Rising Stars: Meet Indeliza Marquez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Indeliza Marquez.

Hi Indeliza, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story began in 2011. I was raised by my mother. In the year 2010, my father abandoned us leaving us to figure life out by ourselves. My mother had to work two jobs in order to keep up with the bills and have some food in our home, she wanted to make all of our dreams come true and allow us to play any sports we could pay for our hobbies, because back then photography was a hobby for myself and my younger brother.

There were days that we didn’t have anything to eat, and there were days that my brothers needed to pay for school projects, and my two younger brothers were not old enough to get real jobs to help with income, so our hobbies had to wait luckily my other brother got to play sports. I knew my mother’s disappointment so I had to do something to help. I got a job as a hostess in a restaurant. I began saving some money and some would go to my mom for bills. I was still in high school only a semester away from graduating.

When I graduated I started a cleaning company with my mom. I saw that our company was going great and that I was meant to be a business owner so then I began to use some of that money to invest into photography. I partnered up with my younger brother and we bought a camera together. He honestly used it more than I did because I was still trying to figure out what I truly was in love with photography, or what was my calling.

As the years went on my brother told me about a lady looking for a wedding photographer. That is when I shot my very own first wedding. I was so overwhelmed. I didn’t know what I was doing. I also didn’t have a camera so I asked Eb my brother to use his fell in love with everything about wedding photography then.

I loved the adrenaline that the day brought on me, the rush, of being outdoors, meeting and having conversations with new people. It made me feel alive. I was meant for something very special. I made a decent amount of money but I still didn’t get to keep it. I gave it to my mom. But the little money I could get from cleaning I would save to get a camera one day. Until I finally did.

My first camera was a Canon T5 I will never forget because I didn’t believe in myself, I didn’t believe that this camera one day would take me to creating a bigger career, but it did! I risked it all I would shoot lots of free photography, I was constantly asking my brothers to pose, and I did all of our Christmas family photos. My friends and family began seeing my work, the church began using my talent, and then people in the church began putting my name out there.

Fast forward to 2017, I got married to John. When I got married that is really when an explosion of success came to “Indes Photo.” We upgraded all our equipment we really dived hard into my career. John and I duo into photography.

In 2018 we did a surprise proposal for a couple in Crested Butte, which flew us out to Ludlow, Vermont and that is when I fell in love all over again with photography. I added traveling into my packages, I have been to 3 different states to shoot, and I have shot about 30 weddings and multiple families along with other portraits in the 18 years. And I am not stopping there.

My biggest passion behind this is bringing families and loved ones together, capturing moments to cherish forever, and honestly blessing them with joy and love through these photos. This once was a hobby, but it is not a job, it is actually a method to speak God’s love to people. This was something that I craved for growing up, and now I get to pour that into others.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been smooth? Yes and no. I think yes because I placed my faith in God and when the days that came when I was not booking anything, and I was ready to give up, out of nowhere I had a signed contract in my emails. And no because of the investment into photography, I saw it impossible!

There was no way I would be able to make this into a career. When I got going in my career. I did come across people that crushed my confidence but it was honestly where I would get up and pick up and be challenged again. Those people were the ones that drove me to succeed and not fail.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do wedding, portrait, and lifestyle photography. My work has been published on the Rocky Mountain Bride. I am known for telling stories in a vulnerable and candid way captured in a cinematic and moody way. I am proud to capture vulnerable moments so that people can come back to these moments and cherish them forever.

I have seen families falling apart from one another that have come close together through these memories. I believe what sets me apart from other photographers is that I care to tell the client’s story before I even take the photo. I want to know my clients and who they are as the person before standing in front of the camera. My secret method is sharing my personal struggles or accomplishments.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My biggest photography mentor was Robin Wilkerson. She was a Nikon photographer (secret: canon and Nikon photographers have a slight hate relationship) hah! But she was always down to guide me to price, to learn my equipment, or simply to get coffee. She was ready to dive in with me to teach me the basics even if she didn’t know how Canon function. I still see her running at school during drop-off.

John Koster, my husband. He is my backbone in all this without him I probably would’ve given up a long time ago. He’s been a big influence in my life to push forward even if one person came and tried to break me apart from this business he’s always been there to cheer me up and encourage me to pursue photography.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.indesphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indesphoto/

Image Credits
Inde’s Photography