Meet Kayla Calderon | Couples & Wedding Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Calderon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, what do you want your legacy to be?

As a couples and wedding photographer, I want to be remembered by the memories I help people create and hold onto. I know that at times, especially during life changing moments like proposals and weddings, it can be hard to take in the moment. I want my couples to be able to look back at their photos and remember their joy they experienced. I want the memories to look as good as they felt. I hope to spread happiness with my photos, to capture love, and to make my clients feel good about themselves. If my clients look at their photos and smile, or even have a tear of joy, I know I’ve done my job. Sometimes I’ll notice that my client’s hang their photos in their living room or have one of their photos as their lock screen and that just makes my day. One of the best things is when their parents contact me afterwards to thank me for my work. I put a lot of time into the process of planning, posing, shooting and editing, so to be appreciated makes it so worth it. I hope for people to think of my photography as an extension of me. I hope to create memories people will cherish for years to come and one day show their children or maybe even grandkids.

Beyond that, I just started giving back by allowing a tree to be planted for every photo shoot I book. I feel that I have a lot to give to the world because I truly care, photography is just one way of me doing that.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I want everyone to know that my photography business is about capturing love and definitely has a California influence. What sets my business apart is the way that I care about my clients. I’m not just there for a paycheck. I care to know their story and who they are as people. I would even say I’m friends with some of them now. Besides that, I have a quick turnaround time, ranging from 48 hours for proposals, to one month for weddings.

I’m excited to announce that I’m adding film photography to my couples sessions and weddings. Film has a vintage feel that I am in love with. The few clients I’ve given film photos to have loved them. Most people don’t have an opportunity to have anyone to take film photos of them because it’s such a unique art, but I’ve gotten comfortable with my film camera and have even shot some at a few weddings and the photos are gorgeous.

On a more personal note I want to say that when I first started my business, I was lost. I’m the only person in my family to have their own business so it wasn’t easy starting because I didn’t have much guidance. My fiancee was able to help a bit, but then I had to figure the rest out on my own. It’s one of those things I just had to do my best at then learn along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Ok I love the San Diego area and there are a few hot spots I recommend people checking out. To start off, Sunset Cliffs. It’s such a gorgeous place to visit, but I always tell people to only visit if they are adventurous. Before going to Sunset Cliffs be sure to check out TapShack Kombucha to hydrate.

I think everyone should visit Torrey Pines State Beach because it’s family friendly and gorgeous. There are several hikes that overlook the beach or people can just stay down on the beach and hang out. Even better, people can hike one of the trails down to a more secluded part of the beach if they want to make a fun day out of their visit. They might even run into me because it’s my most popular photo shoot location due to its versatility!

Coronado Island is also a hot spot. You need to drive over the bridge to get there (which makes it extra fun)! You can visit Coronado Beach once out there and see the famous Coronado Hotel. I’ve shot a few elopements there because it’s a fun getaway.

Somewhere people overlook often is Oceanside, but I think it’s such a quaint city. Whether you walk the beach, the pier, or simply cross the street, there’s a lot to see. There are tons of new hotels and restaurants. It’s great for a fun night or day out.

As for food, my favorite breakfast/brunch place has to be Fig Tree Cafe. It’s soo good. Seriously. I think anyone can enjoy it since they have food for vegans as well. The Plot in Oceanside left me speechless with their crunchy rolls. And an honorable mention is Cafe Gratitude-it does not disappoint.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My fiancé Ryan was the person who encouraged me to quit my day job and pursue photography as a full time career. I was terrified, so I really needed the extra push. He saw my work and would remind me of its worth. He also saw that I wasn’t fulfilled with my career at the time and wanted me to be happy. I even saw a career counselor in grad school because I was having doubts about becoming a school counselor. Even though I had straight A’s I could see that I would spend any free time I had working on my photography instead of being more involved with school. I sat down with the career counselor and told her the truth. I told her I wanted to be a photographer and I expected her to laugh or say that being a photographer could just be a side job. Instead, she asked to see my work. I pulled up my website on my phone and after she held my phone and scrolled through my portfolio, she put my phone down and said, “You need to be a photographer. You just made my job really easy.”

Website: https://www.kaylunapix.com

Instagram: @KayLunaPix

Other: TikTok @KayLunaPix