Today we’d like to introduce you to Vaidehi Patel.
Vaidehi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey as a photography and fashion blogger started about two and a half years ago. I remember when I first downloaded the Instagram app, I was thinking about what content I should post on my page. When I started browsing through a bunch of Instagram pages that related to creative arts, it inspired me to create my own. I have always been passionate about photography and fashion. I started learning and doing photography during my undergrad years of college. Ever since I was young, I had always been exposed to traveling internationally by making yearly trips to India. I use to dislike traveling when I was younger because of the duration of the flight, which usually takes at least 14 hours. Also, I use to get bored whenever my family in India wanted to take us to different sites and expose us to more history and culture. However, the older I got, the more I enjoyed traveling to India. I felt that I was able to understand the true meaning of Indian culture and getting an in depth knowledge of history and architecture. India is known for its rich culture and architectural remains. The more architectural sites I visited, the more I got intrigued. I really loved how unique Indian architecture was. I started photographing it not only for keeping it as a memory, but to add it to my blog page along with some explanations. Ever since I have been traveling yearly to India, I would always get questions from my peers of what India is like, which is why I started sharing a bunch of photography from there. I wanted to make sure I included some historical spots from India and inspire my peers to visit a country that is rich in its culture.
At the same time, Chicago is well known for its unique architectural buildings and sites. By browsing and following a bunch of Chicago photography pages, it gave me the motivation to do photography in the city. I have always lived in the suburbs my whole life and felt that there is not much to photograph. Seeing a lot of different shots from Chicago photographers gave me the idea to take unique shots and post it. Any time I find time to go the city, I always have my canon or phone camera handy to photograph. I have recently started attending photography meets that are hosted by Chicago artists on Instagram, which has given me more opportunity to learn different methods of photography, meet new people, and explore some hidden gems in the city.
Similarly, my interest in fashion basically started when I was very young. Growing up, I was always into wearing fancy clothes and shoes. Furthermore, when I would travel to India, I was exposed to different types of Indian fashion. My family would always make sure that I was supplied with enough Indian clothing before I head back to the US. When I was in college, I started taking part in fashion shows whenever there was an opportunity. My first opportunity started in the Indian Students Association (ISA), where there was a fashion show for traditional Indian wear. I was required to walk the ramp, dressed up in designer clothes. Because I enjoyed that experience so much, I decided to audition and get into more fashion shows and assignments.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Overall, photography and fashion has resulted in a positive journey along with some challenges. I feel like the struggle I have faced is being able to balance out my hobbies as well as pursuing my career. I have always believed in having hobbies on the side and continuing with it. At the same time, my family wanted me to focus primarily on my profession. They made sure that I had my career set, so that I am self-sufficient. The hard part was when I started working and pursuing my graduate degree at the same time. Keeping up with my school work was important since assignments and projects were counted towards my grade. However, it was difficult for me to find time to do photography and fashion. The challenge was that I was not use to balancing out a few things. Once I got use to the routine of working and going to school, I figured out a way to find time for my hobbies. I made sure that after I was done with work, I completed my assignments in the evening during the weekdays. I tried to make sure that I used my weekends for my hobbies. When my education was completed, it became easier for me to include my hobbies as well as working. Another difficulty was finding time to travel, especially when it came to making my yearly trips to India. As soon as I started working, I was required to stay in my job for a certain amount of time before requesting time off. Also, it was important to find a ticket at a reasonable price and travel during an appropriate season. There have been some years I have gone without traveling because it was not convenient to get time off and find a reasonable price. After working for a couple of years, it became more convenient to request time off for a vacation. It was just a matter of time and being able to plan everything out.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about vaidehi_24 (Personal Blog) – what should we know?
I just have a blog page on Instagram where I am updating it with photography and fashion content. I specialize in travel, street and architectural photography. Also, I post fashion pictures of new outfits and of outfits that I prefer. I would say that I am well known for my amateur photography who is always trying to learn more about how to capture unique shots and exploring some hidden gems in Chicago and India. Furthermore, I’m known for being fashionable. I try to update my blog with the latest Indian attire and with some western fashion that I truly love.
Overall I’d say I am proud of being able to gain exposure in traveling and growing my audience on Instagram. I feel that after posting a lot of photography and fashion posts, I have been noticed by a variety of people. Also, my content has been featured in some Chicago photography and Indian fashion pages. Moreover, I have noticed that some of my followers have been motivated to start blog pages after noticing mine. I think the main thing that sets me apart from others is being able to pursue a few hobbies at once. Because I passionate about photography and fashion, I decided to include my blog page which included my two of my main interests instead of one.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Overall, the main people that have played a role in my success for photography were my family and friends. They have noticed that I have always been intrigued in capturing moments especially when it came to traveling, nature, and architecture. My family gave me the idea to look into photography and learn new ideas and techniques out of it. They would convince me to join some photography meetups, learn from professional photographers or take classes. On the other hand, my friends were the ones that noticed some of my work and gave me the motivation to continue. They would either come with me to the city or message me some ideas of which areas and objects I should look into shooting.
Looking at my fashion interest, it started with my family since they noticed how much I loved dressing up and putting some makeup on. They are always telling me to not leave my fashion side no matter what obstacles that may come in my way. I would also give credit to my modeling agency that I have been working with for a year. Even though modeling agencies prefer their clients to continue with their modeling and acting career, I feel that they were the ones that convinced me to keep my interest of fashion on the side. They understood that my career is important to me. However, they were able to find assignments that were convenient for my schedule. Because they have understood my situation, I feel confident enough to balance my career and hobby.
Contact Info:
- Email: vaidehi24@gmail.com
- Instagram: @vaidehi_24
- Twitter: vaidehi_24
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