural with me that I brought out the best in them,really captured their essence, and transformed it into beautiful images. I couldn’t ask for a better compliment!
If you could have a one minute dance party at your desk, what song would you pick?
I actually do have one-minute dance parties-of-one at my desk as often as I can! And the music preference changes all the time - a recent one was Lady Gaga's Born This Way.
Explain your travel policy:
Travel within the San Francisco Bay Area is free, as is travel to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, FL. For all other destinations, contact me for more info, 'cause I'd love to be there! :)
