Inside My Camera Bag | Elsa Maria Romo

March 4, 2024

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Hi! I’m Elsa Maria from FREESOULS 🙂

I’m a happy human, intense, crazy in love with life, with an infinite urge to create constantly.

I’m a Mexican storyteller who lives surrounded by mountains in Monterrey, and I have been an artist since I can remember. Expressing myself through photography has become a ritual and an incredible way to connect and share.

I studied a Master in Photography and have been freelancing with my brand since 2008. I’m lucky enough to share this passion with my life partner, Zoel.

We’ve been together for twelve years and we have developed our mantra of life: “free together”.

Ever since, we have been creating a life out of that mantra and making it the foundation of our photography business, FREESOULS.

We believe in honest storytelling and raw feelings, specializing in weddings and family portraits.

I have worked on almost every genre of photography and loved every stage of my career.

I have had the opportunity to be part of art fairs like ArtLima, PhotoHouston, Cortona on the Move, PhotoAlicante, and one of my personal projects, Zoocosis.

Today, I specialize in documentary-style photography for weddings and author projects.

Getting onto my beautiful gear, I’m a practical and simple photographer.

I have always characterized myself as an infinite explorer, and that’s what I do in my photography.

I’m a single-task person, and I love being fully present. I love focusing on one camera at a time. I believe in quality over quantity.

Nikon Z 7II – Ohhhh, man, I’m in love with this camera body! This mirrorless beauty works precisely and is as fast as I could wish for.

Although I’m faster, it works perfectly and answers and focuses quickly. It doesn’t weigh much, and I love the Nikon tones. The menu has always given me friendly vibes.

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED – this was my only lens for twelve years. Yes, you read right. I have done product, food, portrait, architecture, commercial, art, and wedding photography with ONLY this lens for twelve years.

That says it all and that’s why I love it, just great for everything!

Nikon 50mm f1.4G – boy, this lens is responsible for getting me out of my comfort zone! The focus, the beautifully soft blur.

This has limited vision, in my opinion, but since I love to move and explore, it works perfectly for me. Plus, it does not occupy any space and is so light.

The combination of the Nikon Z 7II and the Nikon 50mm f1.4G is as light as a feather, and for me, I work on weddings for twelve to sixteen hours straight, which means everything.

Lensbaby – I just love to play, love blur, and not be obvious about the context of every image, so this lens works perfectly for that. The dreaminess of my images is mostly because of this beauty.

Peak Design Leash – forever and ever trusting, letting go of my camera, knowing it’s secure. This leash gives me the confidence to perform my art better!

I’m being completely honest; I can move and run and jump and multitask during busy days on shootings.

Lightroom – my safe place! I love selecting, editing, organizing, everything in my post production process here. Ninety five per cent of my color and editing is done here.

I enjoy creating presets in Lightroom for each story I tell, and I love how it categorizes my pictures and collections. It gives me peace of mind because everything is organized and accessible.

Photoshop – where the ultimate touch happens! I just give an extra focus here on my final images. I love how I can always have a white canvas to create on.

The greatest part of my creative process, where I get to be like a child again, is including my “artistic gear” and accessories from the playground where I’m creating, the venue and location.

Sometimes I get to play with blur and color with flowers, leaves, kaleidoscopes, even a bottle, or fabrics, socks, yes, socks, jewelry, whatever I feel in the moment that will add LIFE and MEANING to the final pieces, I make it part of the story.

I love how, with a petal of a flower, I can add a touch of color to, for example, a corner of an image. I love thinking I am painting while I am doing this.

Feels like there’s so many ways to immortalize one moment and to get to choose just one, it’s like a fun game, something that’s totally inspiring for me.

I believe that connecting with your inner child is the purest way through yourself. As honest as it gets.

As I am writing this, I’m thinking to myself, is this real? I mean, getting to nourish your emotional and physical self through play and connection? And call it a job? Lucky me!

Getting to document the greatest and happiest day in your life, when you are your truest self, is way beyond amazing and motivational. Forever honored that I get to do this on a daily basis.

A daily vitamin, fuel, and reminder that life is made by every little decision each day.

You are what you invest your energy in. I decided that immortalizing your purest self, becoming a friend during this stage in your life and creating a legacy turned into art within your story would be my main source of energy.

Creating and honoring other people’s essence is my everyday decision. I am so committed to expressing myself honestly that I need to practice daily, so I decided to turn this into a business.

I am happy and proud I get to write this, and I am forever grateful that you are now reading it.

The best part of all this is realizing how important and transcendental photography can be, the impact it has, on people’s lives and how happy it can make them!

A huge responsibility and discipline is required to tell true stories.

I love how this passion transforms me and I can even say it demands me, each day, into wanting to be much more honest and connected with myself, more secure, happier, free.

Because as you connect deeper, self love rises, community attracts good energy and the happier you become the more you can honor yourself with the real you, your truest version, fulfilling and freeing your SOUL.

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