Meet Gabriela Salomon! {Young Creatives}
Hello, lovlies! Today we’re getting to know Delight girl Gabriela Salomon from Texas! I had that pleasure of meeting Gaby at the West Coast Delight retreat last year and she is such a sweet woman. I’m so excited to be featuring her talent and a little bit of her heart today!
Who are you?
My name is Gabriela Salomon, but I go by Gaby! I’m a 20 year old college student living in the great state of Texas. If you really knew me, you’d know these three things about me: I’m a follower of Christ and everything in my life stems from that, I love photography, and chips and queso makes up like 75% of my diet…no joke!
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be?
Bora Bora!! I want to go there so bad, but it’s incredibly expensive…so I’ll just have to add it to my bucket list! For now, I’ll live vicariously through the Kardashians.
What do you do? What’s your creative passion?
I’m a photographer and am currently specializing in seniors and engagement sessions. One day I’d love to dive into the world of wedding photography and focus solely on that, but for now, I’ll take whatever comes my way!
What are three words you’d use to describe yourself?
Honest, loving and friendly?? I don’t know…I’m terrible at this!
How did you discover your creative passion?
Whenever I was younger, I’d go to my church’s Valentine’s Day banquets and use a small little (borrowed) Canon Rebel and go around the room taking all of the couples’ pictures. I’d charge them like $5 for 2 prints, and as an 8 year old, I thought that was pretty cool! Haha. I did that for a few years, but then stopped for a while until my senior year of high school when I got my senior pictures done. The lady who took my senior pictures gave me such an amazing experience and I loved every minute of my session! I walked away from my senior session knowing that I wanted to pursue photography once again, so after that I did a few mentor sessions with my photographer and that’s when the idea of Salomon Says Photography was formed!
What is your favorite part about what you do?
I really enjoy being the person to document such special moments in people’s lives. Growing up, my family didn’t take very many pictures together (or at least none that we still have to this day), so I love coming in and documenting a family’s love for one another so that they can be able to cherish these moments for many years to come.
What is your wildest dream?
Currently, my wildest dream is to be a full-time photographer…which seems out of reach due to being a full-time college student and working part-time. Hopefully within the next few years this dream can become a reality!
What is one piece of advice you wish you’d been given five years ago?
-I wish someone would have told me to stop comparing myself to everyone. In the beginning of my career, I constantly found myself comparing my work to other photographers work and feeling discouraged because “I’ll never have that nice of a lens,” or “I’ll never shoot that expensive of a wedding,” and so on. In reality, none of that makes a great photographer. We’ve all been given different talents and skill sets and that’s what makes each photographer’s work unique. You just have to work with what you have and use it to the best of your ability!
What’s the hardest thing you’ve been through and how have you grown from it?
The hardest thing I’ve been through would definitely have to be when my father passed away from cancer halfway through my 9th grade year. My two best friends had just left my school to transfer to public school for high school so I was already having a pretty lonely and rough year, and then this happened. It was a really rough time and I considered not even returning to school and getting homeschooled, but I knew my dad would have wanted me to continue with my private education. This was for sure a pivotal moment in my life. Yes, it taught me that life is short, but mostly it taught me that I needed to be more vocal and open about my emotions. I tended to be very closed-off with my emotions prior to this, but now I strive to love others more openly without holding back!
Who is your biggest inspiration and why? What have they taught you that has made an impact?
My father would definitely have to be my biggest inspiration and hero in my life. My father was a Pastor and dedicated his life to full-time ministry. He preached every Sunday for about 20 years, up until his last Sunday at church when our two Ministry Directors had to hold him up as he preached because he was too thin and weak to hold himself up. The way he lived his life for Christ was how I strive to live mine. I want to run after God whole-heartedly, despite what obstacles may come my way.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12. I love this verse because it shows that you’re never too young to make an impact on this World for Christ. Age should never be an excuse for not spreading the Gospel. Also, I like this verse because it reminds me that, as Christians, we should always aim to be a good example of Christ, and for me personally, I aim to be an example of Christ with those I meet in my business. I actually have this verse stamped on my camera strap so that I can always read it whenever I need a little reminder!
yes, girl!! you are so insanely talented and i just love your heart in all of this. you are going places. “Age should never be an excuse for not spreading the Gospel. ” << amen amen amen.