Meet Sinuhe Xavier

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sinuhe Xavier.

Hi Sinuhe, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After being a professional ski mountaineer for The North Face, I was pretty much unemployable. Photography was a way for me to create my own life. After a period of time photography became too restricting and I pursued film. It was during that era that I realized that if I looked at what I was doing as fulfilling the client’s needs, I would always feel trapped. When I started to perceive myself as an artist rather than just a photographer, just a filmmaker a whole world opened up to me without boundaries.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In 1994 everything was an obstacle or so it seemed. There was never enough money for film & processing or gas to get to the next halfpipe contest. My memory is that we, as a collective group of snowboarders, never let it slow us down. We always figured it out. We slept 5-6 to a hotel room, ate saltines with honey that were free at the lodge if we couldn’t score free Power Bars. We just figured it out.

Growing up in Montana, I think a person learns early on that complaining isn’t going to help and that the only person you can really count on is yourself. I never saw challenges as hurdles, they were just things that had to be dealt with. Camera case gets stolen at the airport, deal with it. Carnet going into Morocco is wrong, deal with it. Agents say they don’t want to represent an action sports photographer, find one that does or start directing. Client taking their sweet time paying for a big job that you’re basically leveraged to the edge for? Sell your car.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For most of my career, I have worked in the automotive space. My reputation for finding unusual locations that haven’t been shot before has taken me around the world. Part of my evolution into the art space has been taking those far off landscapes and presenting them through a new and unique lens.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
There will always be setbacks, it’s part of progress, however when you end up getting knocked back a bit you’re not starting from scratch. You have experience, you have all those lessons you’ve learned.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.sinuhexavier.com
• Instagram: @sinuhexavier