Conversations with Christopher Montano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Montano.

Hi Christopher, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi I’m Christopher Montano also known as Mr. Moonbright, I adapted this name after I started my photography brand and felt like it just came to me from the Moon. Ever since I can remember I’ve always had a camera in my hand, I always found myself as a child just taking photos of people and documenting my memories with my little camera. Now I have a big boy camera yet it still feels the same, I still have that same playful approach to the way I document my stories so in a way I feel like I kept that essence of me.

My background and schooling comes from a mixture of trial and error and my education with The Art Institute of San Diego. That’s when things truly took a turn for me. I found that there’s something magical about being educated in what you’re truly passionate about, somehow people took me more serious and were also more serious about hiring me. Then after lots of interning/assisting and free labor I met a very important person in the start of my career who has definitely giving me a chance to shine. She brought me along with her clients and introduced me to the destination wedding industry. From there it was all just a rollercoaster of lessons, things that I can say I would have never learned at any school if I didn’t take the leap to just went for it. It was almost like let’s fake it ’till we make it moment.

During the pandemic I truly rebranded myself and originated the concept of You & The Moonlight Photography. I’ve always found the Moon as a source of inspiration for me and a way to communicate with others. I felt like the Moon was always in my favor and was always there for me when I looked up at the sky, as cheesy as it sounds I also feel like there’s a tribe of us out there and maybe that’s why a lot of people feel more gravitated towards me. I love how the Moon creates a mood for things, it’s sensual yet mysterious, sometimes dark, sometimes light and romantic. I found all these qualities part of my essence and introduced these to my brand.

If you scan through my work, there’s a cohesive style reference and a way of documentation. The lighting is cohesive and I love that it almost feels like another world. That’s been one of the most rewarding yet challenging lessons in any career how to put everything and everyone in one same style. Although my specialty is destination weddings & maternity being able to understands this concept has allowed me to venture out into other world’s of photography and connect them all through the lens of the Moon.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Seeing how my circle has supported me simply by speaking of me in organic conversations or through social media, tagging, posting or interactions in general has proven to me the value of word of mouth and referrals. I love working with similar clients to my previous ones that have helped me build my brand, it’s all a Wolfpack and I truly value that connection between us all. The best support for our local artist is to simply just talk about us, promote, interact on socials and just book us for your most significant occasion. I think times are tough and frankly I think there’s always going to be tough times and that its why it’s crucial to have memories documented. At times I think we second guess ourselves and say “Oh, we don’t need photos or it’s too expensive.” but then we purchase a brand new car or an expensive purse or get our hair done every month. Which I understand it’s important too to feel good and look good but it’s important to also recognize the value that us as artist have in the world.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve had the absolute pleasure to work with a lot of inspiring and wonderful souls. As a wedding photographer most of my weddings that I’ve had worked have been very meaningful and heartfelt but I think I’ve been extra blessed this year with projects and weddings that I never thought I would be able to experience in such a short career. I’ve always loved traveling and photography so I wanted to fully focused on working destination weddings to tie everything together, being able to work destination weddings in glamorous places has been one of the coolest things so far that I’ve stumbled into. I think the reason I see a couple weddings as extra meaningful is because I legit felt like I was dreaming the whole time and I couldn’t believe I was documenting a wedding in the middle of the jungle in Mexico. Well, It wasn’t in the middle of the jungle it was actually at a beautiful resort but we were surrounded by beautiful vegetation and jungle. The wedding planner went all out and style everything to the T with beautiful overhead lighting and the most magical details. I even got to see some monkeys that night that ran into the middle of the wedding, It was pretty epic and that moment right there I felt like my dreams have and little by little becoming more true. In addition to this I was able to book a couple more weddings in Cancun and got to swim with my wedding party/guest in beautiful cenotes and in crystal clear waters, there was something so magical about that as well it felt like I was part of the family. The coolest thing though has been able to work the anniversary party for the TV Show The Trixie Mattel show, I was part of the crew that day, had to sign a non-disclosure and couldn’t talk about any of the behind the scenes of show any content until after the show premiere. I got to see how the real bosses do it with all the huge cameras and stage lighting. It was so intimidating being around all these famous wealthy people, I honestly was freaking out while I was walking in. Then something snapped in me and said, honey if you’re this means something so own up to it and kill it. So I did just that, delivered my best work possible and got to network with some incredible souls that day. I got to see myself on TV only for about ten seconds total but I loved that the first time I came out on TV was while I was doing my thing, holding my cameras and doing what I’m passionate about. This gig was one of the most meaningful to me because it was a gig with the LGBT+ community which is part of who I am and I felt so honored to be able to capture this beautiful memory as I do to all my other beautiful memories.

If you scan through my work, there’s a cohesive style reference and a way of documentation. The lighting is cohesive and I love that it almost feels like another world. That’s been one of the most rewarding yet challenging lessons in any career how to put everything and everyone in one same style. Although my specialty is destination weddings & maternity being able to understands this concept has allowed me to venture out into other world’s of photography and connect them all through the lens of the Moon.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
It’s all great! 😀

Pricing:

• Complete wedding coverage starting at $5,500

Contact Info:

• Website: www.youandthemoonlight.com
• Instagram: Youandthemoonlight_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youandthemoonight

Image Credits
All image credits belong to You & The Moonlight Photography