Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Gonzalez.
Juan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been interested in art in all its forms since I could remember. When I was younger I would sketch and draw everything and anything. As my artistic side grew and I got older, I realized I wanted to continue capturing and creating art but I wanted to get into the technology side of it. From this came the idea to go to college for Graphic Design. Sometime during my second semester my teachers started talking about having to buy other people’s photographs or art work so that you could legally manipulate or simply use the photo for your work. At that very moment I remember thinking, “well that’s dumb! Why would I pay for someone else’s photos when I could take my own?” I was sure it wouldn’t be too complicated… Later that day I went to Best Buy and bought a Nikon D3200 Camera thinking I would rule the photography world with this camera and no knowledge of how to use it. I quickly realized that there was so much more to “taking a picture” with this type of camera than originally thought. You have lighting scenarios, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lenses, bokeh, full frame or cropped, posing, perspective, technical and creative sides, off camera lighting, and so on and so on. There are an endless amount of things you can add to this list but in the end you need to know your technical side of things and then your personal creative side and these took me a while to truly realize. Anyway after I bought the camera I remember applying for a photography job online. The requirements were essentially to own a camera and they would teach the rest. After doing this for a while I started to learn the ins and outs and finding work on my own. After learning all that I could for that specific job I realized how much I had fallen in love with photography and wanted more! I started buying props, backdrops, stands, lighting, backpacks, etc. and watching YouTube videos on all the things I wanted to learn until one day I went on vacation and my camera broke while on the beach. I used this as an excuse to buy the camera I own today. I immediately went and bought a Nikon D810, my first real professional camera, and all new gear to go with it. This boosted my eagerness to shoot and essentially sparked my journey to where I am today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest struggle so far has been growing the business in a way that people understand this is art and it’s something to be cherished. So many people want to be a photographer and so many people now days have a phone that can honestly take an amazing photo. These people think they don’t need the service but what’s offered comes with so much more than a simple tap on a phone or a point and shoot can give.
Please tell us about Johnny Photo.
Johnny Photo actually came about thru family. My nickname is Johnny and well my brother in-law came up with the rest. His name is Omar Madera He actually helped me to get one of my first solo shoots and set up my business page. – Thank you Omar!
I don’t really specialize in any type of photography. I like to dabble in everything as said before but this time it’s because I don’t ever want anyone to come to me and say they love my work and want something I don’t do. I want to be able to provide any type of photography service to anyone without hesitation and if I don’t know what I am doing because I have not done it before well I use my network of other photographers and models to help me out and I research until I am comfortable to shoot.
I feel that what sets me apart from others is my personality. I can become best friends with pretty much anyone because I am an open book and I welcome everyone but also being a goofy and sarcastic person helps too! I make every shoot as fun as possible! Oh and I almost always bring music! You can’t do anything without music! 😁
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I remember when I first started I didn’t really have anyone teaching me prior to the job I got so if I started over I would have first started with watching educational YouTube videos and researching the effects different lenses and lighting can do for you even without an overly expensive camera and of course I would have practiced a lot more!
Pricing:
- $75 Couple Sessions for summer only
- $125 Private Studio Sessions for summer only (boudoir, lingerie, etc)
- $75 family sessions for summer only
Contact Info:
- Address: Fort Worth Texas
- Phone: 817-929-3350
- Email: johnnyphoto2017@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnny_photo_2017
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/JPPhotographynow/
Image Credit:
Azzam Aljuboori; Julaporn Mercado; Natalia Corona; Jessica Smith
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