Meet Christy Cordero

We were lucky to catch up with Christy Cordero recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christy, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I have always been a bit on the “quiet” side when I was younger. Now as an adult, I’ve come to realize, I’m just an introvert (haha). Over the years, through many life experiences, I began to really learn who I am. I like to take pride in the fact that I think a little bit “differently” than the average person. I like to consider myself a deep thinker, someone who doesn’t always take things at face value, someone who asks “why”, and someone who knows that there is always a reason why things happen.
Being hard wired this way, has also given me a bit of a natural sense of confidence (to some degree).
I feel that I have always known who I am; I know what I am good at and what I am not good at, I know how I typically will react to certain events.
However, I did go through a period of time where I really struggled to hold on to those things and I lost a bit of confidence. My friend group at this time where very much about “looking the same” and I fell into that mindset as well. I tried to look like them, talk like them, have the same interests as them. And through that, I lost myself a little. It wasn’t until I got married, had children, and separated myself from these “friends” that I really, truly, found myself again. Once I regained my sense of self awareness, my confidence and self-esteem in who I am continued to grow! Because I believe your confidence and self-esteem go hand in hand with knowing who you are. Once you know who you are and are confident in that, you begin to not care about what everyone else is doing or saying anymore. That is the place I am at now and I cannot begin to tell you just how liberating it can be!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a lifestyle portrait photographer based in Pennsylvania.

I have always been an artistic/creative person whether it was dancing (I have danced for most of my life, even professionally), scrapbooking, playing an instrument, or “taking pictures.” So, essentially, my photography journey has been a lifelong one. I can remember being the one usually with a disposable camera on vacations or just at any random moment. I even had fun playing with an automatic film camera as well.
It wasn’t until my early adult years where I began to look at it in a different light.
I started out going to college for graphic design but ended up graduating in 2010 with a general studies degree. But during that time, I took a photography basics class that gave me those first steps into the technical world of photography. After that, a lot of YouTube tutorials, and experimenting later, here I am! A mostly self-taught photographer.
For a brief moment, I even worked for a “school photo” company where I learned a lot about lighting and studio setups. It was here where I began to gain a bit of confidence in the field.
I dabbled in photography for a few years until finally deciding to pursue it as a business in 2017. And the rest is history!

I typically shoot families and couples, but my personal favorite is creative portrait sessions. Just getting to have creative freedom and create something out of nothing is super fun for me!

I love that “filmlike” vibe and my work reflects that.

I’ve always loved everything retro and vintage. Honestly, I love the nostalgia of “old things.” One thing I still love to this day is looking at old photographs.
Memories of days gone by.
That warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling, wondering the stories behind each photo, feeling the love, joy and authenticity in each one.
It’s those traits that I try to incorporate into my own work. With that retro film-like vibe, and a documentary sort of style that makes you feel like I’m not even there. Capturing those real authentic moments between loved ones while also creating poignant images for you and yours to look back on and say “Oh I remember that day! What fun it was! Oh, and remember…”

This photography business of mine is actually a bit of a side hustle. My main job is being a stay at home mom to my two rumbustious boys.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three qualities or areas of knowledge I believe were the most impactful for my journey is start with what you have, remain teachable, and have humility.

My beginner camera was a Canon Rebel XTI. I stretched that little thing to the max! I used it to its full potential and created some great images with it (for the time). I tell everyone starting out, to do it now with what you have. There is beauty in small beginnings. Then, when the time feels right, upgrade.

This leads me to my second point, remaining teachable. In the photography industry, there is always something new to learn or ways to improve and grow. Especially with modern technology always evolving, we are forced to evolve as well (in a good way). Once we feel we have arrived, we’ve missed it.

This is why I also say to remain humble. No one likes a know-it-all haha. There is a difference in being confident in your craft and being cocky. Confidence while remaining humble attracts people therefore, more opportunities.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I would love to collaborate more with other creatives and maybe even individuals/companies who need creative portraits for their businesses.

While I do enjoy capturing memories for families/couples, I feel I do my best work when I am able to have full creative freedom. Passion projects usually end up being some of my most loved work and I find that they are what really sets my soul on fire.

The best way to connect would be through my website (ariarosephotographypa.com) or my Instagram (ariarosephotography.pa).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ariarosephotographypa.com
• Instagram: ariarosephotography.pa

Image Credits

All photos are take by myself except for the one “behind-the-scenes” shots taken by my clients husband.