Meet Madelin Rivera Rodriguez | Photographer & Social worker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madelin Rivera Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madelin, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I think back to mid 2019 and think about the start of KeepingUpPhotography, I remember asking myself the question, how am I gonna make all of this work? Not only had I become a mamma a few months prior, I was also a full time psychiatric social worker at a high school in East LA. In between roles and identities the way I balanced workloads really became about self awareness, utilizing my support system, and being flexible. Now although as a social worker a lot of these things are talked about with our clients, it’s always easier said than done. I soon realized photography was more than just doing the shoot’s themselves, I needed to find time to edit, plan, promote, post, respond to emails and inquiries and continue my learning about photography itself including allowing time for creative thinking and designing. One of the things that truly helped me balance it all was to schedule and space out events/shoots and family time as much as I could in advance. Every beginning of the month I look at the four weekends and choose two weekends for photography and two for family time. Not only does this allow me to bring in balance into my busy schedule, it also allows me to maintain my cup full by enjoying time away from the camera and with my family. Prioritizing self care as I’ve gotten older and busier has truly made me think about balance as a priority and not as a drag or another thing to do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
There’s so many different types of photographers in LA and everyone’s work offers different editing styles and vibe. I think having a social work background and understanding how story telling and meaning can be shared via photographs really allows me to take a different approach to my own photography style. It’s such a privilege to be able to capture moments for families, individuals, and couples but I think what makes a difference in my work is focusing on natural emotions and reactions that come up during the shoot that I like to capture. I try my best to stay away from doing too much posing because I like my clients photos to feel real and truly depict that moment. Keeping Up Photography stays away from over editing and altering bodies during my editing process, I want people to own their looks, celebrate what they look like without having to look at the photo and say that doesn’t even look like me?!

When I started Keeping Up Photography I had just become a mom and at the same time I was grieving my fathers unexpected passing. Navigating those two experiences simultaneously made me truly reflect on how meaningful photos can be, I had so many photos of my dad and I, I often would look at all of them and relive many of those moments in my mind as I stared at the photos in front of me. While I was mourning I was also experiencing joy seeing my daughter grow in front of me, capturing her little milestones became so important to me. With all of this in mind, I think it’s what really drives me in my small business. Knowing that it’s beyond the money, but the purpose and meaning these photos can have in a persons lives, freezing those moments that we never get to experience again, is what I’m all about, it’s about “keeping up” with the memories..

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m definitely an LA girl! If I could spend the perfect two days with my bestie in our city I’d start our 1st day with a hike, Runyon Canyon is the perfect place to get a good workout and get a good view of the city on a clear day. After our hike it would only be fair to grab a good breakfast, we’d stop by Bea Bea’s in Glendale to have the most delicious Matcha Pancakes! I’d love for us to go for a walk after that at the Americana since we would already be in Glendale, especially this time of the year it’s so festive and would bring out the holiday spirit in both of us. Making a quick stop at Sprinkles for a treat is a must, I’d go for a seasonal flavor like the Santa Baby Red Velvet! A little shopping too, Zie Boutique always has the newest trends available. To avoid the traffic before going home, we’d grab dinner at Frida also at the Americana, they have the most delicious mole enchiladas and micheladas.

The next day id start us off on the other side of town, having breakfast at this local restaurant called Rex’s Cafe in San Pedro. The green salsa chilaquiles are my favorite and the restaurant really gives you homey vibes. After breakfast we’d do a coffee stop over at Sirens Java and Tea to grab an iced Regalatte which is a mixture of Mayan hot chocolate and espresso, happiness in a cup! We’d head over to Point Vicente Lighthouse for a nice scenic walk overlooking the Palos verdes coastal area. After spending a few hours there I’d love for us to head on over to The Pan in Gardena for some delicious pizza , they’re known for delicious pan pizzas. I’d totally recommend “The Havana”.

Me and my bestie are foodies so I think we’d take a rest break at this point and finish our day with ramen and ice cream in Cerritos! Silver lake Ramen and Afters Ice cream! LA is so diverse and big, I truly love being able to see so much in a day, there’s a million things to do and check out but these are a few of my favorite, a combination of sights seeing and delicious food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Listen, none of this would be possible without the support of my husband. When I first mentioned to him that I was interested in pursuing photography as a small business adventure, he nodded and thought it was a cool idea. Next thing he knew, I had bought a camera, a total impulsive purchase out of excitement at the time, and he just looked at me saying “you really doing this?” And soon it became something “we” were doing. From helping babysit both of our girls while I shoot to helping me set up, taking promo photos for me, and all the in between I am really thankful he has been on this ride with me. Of course many photographers have been inspirational, sometimes simply looking at their posts and studying different aesthetics and editing styles to other times attending workshops and photographer/creative meet ups. My now friend Iliana from Iliana García photography has been very supportive during this journey, I attended one of her workshops last year and not only did I have so much fun but I learned so much, but the best part was being able to be in community with other creatives and feel empowered. She’s been incredibly inspiring, I love seeing her growth, her reels are hilarious on IG, and she also photographs for SC, my alma mater,

Website: keepingupphotography.pic-time.com

Instagram: KeepingUpPhotography