Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Cruz.
Jonathan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I picked up my first DSLR camera back in 2010. As soon I got it I signed up for a photography class. I was super excited to start learning the ins and out of my camera and start my photography journey. What I didn’t realize was that the class I signed up for was a black and white film class. I was super embarrassed by my mistake. I ended up buying a film camera to be able to stay in the class.
My mistake turned out to be one of the reasons why I fell in love with photography in the end. The whole process from developing your own film, to creating your prints in the darkroom and then mounting your pictures was such a satisfying feeling every single time. I kept taking photography classes to expand my knowledge in portraits and studio lighting. I did a few outside projects outside of class here and there to keep practicing my skills.
Two years into taking classes and doing side projects I, unfortunately, had to put my photography on hold due to my full-time job. It wasn’t until my job laid off all their employees due to them closing down mid-2018 that it allowed me to pick up my camera again. I finally had more time on my hands to do more side projects again like food photography, lifestyle portraits, and photo booths.
I created an Instagram account shortly after that in order to build up my portfolio. I attended my first photography meet up in LA, and I was completely blown away with how big the photography community really is. I got a chance, but I’ve been able to network with so many different photographers and models in the process.
These photo meetups are such great events to attend if you love just to create, practice your skills or even just network with people. Having good connections is always a good thing when trying to make photography a business.
Some of the photography meet ups that I’ve attended have been put together by tfti_la, streetmeetla, maskdemons, socal_shutterz, and olzyproductionsz. You can find these accounts on Instagram for free meet ups.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was a bumpy road to get where I am today. I went from doing photography on a weekly basis, to only once every other four months. My full-time job was taking too much of my free time at the time. I ended up dropping two photography classes two years into school because I couldn’t shoot as much as I needed to for my classes. I’m hoping to be able to go back by the end of this year to at least get two different types of photography certifications.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
As a freelance photographer, I get to do all kinds of photography. I specialize in portraits at the moment from headshots, maternity, engagement, family portraits, and fashion. I also started to do some food photography by attending a couple of local food vendor pop-ups like A’s bbq, Phat birds, Boulevard Street Food to capture their specialties.
As a photographer, I get asked to do different styles of photography and sometimes the style might be new to me. I always let the person know if it’s my first time doing that type of photo shoot. For example, Makenna Paige (@kennapaigeofficial on IG) recently asked to do an Arcade photo shoot . I’ve never done anything with neon lights or low lighting situations without a flash on hand, so this was completely new to me.
I was completely happy with this collaboration between Makenna and I because it gave me a chance to try something new. I was completely proud of myself for trying something new especially after seeing the model be overly excited to get these pictures.
As a photographer, I’m always willing to collaborate with different artist. Not only does the artist who I collaborate with gets to see their ideas come to life but I get to refine my skills. It’s never a bad thing to try and expand your set of skills in areas you aren’t familiar with.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I can see myself spending more time out creating new content and less time working. You know what they say, when you do what you love and have a passion for it, then it really doesn’t feel like a job.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://upjhn.myportfolio.com/projects
- Phone: 3236302166
- Email: jonathan_cruz_photography@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan_cruz_photography/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Popular
-
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
-
Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
-
What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
-
What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
-
If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
-
What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
