Crystal M Vasquez

My love affair with photography began in the year 2001 when I started having children. I wanted to remember every moment of their lives and document my memories. It was a slow start using disposable cameras. As a creative person, I decided to attend cosmetology school in 2006. I fell in love with hair and wanted to learn everything about it. I have been a stylist for sixteen years and counting. Hair will always be a passion of mine, but recently I have rediscovered my first love- photography. During the pandemic while everything was shut down including salons, I decided to take a chance and pursue my dream of becoming a photographer. I enrolled at Austin Community College in August of 2020 at the Department of Professional Photography. Currently, I am working on three associate degrees of applied sciences specializing in wedding/portrait, editorial/photojournalism, and retouching/color. Not knowing what to expect heading back to college, I found myself head over heels for photography again. Like my passion for hair styling, my thirst for knowledge in photography is the same. The process of creating images is so fascinating, from the initial concept to printing an image and seeing it come to life. I enjoy several genres of photography, but my heart belongs to portraits. I really enjoy the connection and intimacy between myself and the subject. Through the lens I get the opportunity to share beauty and wonder with that world.