Diana Beraza’s Biography

Diana Beraza was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She attended Galena Park High School but opted to get her GED when she became a teen mother. Diana attended San Jacinto College and earned her associate in Fine Arts. She recently graduated from the University of Houston-Clear Lake with a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Design with a concentration in Studio Arts. Diana is an enthusiastic artist who enjoys all art mediums, but her main focus and passion is digital and analog photography. She has had two photos featured in Accents, The Student Literary Magazine of San Jacinto College. Diana also had a photo selected to be in the Artovation Student Show 2024. 

She has been married to her middle school sweetheart for 25 years and is a mother to two handsome young men who also are involved in the arts. Diana hopes to one day attend the University of Houston to pursue a Master’s degree in photography. 

Artist Statement

Photography, for me, is an artistic form of expression. Whether it be portraits, capturing the attractiveness of the mundane, or the complexity a vision brought to life, there is a certain feel of transcendence of time. I strive to invoke emotion and nostalgia from my viewers. It is not as simple as looking through the camera’s viewfinder and freezing what you see in front of you. There has to be perception, a deeper understanding of the beauty of life. 

My photography journey began when trying to immortalize each of my son's milestones, every precious fleeting moment. What started as a passionate hobby, converted into a way of life. With the help of an effortless point-and-shoot, and video cameras, I later realized I wanted more of what the photography world had to offer. In the beginning, I was self-taught, thank you YouTube. But yet again, I decided I wanted even more. I enrolled in college and learned camera basics, which I already had a grasp on. I quickly realized there was much more technical and vital information to be obtained. 

For many years, I focused on conquering digital photography. But a year ago I was introduced to analog photography. On one hand, there is a sense of precision and modernness with digital cameras that are always changing and the technology is impressive. Paired with Photoshop the possibilities are magnificent. With that being said, there is also a sense of appreciativeness of the unpredictability of film photography. Apart from proper exposure, composition, and the photographer’s creativity, there is the meticulous process in which the film and photo enlarging task is executed that makes the entire operation so rewarding. 

My main objective is to encourage the audience to stop and reflect on my photos. To relish my photography with fresh eyes, to find a connection to my work. To transport them into my field of vision for a few minutes or to be able to interpret my work in a way that helps them bridge us all together. 

I am grateful to be able to grow and evolve as an artist. I look forward to learning and exploring more into both digital and film photography. I want to push the bounds of my creativity, expand my knowledge, and continue my journey to one day having an entire solo gallery exhibition, a photography book, and lastly, eventually teach the subject to those just as enthusiastic about photography.