Karina Chancey is business owner of Karina Chancey Photography. She is born in Brazil and grew up dancing ballet, playing jazz, and acting. At the age of eighteen years, she started to study journalism – photojournalism being one of the subjects with a full scholarship at UFG. She worked for SBT (Brazilian System of Television) as a producer, for Diario da Manha newspaper and Radio CJ as a reporter. She is raising her quadriplegic son who suffers from daily seizures and a mother of four children finds excellence in fashion and travel photography. She is BFA Journalism and MA Fashion Photography, an Art director; Film Producer, Ballerina and a Yoga Mentor.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up Karina Chancey is an exceptionally talented multi-talented Fashion Photographer, here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, skin care, hair care and her success story.
Namita Nayyar:
You were born in Brazil and grew up dancing ballet, jazz, and acting. At eighteen years of age, started to study journalism – photojournalism, with a full scholarship at UFG. And later did MA in Fashion Photography and started as a Fashion Photographer. This propelled your career in photography to the height where you have been a leading fashion photographer. Tell us more about your journey of hard work, tenacity, and endurance?
Karina Chancey:
As I sit here reading this question a movie of my life passes in front of me. What a journey! To make a long story short I will start by the turning point which directed me into my fashion photography career. Ten years after I gave birth to my first child Maddox which, because of a medical negligence, became paralyzed head to toe, blind, partial death and with an uncontrollable seizure disorder I decided to find myself by renting a van in Portugal and traveling with all my biological children through Europe. I had to leave the bubble that I was living in to find a purpose.
Life is meant to be lived. And despite all the limitations my son had I knew I could still explore the world with him. I drove through Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece collecting unforgettable memories with a camera in my hands. I found myself living life again with no limits, no fear. Through my camera I started to see again. See the beauty of every detail of Mother Earth. See Maddox’s smile and desire to be by my side. See Junior’s talent learning about life with a ball on his feet. See Mila Jolie, my baby daughter, achieve milestones and register her first steps taken in the Vatican. I took photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone. And since then I have been inspired by it. I can’t avoid my son’s reality or the pain but I can eternalize the happy moments as if its the last one. A picture has the magic to make a moment last forever. And a lot of times problems don’t require a solution to solve them, instead they require maturity to outgrow them.
Based on those life learning experiences I discovered the real meaning of photography – a subject that I learned in College but never had as my focal point. In my first year of College I started to work for one of the biggest channels of Brazil – SBT (Brazilian System of Television)- as a producer, and later as a reporter. I also worked as a writer for the Morning Diary Newspaper and a broadcaster for Jaragua Radio. Fashion Photography happened because of my desire to find out about who I wanted to be, not who I was. It is foremost fiction. It is the only photography that allows you to express fantasy, romance, dreams, and escapism. When you are a fashion photographer, you must inspire a dream. And since I was a little girl I have been a dreamer. This is what kept me going… This is what keeps me alive.
Namita Nayyar:
You have been on L’Officiel Baltic Hommes’s August-September issue’s cover (in Estonia). Elaborate more about this exceptional professional achievement of yours and your experience of working with the iconic L’Officiel Magazine?
Karina Chancey:
My life can be quite interesting to lots of people. I definitely have all eyes on me wherever I go with my whole family on wheels chasing life and engaging fashion photography with gorgeous celebrities & models. L’Officiel Magazine happened as an amazing opportunity to show my beautiful production for the Conrad Bora Bora Nui – a photo shoot of my family and couple models for this outstanding award-winning resort nestled in a private cove on Motu To’opua.
The production was part of a pilot for a reality show named Karina’s Way by Hollywood Movie Producers Arlene & Barry Levine – a story of a beautiful, young, once journalist, turned wife and mother fighting against all odds, working as a fashion photographer for corporate/celebrity clients and models around the world, taking life by the wings along with her husband, and four children on her heartfelt mission, “Saving Maddox”, her quadriplegic son who suffers with uncontrollable seizures.
Namita Nayyar:
You have interviewed many public figures in the sports, musical and fashion world, like the professional footballers “Pele”, Ronaldo & Neymar Jr, coach & former footballer “Zico”, race car driver Michael Schumacher, singer, and songwriter Ivete Sangalo, country duos Chitaozinho & Xororo, Leandro & Leonardo, Bruno & Marrone, axe band Asa de Aguia & Chiclete com Banana; and many other actors, models & fashion icons. Tell us how these experiences of knowing the insights of the leaders and icons in their particular fields acted as a catalyst in your professional journalism career that has taken you to a meteoric rise as a well-known journalist?
Karina Chancey:
There is nothing like daily journalism! I always say I was born a journalist. I have always been intrigued by liberty, freedom of speech, expression and most of all I have always been interested in people and their life stories. The adrenaline feeling when you are working as a journalist is addicting. I had the pleasure to interview many icons of politics, sports, music and fashion during my journalism career in Brazil. It was a crazy atmosphere. I loved the fact that every day was a new day filled with excitement.
I got to experience the energy of an excited crowd by being on the field with the most amazing soccer players of the world like Pele, Zico, and Neymar Jr etc. I got to feel the electricity that is generated when the whole crowd sings to the band in unison like during the Show Friends (Amigos) and Brazilian Carnival. I got to share first-hand the excitement of a politician being elected. Those moments influenced me to always choose where my energy goes. Energy is contagious, positive and negative alike. I am attracted to that good energy. Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing and to vibe high you must choose a positive tribe.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2022 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
You are a leading media personality, Fashion Photographer, influencer, Art director, Film Producer, Ballerina, a Yoga Mentor, and a mother of four. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Karina Chancey:
Balancing family and work has always been my biggest challenge especially when it involves a child with special needs which requires 24/7 care. I feel that half of me is my son. I am his eyes, his ears, his hands, his feet, and his voice. And because of it I graduated to be a nurse assistant to provide him the best care possible. The challenges that I have faced in life made me put my journalism career on pause.
Photography gives me more flexibility and I am able to work only when I find a gap on my schedule. My family always comes first. I am almost 20 years married and I love everything my husband and I have built together. In order to cope with the anxiety of not being able to work as a journalist and dedicate most of my time to fashion photography I practice hot yoga and movement meditation. During the Covid Pandemic I graduated to be a yoga master instructor of hot yoga. But in reality I did it for myself. Hot yoga is my sanity. I make an effort to practice every day. Through it I create my own calm. I focus on my breath and accept the things I cannot change.
Namita Nayyar:
You have completed BFA in Journalism and MA in Fashion Photography. How this education and knowledge has helped you in excelling as a world-leading Fashion Photographer?
Karina Chancey:
I can tell you with complete honesty that education is not what made me a journalist and a fashion photographer. Yes I learned the foundation at school but knowledge came with my own creation and by working on the field, making mistakes, being persistent and vulnerable to learn from the masters. I am attracted to intelligence.
I aspire to be surrounded by people that are knowledgeable and willing to share their life experience. My first opportunity in FP came from this aspiration. I attended a workshop in Las Vegas by Celebrity Photographer John Russo and the owner of Maxim France, Florent Carmin, asked me to join him on the creation of covers for his magazine.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Karina Chancey:
Today Hot Yoga is my number 1 regime. It incorporates strength, flexibility, balance, cardio and physical + mental stamina in one session. Room temperature for this hot class varies from 90 to 105 F. I also swim, walk/run on the treadmill, and ride a bike, ski and dance. Growing up dancing ballet, jazz and afro taught me self-discipline and improved my awareness. Exercise for me is a way of keeping my sanity. It doesn’t only burn calories but burns my thoughts and anxiety. So it must be part of my daily routine. The quick-thinking I learned in ballet improved my reflexes, academics and even my time-management skills.
It helped me realize that multiple paths can lead to the same solution and there is always room to make mistakes and improve. Following a fallback plan, dancers acquire perseverance. There were many times that I felt like I couldn’t continue or I wasn’t skilled enough to receive a lead role. However, I had to persist even when it felt like quitting was my only option. Perseverance taught me at an early age that hard work will pay off and that there is always value in continuing an activity you love.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take a special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Karina Chancey:
I totally believe you are what you eat. Depending on what I put in my mouth I can have a better digestion or feel completely bloated. It can affect my mood and energy level. Because of it I tend to choose a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, meat, fish & eggs. This is what works best for me. Lately I had to adjust to a new diet based on gluten free products which made me cut even more carbs from my diet. I got diagnosed this year with a mild form of Celiac Disease.
Thank God I don’t have a sweet tooth. The only sweet I really crave is dark chocolate. And I barely drink any alcohol as it makes me completely sick. A glass of wine or champagne on special occasions is more than enough. In the last year I have replaced coffee for Chai with oat milk and it really made a huge difference on my GERD.
Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
Karina Chancey:
Awnnn thanks. I believe my genetics are good. It helps to have Brazilian golden skin. But the amount of stress and lack of sleep that I go through every day with my special son definitely has played a role in my life, especially my hair. I developed hypothyroid after giving birth to Maddox and I lost a lot of hair. I also need to reposition him in bed several times every night and it really has affected my amount of rest which is essential for anyone’s health. The dry weather in Colorado also doesn’t help much so my number one regime to keep a healthy skin and hair is hydration. I drink a lot of water daily. And because I love to suntan I use products from Obagi to avoid skin damage. But I definitely need to find the right cocktail of vitamins and products for my hair.
Namita Nayyar:
You go to different places and work with different professionals for your fashion photography career. For a photographer to adjust to different places with their own cultures, it must be difficult, and then to adjust to a fashion photography career in new locations and with different professional directors, what advice you can give to fellow fashion photographers in a similar situation?
Karina Chancey:
Being a good person is essential to succeed and does not depend on religion, status, race, color, political views or culture. The energy you bring, positive or negative, dictates your perceptions, receptions and radiations. Sometimes I am loud, sometimes I’m quiet. No matter where I go I read the energy and adjust. But one thing that I always bring with me is the excitement of being alive and having the opportunity to create art. I am definitely a sparkly bubbly girl. I love life! And I always aspire to be a giver. A giver of love, a giver of good vibes, and a giver of strength.
Namita Nayyar:
Your Instagram bio says you are an Art director and a Film Producer. Tell us more about your professional endeavor of yours?
Karina Chancey:
Art gives you the opportunity to expand your role in different directions. Creativity is the key to make it happen. For me, keeping a balance of all art forms, from writing to art composition to music to performing is what a director’s job is. I have explored it all from when I was in College to nowadays. I am always open to learn, perform and express myself.
There has been times that because of a client budget I had to do everything on a set from art direction to balance light and photography. I haven’t worked as a film producer since early 2000 but I am craving a new opportunity. I had a blast at Cannes Film Festival and I am counting the days to get into the movie industry.
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding fashion photographer girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of fashion and glamour photography?
Karina Chancey:
The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical. Constant effort and enthusiasm are essential. Own your path and never play victim. Hardships exist to teach you a lesson. Grow from it! You only know how strong you are when being strong is your only choice. Seek opportunities and always give thanks. Be vulnerable, have fun and spread your light wherever you go. You are unique and this is your real power!
Namita Nayyar:
You have been Fashion Photographer for magazines like MAXIM, FHM, Esquire, Bazaar, Glamour, and many others. Fashion and Glamour modeling involves doing bold photo shoots. How you are able to imbibe in the models to be so body confident to bring the best out of them and produce stunning photographs?
Karina Chancey:
Photography is like exploring a new dimension. I must be fully present to create real magic. Once I set the tone with my energy everything flows. By spreading happiness, love & confidence into the subject I am shooting I am able to create a masterpiece. I always receive what I give. Even if I need drama I give drama.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you train your abs? One secret to your toned body.
Karina Chancey:
Hot Yoga is definitely the answer for a core power & abs definition. Through every session besides using my core to keep balance I do around 150 crunches.
Namita Nayyar:
Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep to a minimum.
Karina Chancey:
I love sushi, any salad with avocado, Brazilian acai, hot French bread & a good churrasco (Brazilian barbecue). The ones that I keep to a minimum: cake, burgers, pizza, greasy food & bacon.
Namita Nayyar:
Five skincare myths.
Karina Chancey:
Skincare myths
1- myth – Sleeping in your makeup now and then is ok.
2 – You don’t need sunscreen if it is not sunny outside.
3 – Tanning beds are safer than natural sunlight.
4 – You don’t need to apply spf to your lips.
5 – If it’s labeled natural it must be good for you.
Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
Karina Chancey:
Athletic leisure brands I love to wear:
1 Rowa from my friends Romana Novais & Wanda Grandi
2 Alo Yoga
3 Free People
4 Pink
5 Adidas
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
Karina Chancey:
Travel destinations on my wish list.
1 Maldives
2 Seychelles
3 Bali
4 Egypt
5 Australia
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and the message for its visitors?
Karina Chancey:
I really want to thank Womenfitness.net for this amazing opportunity to introduce myself to your visitors. By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of others. I believe you become what you feed your mind. Womenfitness.net is a great motivational source to find the courage to continue.
Namita Nayyar:
Today social media plays a vital role in putting your message across to your followers and fans. What is your message for followers on Instagram?
Karina Chancey:
This too, shall pass.
When things are bad, remember: It won’t always be this way. Take one day at a time.
When things are good, remember: It won’t always be this way. Enjoy every great moment.
Karina Chancey Social Media Presence
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karina.chancey/
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2022 Women Fitness