My name is Joana Espinoza, I was born in Portugal and I currently live in Reading, PA for the last 12 years. If you were to ask me why I decided to pursue photography, I will tell you that initially I did it to save me from myself. Since I was a child I loved to draw and studied Art in high school where I had basic photography classes. I learned to develop photographic films in the dark room, and I had fun taking pictures of my friends with their digital cameras. It was at that point, that I had initial contact and incredible experiences with photography without suspecting that this would accompany me all my life.
When I finished high school I began to work, leaving everything in oblivion. It was not until I met my husband, who is also an artist and likes photography, that I became interested in the subject again. Only then did I decide to buy my first camera to have fun and learn how to handle it, and that also was 12 years ago. A couple of years after being married one of my husband’s friends who is a photographer was looking for help, I offered myself, and it was there that I met the sensation of taking photos of “real models”. A completely new experience full of challenges and despite the fact that I really liked it, for various personal reasons, I once again lost contact with photography.
A short time later I became a mother and unfortunately, as happens to many women, I fell into depression, causing nothing to motivate me, until one day while browsing Facebook I found a page of a professional wedding photographer that caused a great impact on me. I remembered the experiences that I had before and I decided that now it would no longer be a game, I was going to learn what I could about this beautiful art, and I was going to do something for my mental health. My husband supported my idea, I invested in a better camera. I started to build on it with sessions and learning about editing. It was not easy since I was not fluent in Spanish and I did not know anyone, so my tasks in addition to learning photography was to have people know me and also understand me.
I confess that the most beautiful part of being a photographer is receiving so much love and friendship from my clients every day. Many of them I have known for years, when they get the pictures, they call me with emotion. Also, it’s exciting to receive new clients who arrive because someone told them about their experience with me or they saw my work and they loved it. It’s really incredible all the support they give me and that is what motivates me to constantly offer them new things, making my dream come true.
Being able to dedicate myself to photography has been one of the greatest blessings that life could offer me, it not only helped me to overcome myself emotionally, but it also allowed me to have the opportunity to meet many special people and to whom I have enormous love and gratitude. My mission as a photographer is to make my models feel special, tell them how beautiful they are, that they can see the best of themselves, and of course, take care of their memories as if they were mine; For this reason, I take special care in the planning, creation and editing processes, so that in the end it is a unique result, not only because of the work carried out but also because of the love, dedication and attention that I give it.
I have worked mostly with the Latino community and I dedicate myself to family sessions, pregnant women, children, birthdays, graduation, portraits for business and promotion, weddings and quinceañeras, and I have had the great honor of working many times for Palo Magazine. I have my photographic studio in the Goggleworks Center for the Arts building and today many know me as Joana Espinoza the photographer of Golden Light Photography! The idea that at first was a means of escape, became a firm professional photography business that seeks to offer my clients the best in image, experience, and service!
Joana Espinoza
Golden Light Photography