Mia Santana Photography

During several trips to various regions of Mexico and while briefly living in Cuernavaca, Mia was awed by the beauty she saw everywhere. It was on the horizons of the beaches, in the historical pyramids and castles, in the astounding renowned architecture, but most of all it was in the many faces. The faces were happy, solemn, quizzical, tearful, and exuberantly joyful. Very different from each other, yet each had their own special beauty. This is where her inspiration began. She was compelled to capture beauty.

It started with oil painting. She loved using a palette of colors, brushes, and canvases to express the splendor and embellish the wonder she saw all around her. From an award-winning artist to a photographer, her creativity seemed to flow from her as she transitioned into the art and technology of photography applying her notable skills and her eye for beauty.

Studying photography in college led her path to becoming a professional award-winning photographer. Beginning with mastering the settings on her 35mm manual cameras, to the new age of digital cameras, her work became increasingly astute. She further developed her skills as she worked in the darkroom with hands-on training from well-established professional photographers. Her fire was ignited when she watched not just images, but timeless moments she captured become alive on paper.

This passion was poured into her photography business and daily life. With the passage of time, years of experience have been accumulated giving BellaMia Foto the strong foundation it now stands on.

Because our lives continuously change, there is often a desire to make the change special and memorable. Whether it’s a family holiday, an engagement, a wedding, a birth, a reunion, just having fun, or even a loss, Mia captures your life and who you are in that moment using her eye for not just beauty, but beauty with meaning. She gives her heart in all she does and exemplifies patience and compassion for families in trying times.

As an active member, area coordinator, and volunteer photographer of the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep organization, Mia donates her time and expertise to the heart-wrenching task of giving the bereaving family the final moments of their time with their child on earth. Although it is terribly sad and emotionally draining, Mia knows her talent was a given gift and she must share it with others.

Her photography has been featured in magazines such as Live Orange County, Hispanic Lifestyle, and Inland Empire Weekly. Some of her photography shoots include the A.L.M.A. Awards red carpet events, Child S.H.A.R.E. of Los Angeles events, and the photography on the CD layout for the Grammy award-winning Mariachi Divas. Mia Santana is an on staff event photographer for Inland Empire magazine.

Mia includes in her repertoire photography depicting a vast variety of music, concerts, and social/cultural events. Her photographs of the homeless on Skid Row reflecting thought-provoking real life depiction of humanity were used to establish the visual concept for the KTTV Fox 11 Los Angeles newscast special “Midnight Mission”. She is a member of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and many other professional organizations. Her photography services have been summoned as far away as Maine and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She looks forward to many more opportunities to capture events internationally.

Mia resides with her family in Southern California.