Today we’d like to introduce you to Noe Gonzalez.
Noe, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born and raised in the Pleasant Grove area, An area where some of the teachers at my school would tell us the students that we were no good and would end up in jail or dead. Yes, it sounds harsh and hard to believe but that is how it was growing up in my school. Statistics say that the risk of being murdered, robbed or assaulted is at an all time high. The reason why I mention this is because I almost became just another statistic of the Pleasant Grove Neighborhood. I grew up with both of my parents in a very loving home along with my older brother and younger sister.
Way before I was born my father picked up his very first film camera, he started shooting at the church where we use to attend when I was a kid. My father became known as the guy that carried his film camera everywhere he went. He also became very popular around churches, they would invite my father to go film concerts and church events. My father would always take us to those events and I still remember watching the passion he had with the camera.
In the 80’s, my father started to shoot weddings for friends and family, and I was always the assistant. I would help my dad with extension cords and lighting, I enjoyed every moment of it. My father and I grew a special bond because my father saw my interest in filming, he started teaching me on a “VHS Camera” lol. Yes, that is where it all started. I fell in love with capturing memories, as a kid I knew the importance of getting the shots and not missing them. I grew up in the wedding business, going to all the weddings with my dad I started to learn the business. My father and I had the same passions, shooting videos and watch boxing! I realized, I had became just like my father because all I ever wanted to do was shoot things with the camera. But as a kid, I had a dream. As my father and I were watching a boxing match in the early 90’s, I told my father ”I wish I could shoot boxing so that I can meet all those boxers.” I still remember my father looking in my eyes and said, ”You can do it.”
Years pass by and I am now shooting weddings on my own. At the age of 17 I began doing my very own wedding agreements. I was getting paid for something I loved to do. As I started to get older, I began buying my own gear. I remember saving up and I made my very first big purchase, it was the Canon XL1, this camera was the best thing out at the time. Eventually, those cameras became old, and I finally transitioned to Digital Dslr. I am now 37 years old and still enjoy shooting weddings, I have so much fun. Realistically, my passion for shooting is so big that I would do it all for free but I have bills to pay and a family to feed lol. Around the year of 2009, it was finally time to rebrand and started iStudioDallas with a friend.
Remember the dream I had as a kid? Well in 2016, I got the opportunity to shoot my very first televised boxing match that was on NBC (Premier Boxing Champions). I combined my two passions and the dream I had as a kid became true. I have been covering boxing now for a couple of years and I’ve had the privilege of working with many great professional boxers in Dallas and in other states. My recent work has been with Garcia Promotions, owned by 4x World Champion Mikey Garcia. In the year of 2017-2018, I got the opportunity to cover the Dallas Mavericks for a full season. As a Mavericks fan, I was so excited being behind the scenes and locker rooms with all the players.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not easy at all, Biggest struggles were having the wrong people around that just simply couldn’t see the vision I had . Not having the right people around you can make go off track at times or even quit. Always take risks, get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Going from having a 9-5 and a guaranteed check every other week, to looking for new clients and grinding will bring out the best out of you. All of this has taken so many years of hard work like internships, learned lessons and networking with others. Networking is the most important thing to. Always be kind and courteous to others. Never see your fellow photographers or videographers as competition, I’ve learned that everyone has their own unique style of doing things, Do not try to copy or imitate another style, be creative and you will see how people will recognize your work.
Please tell us about Noegdallas.
I’m in the wedding business under iStudioDallas, I’ve been shooting weddings for the past 20 years. My experience in this business is what my clients love the most about me, it gives them peace of mind and trust that they hired someone with plenty of experience and prepared for the unexpected.
In the sports business, I’m just known as noegdallas, it kind of just became my name because it’s also my Instagram name and everyone just started calling me by noegdallas. When I first started shooting boxing in 2016, I believe I was like the only guy creating content with professional boxers here in the DFW. Dallas has so much talent in boxing that nobody was even paying attention to any of our Dallas fighters. I was giving an opportunity to start working with All Access Elite Boxing, the best boxing media coverage in the DFW. All Access Elite Boxing has giving me the platform and freedom to create and showcase my work in the boxing world, big shoutout to the team Jaime Garza and Jose Rendon.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory as a child was traveling the US with my family. My father loved to travel so we were always traveling all over the US and Mexico. Being able to see other states and countries has grown in me to also do the same with my family. Making those memories with my family as a kid is something I cherish so much, mainly because my mom was diagnosed with vascular dementia. I love that our camera was always rolling because I still have footage of my mom being able to call me by my name and just seeing her old personality before she was diagnosed, she is no longer able to have a consistent conversation with anyone and does not know my name at times. This is one of the reasons why I love to capture memories through a video camera, because I know how important and valuable they are and will be in the future.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 214-606-7640
- Email: noegdallas@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/noegdallas
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/noegdallas
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/noegdallas
- Other: www.facebook.com/istudiodallasphotography
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