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

Hi Lucia, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Striving to provide personalized service with integrity and care.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Lucía (Lu-sea-ah), and I am a wedding and portrait photographer based in Orange County, California.

I started my photography journey to document my backpacking days more than a decade ago, wanting to capture the flavorful food, the welcoming people, and the novel sights I was witnessing while traveling. My goal was to share those visual memories with my parents —who didn’t have the opportunity to explore beyond my hometown, Mexicali BC Mexico. To this day, they get excited to see new photographs and listen to the narrative that accompanies them, whether that may be traveling in Europe or photographing a client’s beach elopement.

A couple of years after graduating from UC Irvine as a computer engineer, I turned turned my photography hobby into a business (2015). Since then, my primary focus has been weddings and UC Irvine cap-and-gown portrait sessions. As a small business owner, I strive to provide each client with a custom experience tailored to their needs. We get to know each other through email communication and at least one phone/video consultation. This knowledge allows me to tell client stories with depth and care, often documenting their lives over the years. On a more personal note, I surround myself with kind, authentic people with a sense of humor and incorporate those values into the service I offer all clients.

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.
I often play tourist guide with friends and family!

Some of my favorite places around Orange County are: Laguna Beach (to explore downtown and go to the beach), Crystal Cove State Park (to hike and go to the beach), Carbon Canyon Regional Park (to hike), Oak Canyon Nature Center (to hike), Downtown Disney (to walk and dine), and Santa Ana Artist’s Village (to walk and dine).

I also love to support local quality businesses like Cream Pan bakery, PhoHolic, Double Delicious Thai Cuisine, Rance’s Chicago Pizza, Shirley’s Bagels, Nick’s Laguna Beach, among others.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Gilberto Cardenas, a fellow UC Irvine student at the time, was my photography and business mentor when I first decided to transition from having a hobby to creating a business. He was an accomplished photographer who would let me borrow equipment to test before purchasing, gave me my first studio lighting class, and would patiently listen and offer wise feedback. He is one of the kindest souls I call friend.

Website: www.luzye.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/luzye_photo

Twitter: luzye

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luzye.photography

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/luzye-photography-costa-mesa

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.