International Photographer Spotlight: Stela Alves

Photo is property of Stela Alves


Stela Alves is an established, internationally traveling photographer who shoots a variety of styles. Her work has been published in several newspapers and magazines in Brazil and Europe.

I'm very thankful that Stela was able to make some time and allowed me to interview her.


AVIVA: How long have you been doing photography?
STELA ALVES: I’ve been into photography for 15 years now.

AVIVA: What led you to become a photographer?
SA: Actually, I wanted to become an architect but I studied journalism. There was a class about photography which I took part in and when I saw photographs developing there, that’s when my passion for photography started.


Photo is property of Stela Alves


AVIVA: Do you believe that it is better to specialize in one genre of photography, or to shoot everything?
SA: Personally, I think it’s more interesting to not just focus on one genre of photography but to get as many experiences as possible. There’s just so many interesting things to take pictures of, so many fascinating things to discover worth taking pictures of.

AVIVA: What has been the biggest influence on your development as a photographer?
SA:On my first job as a photo journalist in Brazil, I interviewed Pierre Verger, a famous photographer and anthropologist. He said that one shouldn't look at too many other pictures, so that you don’t get influenced. That’s a very good advice anyone wanting to become a photographer should heed, because that way, you can find your own style.


Photo is property of Stela Alves

AVIVA: Where has photography taken you (ie. travel, etc)?
SA: I’ve been to 32 countries. My last trip was to Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia). If you take a look at stelaalves.com you can see a lot of the places I’ve been to and taken pictures of.

AVIVA:How long have you been working on your blog, Streetstyle by Stela?
SA: I started my blog at the end of June, so it’s been 3 months now.

AVIVA: What excites you about being a photographer?
SA: Photography is about being interested in the real nature of things. Seeing that and getting in contact with a lot of different people from different countries with different backgrounds, that’s what makes it so interesting.


Photo is property of Stela Alves

AVIVA: Do you have any additional comments?
SA: Let me just say that whoever wants to become a photographer should try to find one’s own style, no matter what kind of genre you are interested in. Take Annie Leibovitz’ or Helmut Newton’s photos for example: if you look at pictures by them, you instantly recognize them because of their unique style.

Again, I would like to thank Stela for her time and I wish her continued success in her career.

You can see more of Stela's work on her WEBSITE and don't forget to check out her blog

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~Aviva