At just 12 years old, Olga Maria Diego developed a disabling voice condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia that challenged her ability to speak. Having a disability at such a young age would have been devastating for most budding teenagers but Diego looked at her situation through a different lens. “Losing my voice allowed me to observe more, be more still, and notice the beauty in the little things I was seeing every day,” she said. “Some people called my voice a disability but I called it a gift from God. Because of my voice, I learned to see the world from a different perspective.”
Upon her brother’s advice, Diego began taking photographs of nature around her. From nature, she segued to people and a few short years later she went to SCAD where she studied photography. Today, she is the proud owner of her own photography business in Atlanta, OMD Photography, where she captures people, nature and so much more.
From portraits of children and families, and photos of humanitarian aid and mission trips, to weddings and most recently fashion photography for Authentic Beauty, her passion is in capturing her subjects’ most beautiful essence. “When I am with people, I like to let people relax and to show their true colors in front of the camera. I cannot express enough how blessed I feel to be able to capture those moments,” she added.
“Whether it is the love between a newly engaged couple, the moments when a mother is touching her newborn’s fingers for the very first time, or the love between a grandmother and her grand-daughter, I am most happy when I am simply observing the love between people.”
Doing fashion photography for Authentic Beauty’s Spring 2013 Makeup Series: The Lyrical Lovelies was Diego’s most recent adventure. “I was nervous at first but the models were amazing. They knew what to do. Their makeup was flawless. I didn’t have to direct the shoot at all,” she said.
TWO GENERATIONS OF ART
Creativity seems to run in her family. Her mother, Cristina Tamames, is a jewelry designer in Atlanta whose jewelry was also featured in Authentic Beauty’s Spring 2013 Makeup Collection. “My mom and I have a studio together and to work with her and combine her art and mine? It’s incredible,” Diego said.
A big thank you to Olga Maria Diego for photographing and creating all the incredible images for Authentic Beauty’s Spring 2013 Makeup Series: The Lyrical Lovelies. To learn more about Olga Maria Diego and her business OMD Photography, visit www.omdphotography.com. We also want to send a huge thank you to Cristina Tamames for all the incredible jewelry seen on the models. To learn more about Cristina Tamames and Estudio Sol visit www.cristinatamames.com.
