
I'm Val
I am...
I am a New York City based photographer and graphic designer! I graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Marketing and French. Additionally, I was a member of the Strategic Design and Innovation Fellows program offered by the Robert H. Smith School of Business.
I am passionate about...
I fell in love with graphic design when I began my own clothing company in my junior year of high school. It was my first experience creating a brand identity, designing apparel and marketing my own products. Through this experience I developed a passion for design because I realized that beyond making things look good, design is about applying art for practical purposes through which one can have a tangible positive impact. Since then I have held various design jobs and continued to study strategic design and user experience design within my undergraduate education.
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More recently, I fell in love with film photography. Since I was young, I always loved recording raw moments between my friends and family. A self-proclaimed documentarian, if you will. Although I still love to make home movies on old cameras, film photography allows me to capture moments in a much more intentional way. There's something strategic and thrilling about choosing one millisecond in time and waiting to see if you got it right.
I am curious about...
I have always had an appreciation for animation and 3D rendering and would love to dive deeper into the world of motion design.
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The next step in my photography journey is medium format film photography. I am deeply inspired by nature and aim to shoot high quality photos of national parks around the US.
I enjoy...
Listening to vinyl records! I am constantly listening to music and I would be naked without my headphones or portable speaker. I have a particular liking for old school soul music. When I'm digging through records at a shop you better believe I am picking up an Al Green, Marvin Gaye or Aretha Franklin record. I also enjoy more "modern" artists like Amy Winehouse and Anderson .Paak who inspire me through the simultaneous complexity and freedom of jazz and r&b music.