Bonnie has been passionate about photography ever since she was 14. That was when she did her very first photography course. "Since then, I knew it was my passion. Especially portraits because I loved working with people," she said.
"I did my bachelor's in journalism, and then I move to NYC for my Master on fine arts in photography. I worked in LA and Miami for a couple of years, where I had the opportunity to work with celebrities like Camila Cabello, Donnel Rawlings, among others. I also worked as a freelance photographer with companies like Atlantic Records, Miss USA, and Univision," the photographer shared. "Now I work in Chicago with fewer exclusive photography clients because my career expanded. I create my own digital products, have online workshops, and partnerships with companies as an influencer, which I absolutely love."
It's the community that surrounds Bonnie, her adoring fans, whom she calls 'Shutterbugs,' that keeps driving her passion and creativity forward. "My heart beats faster every time somebody sends me a message or leaves me a comment, saying they felt helpless and hated photography, and now they feel empowered, happy, and confident. Their success is what keeps me going," she shared.
"While working as a photographer, a common comment among new clients will be, 'I'm not an expert; I don't know what to do.' This situation wouldn't happen with people in the entertainment industry, but with people who didn't have experience in front of the camera. I understood their fear completely. I was timid, and it took me years of university, working with models, and practice to finally discover what made me feel fearless while taking my own photos," Bonnie told Bored Panda about the roots of her Dos and Don'ts in an interview.
"Confidence comes from knowledge. I can talk all you want me to about lighting, planing a fashion editorial, editing. But if you ask me about quantum physics, I will probably start sweating and look nervous because I have no clue what to say. Same with poses. If you know what to do initially, you will flow, but if you have no clue what to do, the stress will take over, and the photo won't be successful. So I decided that before any photoshoot, I will share a pdf with some tips. This change was a big success, and my clients will arrive with positive energy. At that moment, I started sharing some of this info on social media, and that became my signature."
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For Bonnie, creativity is something that you have to consistently work towards every day. "The action gets me inspired. So every morning, I take one hour to write down my video ideas. Some of them are very successful, and others never become a reality. I take great inspiration from the comment section on my social media. I'm always asking my community, what makes them feel uncomfortable, so I have a better view of how I can serve them," she said.
However, just like all of us, Bonnie does hit a creative wall sometimes. "Hey, I'm human, and sometimes I don't feel inspired. In that case, I take a day off from anything linked to photography, and I dig into an entirely different subject. It can be cooking, mystery stories, really anything I stumble. I usually will end up hearing or reading a random fact that strikes my creativity again. Probably next time, I should dig into quantum physics."
2021 looks like it's going to be a great year for the photographer and she told us that she's very excited. In fact, she's writing her first book with a publisher on the art of being photogenic. "I'm writing my first book with a publisher on the art of being photogenic. My idea is to take my readers on a photo journey. They can discover their angle, their side, how camera distortion affects them and how to use it to their advantage. Also touching on other important facts that make you photogenic, like fashion, lighting, makeup, and location. Everything a man or woman needs to consider."
She continued: "Every step of the way will be a building block to create their unique, personalize photo experience. Not what works for X celebrity, but what works for YOU. I can't wait to share it!"
The various poses that Bonnie posts on social media have been her signature feature for many, many years. However, this year, she plans to share a much broader photography perspective with her online fans. "I will be creating more videos about all the little things that I learned on set that make a difference in our final photo—content about poses, fashion styling photo tips, photogenic makeup, and photo locations. I'm taking it to the next level."
Bonnie has over 811k followers on Instagram and more than 28.6k fans on Facebook. One of the main draws for her followers is that she posts content very often. You’ll find updates and advice on how best to pose and what pitfalls to avoid almost every single day on her social media.
A lot of Bonnie’s tips have to do with being confident in front of the camera, showing off your most flattering aspects, as well as creating artistic and dynamic—rather than mundane or touristy—shots.
Professional photographer Dominic Sberna gave Bored Panda his take on looking photogenic in front of the camera. In his opinion, it's difficult to find a clear-cut line between someone who is photogenic and who isn't. "I don't know if [being photogenic] is anything that can be learned, but I do believe that everyone can look good in a photo," he said.
"I think being photogenic is a matter of opinion to each viewer. Everyone can look good in a photo though, but again it's a matter of opinion if said person does look good and/or photogenic. As far as models go, that's something that is definitely a learned skill for some, but for others, it could be natural. Modeling is a whole other game and skill set," the photographer shared with Bored Panda his opinion.
Dominic revealed that one piece of advice that was instilled in him is that "if it feels uncomfortable or awkward as far as posing, it probably looks good." A lot of poses aren't natural but they might look fantastic in a photo. "If someone has the natural ability to pose, it's easier to work with that person because they sort of take the reins and the photographer can let them do their thing. That's my opinion at least. I'm also not always comfortable posing someone as I don't want them to be uncomfortable. It's a double-edged sword in that regard."
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#8
While you can take a lot of great shots by setting up the camera yourself or using a selfie stick, there are still some additional fundamental things that a photographer must know in order to go from merely ‘good’ to ‘great.’
In a couple of previous interviews, Bored Panda spoke with professional photographer Dominic about composition, timing, different styles of photography, patience, improving our skills as photographers, as well as certain stereotypes about photographers that some people have.
In Dominic’s professional opinion, timing—knowing when to take the picture—is an essential component in any photographer’s toolbox. However, its importance is determined by the style of photography that you focus on. While composition will always be near the top of the importance hierarchy for any professional.
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“Planning out a shot or scene (depending on your style) takes time. Composition is probably the most important in my mind though. One doesn't have to necessarily follow the rules of composition, but how a photo is laid out is going to make or break a photo,” Dominic explained to Bored Panda.
“Some of the best photos in the world don't necessarily follow the rules of composition because their layout is made that much better by breaking them in a way that challenges the norm," the pro photographer added, pointing out that we have to be open to experimenting, bending (and breaking) the rules, as well as moving outside our comfort zones.
The timing of the shutter is vital in sports photography while the opposite is often true in landscape photography. Meanwhile, nature photography is a mix of both. Dominic added that luck is also a factor that can make or break an image: whether or not we’re quick to react to the opportunities that life presents us is another question entirely.
"Timing means something different to everyone, but it is of utmost importance. Some will say it's luck, some will say it's skill, but at the end of the day, I truly believe it is a bit of both combined with experience and the ability to learn from your previous work," he said.
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