Art had always been entrenched in the plans of Brooklyn-based photographer Grace Rivera, who recalls a lifelong passion for imagery extending back to her childhood. “In high school, my dad said, ‘I think you might have an eye for photography,’ and got me a Canon point-and-shoot,” she says. “I would run around our backyard and shoot macro shots of blades of grass just to get to know the camera.” Exploring still photography alongside videography, illustration and graphic design throughout high school, Rivera entered the Rhode Island School of Design for college, where she became confident that photography was the medium for her. After graduating, she landed an image research and production coordinator role at Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), but when her supervisors discovered her proficiency in photography, they began to encourage her to shoot social projects at work. “Toward the end of my time there, W+K brought me on set to shoot the official stills for a Procter & Gamble campaign [that] ran in the New York Times,” Rivera says. “I had never been on set before, and W+K gave me a safety net so I could develop as a commercial photographer.” Now, she shoots commercial and editorial work alike, inspired by conveying a natural sense of joy with solid uses of color and composition. Rivera’s influences, which include photographers such as Petra Collins, Camila Falquez, Carlota Guerrero, Lauren Greenfield and Renell Medrano, speak to her visual language of color and shape as well as her philosophy of authentically representing the female experience. “I’d like to make an impact in terms of representation and the female space,” she says, noting that efforts to encourage body positivity often end up qualifying models by stereotypes. “I want people to know I’m not shooting them because they fit this or that label but because they’re a beautiful person who deserves to be represented.”

Grace Rivera is represented by Giant Artists.