- Hey, everyone.
Welcome to a new episode of "The Lowdown".
I am so excited because today,
I am joined with a very talented photographer, Gabriela.
- Hi.
- It's so nice to meet you.
So you do a lot of street photography, portraits, travel.
So tell me a little bit about your background?
- I started photography when I was 11 years old.
My mother always chased us around with a film camera,
and I really just fell in love with having a camera
around all the time and really capturing moments
in my own personal life.
And then as I grew up, I wanted to start doing
that for others.
Being a female of color, I was always very driven
to be my own boss and really be an entrepreneur.
And I went to school for photography,
but also studied business and theater
and all different types of art to really get well-rounded.
I really love connecting with people
and making them feel like their true self in a photo.
- So tell me, what is it like being a female
in a male-dominated space?
- When I first moved to New York,
I felt like I was the only female photographer
and I felt like a lot of the men didn't take me seriously.
'Cause they were like, "Well, there's no way you
can be a photographer."
I was like, "I've been shooting forever,
maybe as long as you."
Or why did those things matter?
So it took me six years, growing up in New York,
to find my community and people
that just supported me fully.
- I will say that there seems to be a very strong community
of women in NFTs supporting each other.
- There is, and it literally just gave me chills
that when you said that because in my entire career
as an artist, I've always felt like the only female.
I've always felt like the only woman of color.
And I remember meeting so many collectors
and fellow artists that were females, women of color,
Latinas like me.
And I was like, how do you have the same
background and story?
And how did you guys grow up the same as me?
Where have you been all my life?
So NFTs really brought me the confidence that I was lacking
and feeling very lost in the world of creatives,
and just the support of fellow females like myself
really brought me a lot of joy.
So yeah, now I host a space every Monday in Spanish
to help artists and people in Latin America
know more about NFTs,
and specifically, for artists who are talking
about what they do and their experience,
to be able to do that in their native tongue,
I think is really important.
- So I hear that you're currently working
on some really cool NFT projects,
and I'd love to hear more about that.
- Yeah, I'm currently working on a series
that I made into kind of like a nostalgic children's book.
It's called .
Translated to English, it's called "Land of Dreams."
It takes place in Central Park where two sisters
kind of get lost in a daydream.
It's a collection of 13 images
that all have original composed piano on them.
Just adding that element to my photography
has been such a joy.
I really took six months to think about this whole series.
And as I was making the project come to life,
I made a BTS video of myself in Central Park
taking the photos for the project,
and also, Emmet Cohen scoring all the music live.
So I would love for you to see a little experience
of how the project came to life.
- Oh, this is amazing.
I cannot wait.
And I just so happen to have a new pair
of the WH-1000XM5s here.
So I'm gonna get the full experience.
This is gonna be premium.
- [Gabriela] You're getting the full experience.
I love that you can just get lost in the story
that we created.
- [Jenna] Oh my gosh, this is so good.
- Just a little teaser so everyone can see all the love
and hard work- - That was really good.
- That was put into the project.
- So I'm a kind of a gear nerd and I love Sony,
and I also love taking pictures and shooting video.
So I wanna know a little bit more about what gear
you're using and what your setup is?
- [Gabriela] Right now,
I'm working with an a A 7R III.
And I would say my main three lenses,
and I'm such a gearhead,
but I try not to be 'cause I think simplicity is good.
- No, it's okay.
Options are good too.
- Options are good too. - I love this.
- So I shoot the 24-70, a 70-200,
and also a 20 millimeter
just because I love the low light quality
that Sony camera body brings,
and also, that the amazing lenses bring.
- Gabriela, thank you so much for joining us today.
Make sure you guys check out Gabriela
on all of her social media,
check out what she's working on, her projects.
Make sure you subscribe to the channel,
and I will see you guys again next time on "The Lowdown".