Community Highlights: Meet Maria Rios of Maria Rios Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Rios.

Hi Maria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was always the one taking pictures in my family, but it’s something I fell in love with! So in 2016, I decided to buy my first camera. I started off taking pictures of my family. Soon extended family and friends began to reach out. Capturing those memories for them and seeing how much they loved how I captured those moments truly sparked my passion for photography!

In an instant, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! Eventually, I had my sons and I became even more determined to turn my passion into a successful business! In 2018, I finally decided to create a Facebook page to showcase my portfolio and to grow more into a business. 3 years later and I more than doubled my followers from my first year on Facebook and have expanded onto multiple social media platforms to build more of a presence.

More importantly, I have grown as a photographer and have been able to connect with so many different families in my community! People I have never even met have trusted me with capturing so many beautiful moments in their lives and that’s what makes this all worth it! I still have so much more to learn and that’s just the best part.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since I started my photography business it has been far from a smooth road. In the beginning, this was just a hobby I did in my free time after work. When I finally decided I wanted to become an actual photographer with a business, I was working a full-time job, 6 days a week. While also being a new mother to a sweet 3-month-old boy and unbeknownst to me, I was also pregnant with my youngest son. So my first year in business was a crazy juggle of trying to balance being a mother of 2 with working a full-time job and starting my own business.

I didn’t meet all my goals in my first year but I was beyond proud I even made it to my first year. By then, I had the juggling act figured out so I set my year 2 goals and went to work. I met nearly all my goals and more than doubled my following but as the business year came to an end and I was planning my year 3 goals, it personally became the worst time of my life as my father’s health began to rapidly decline. He had been fighting cancer for 6.5 years and through all of it, he was always the biggest supporter. Of my photography, my business, my kids, and just everything I do.

He lost his battle with cancer at the end of January 2021. Being absolutely devastated, I allowed myself to grieve and just be there for my kids and for my family. You truly never recover when you lose a parent, it’s a pain that never goes away… but I knew that my dad would want me to keep going. I knew that no matter what I was going through, I was going to put everything into my 3rd year of business to make my father proud.

Everything was going according to plan until I re-injured my knee, but this time it was so bad that I had to have surgery. Repairing a torn ACL and meniscus meant that I was going to be on crutches, not able to put any weight on my knee for 8 weeks. But I did not let that stop me from continuing all the planned sessions I had. I’m fact, I continued to book more sessions and went on to successfully shoot 14 sessions(1 Engagement Session, 4 Senior Sessions, 4 Newborn Sessions, 2 Maternity Sessions, 2 Family Sessions, and 1 Children’s session) all while on crutches.

It was probably the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. All my clients were aware when they booked the session and I also had a family member along with me, to help carry or do things I couldn’t do on crutches. But it was me who shot and edited every picture in each and every session. In one session I crutched into a Creek to get the shot I wanted and in a few sessions, I was on crutches for hours at a time.

Afterward, I had blisters on my hands and my arms were so sore I could barely crutch the next day, but I wasn’t going to let anything stop me. All of my clients we amazed by my perseverance and absolutely loved their galleries when they received them. More than 1 of them were first-time clients and they came back for more sessions!

Going through all of this has taught me that no matter what you do in life, you are always going to come across challenges. But they are not there to stop you from achieving your dreams, they are there to help you grow. I believe that all of the obstacles I’ve had to overcome since I started my business has shaped me and allowed me to grow to be a better photographer and this is only the beginning!

We’ve been impressed with Maria Rios Photography, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Maria Rios Photography was established in 2018 and is solely owned and operated by Maria Rios. I shoot all aspects of photography but I specialize in Family, Maternity, and Newborn. My community best knows me for my Newborn Photography and my Family Photography but they love working with me because I am able to connect with them on personal levels while maintaining a professional demeanor.

I make them feel comfortable so they are able to have fun and not feel like they are in front of the camera, that’s what sets me apart from other photographers! I’m able to capture some of the most real and precious moments in someone’s life for them to look back on for a lifetime and that is what I’m most proud of about my business, how one of my pictures can literally tell a thousand stories as they say.

If I ever get lucky enough to have this written I would love the readers to know that I am just a native Kansas Citian just trying to make my dream into a reality by capturing the special moments in your lives! I offer many packages for different sessions including Seniors, Families, Children, Maternity, newborns, Engagement, and even Weddings! I also offer mini sessions and pricing deals throughout the year to stay affordable!

I solely run my photography business while working a full-time job and mothering two boys and I currently operate my business through my Facebook Business page, Maria Rios Photography @riariosphotography. But my website will be up and running by Jan. 2022!

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I stopped booking sessions for a few months until I could understand how to operate my business within the guidelines and mandates of Covid-19.

Truly the only important lessons I learned regarding my business due to the pandemic, besides ensuring my health was always good when meeting with clients, was really requiring deposits. I had a multitude of cancelations or rescheduled sessions due to Covid-19 exposure.

I never wanted to require a deposit but there were many times that I had already found childcare and arrived at the session, to then get a last-minute cancellation text.

Pricing:

• Senior Sessions- Basic:$75, Deluxe $125
• Family Session- Basic:$100, Deluxe: $150
• Maternity Sessions- Basic:$75, Deluxe: $125
• Newborn Sessions- Basic:$125, Deluxe:$200
• Weddings- Basic $400, Deluxe: $800

Contact Info:

• Email: riariosphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maria.rios.photo/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/riariosphotography/
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdjsJ87D/

Image Credits
Fernando Pineda and Maria Rios of Maria Rios Photography