Check Out Demian Tejeda-Benitez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Demian Tejeda-Benitez.

Hi Demian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got started with the help of my brother. When we were young, my brother had the goal of becoming a filmmaker, and I, his younger brother, would involuntarily help him out with many of his projects over the years. We made little skits, did video challenges, performed in film contests, etc. At first, I didn’t have an interest in photography or film, I still learned how to use a camera, but I just wanted to connect with my brother and do fun things with him.

Eventually, he moved out, met new friends with the same goals as he did, and my involvement became scarce. I continued to live my life and went to college for graphic design, but I didn’t have any goals in mind. I was following a path that wasn’t leading me to where I truly wanted to go. Moving out of my parent’s place is when I started to experience the struggles of adulthood and life. I took a financial hit, lived paycheck to paycheck, became malnourished, and dealt with domestic violence. I was at an all-time low in my life. I did have my family to help me from time to time, except I hid many of my struggles from them to keep them from worrying about me.

Eventually, something sparked inside me. I didn’t want to accept the life I was living. I wanted to be better and be happy with my life. I delved back into art, where I found a lot of my happiness back when I was younger, but rather than just getting back into it, I actively participated in art shows and wanted to display everything I could. I prepared paint pieces, sketches, and digital art. But I wanted to show more. I knew I could use a camera, so I figured I’d make a quick photography booklet. I grabbed an old DSLR that my brother used back when we were younger and prepared a quick portfolio. To my surprise, after participating in several art shows, I saw that my photography was getting the most attention and landed me a couple of gigs. That was the moment I started to look at photography more differently. I started seeing it as a potential career.

My photography at the time wasn’t great, but it showed potential. I started to learn more about photography, techniques, gear, etc. I revamped my Instagram, became more active in my city, and eventually built a presence. But I wanted more. I wanted to stand out from most photographers. And with my brother’s help, I started learning flash photography. He told me that being able to control light would bring my photography to an entirely new level, a level where I could consider myself a true professional. So I put in the work to understand and control light. I looked to other photographers that used external lighting and learned from their techniques and equipment. The funny thing is that I picked it up rather quickly, almost like I was born to do this. It was fun and exciting; it brought me so much joy.

After about a year of starting photography, I began to charge for my work. I was at a place where I felt confident with what I was doing and had no hesitation or doubts about what I had learned. I still did a lot of free work, mainly with my tight circle of friends. I came into contact with photographers that did weddings. I second shot with a few of them, some were even with my brother, and I got to a point where I could even be the lead photographer for some clients that I managed to get all on my own.

I started photography in late 2017, and everything was going pretty well until the pandemic hit in 2020. To me, that’s when my world stopped. Everyone was quarantined, canceled any future weddings I had booked that year, nobody wanted to go outside, and all creativity stopped. And worse was that my brother had moved to Los Angeles that year. Me getting into photography is what brought my brother close and me again, so his moving away took a huge toll on my life. At this point, photography jobs were hard to come by, and the community started becoming toxic and stale. When things started opening back in late 2020 and early 2021, I felt that my life in Des Moines, IA, had plateaued. I had met everyone I wanted to meet, I’ve done everything I wanted to do, and it got to a point where nothing was exciting anymore. That’s when I began looking at potentially moving to another state. I looked at many places, but everything was pointing toward Los Angeles. My brother was already living there, so I took a trip to visit him and see if living there could benefit me. I was there for only three weeks, and the second I left, I felt like I was leaving my home, which was a sign. Being my original home, Des Moines didn’t feel like home anymore. And that’s when I made my year-long plan to move. I told my family and friends, and although they didn’t want me to leave, they supported my decision.

I reached the goals I had set to be made within the year within a few months, and I had opportunities waiting for me in LA, but I needed to make a move as soon as possible for the opportunities not to slip away. To my surprise, my year-long plan was fast-tracked when opportunities started stacking on top of each other that summer. The middle of September is when I officially moved to Los Angeles. And since then, my life has gotten more exciting. I’ve had a lot of fun meeting new and exciting people, delving into special projects, and getting gigs that have led me to travel around the States. I don’t plan to live in LA my entire life, but I do know that right now, this is where I need to be to further my career.

Alright, 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?
Oh, it wasn’t a smooth road. Picking up photography was relatively easy, but it also introduced me to a world where you need to hustle to make it in the industry. It will help if you market yourself well enough to convince clients to choose you over a sea of other photographers while not devaluing yourself. It can sometimes get overwhelming and has even put me in creative stumps, moments where I don’t want to pick up my camera for moments at a time.

Being a man has also sometimes made it difficult to be a photographer. I have seen male photographers being outed for some of the messed-up things they do to models, making models more driven to work with female photographers and extremely cautious when working with male photographers, which I totally and completely understand.

That’s why I make sure to be as transparent as possible. I don’t hide my face on social media. I’m completely open with models. I try to get them to know me before ever working with me, do my best to make them comfortable, accommodate their needs, and never make them do anything they’re uncomfortable with. I’m pretty proud of this because all the models I’ve worked with have always appreciated how comfortable I make them, and it’s one of the main reasons they recommend me to others.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It’s very hard to set yourself apart in photography because it’s such an easy thing to get into. All you really need is a camera, that alone can take you pretty far. But back when I started, I noticed a consistent trend. Everyone had the same camera, or the same lens, and the same editing style. So I figured I’d just do the opposite. I got a different camera than everyone, I purposely used different lenses, and I used my own editing style. While everyone was capturing the same photos using the same dark and moody editing styles, I was capturing different perspectives with bright, vibrant, and sharp photos.

As previously mentioned, my brother saw my potential and told me if I really wanted to be a professional photographer, I needed to know artificial lighting. And I knew if I learned that, I could really set myself apart from everyone else. So I went forward with the challenge, I ended up incorporating artificial light in my photos and built up a reputation that completely set myself apart from most photographers.

On top of that, my personality is very different than what you’d expect from a photographer. Most photographers can be very straightforward, or they’ll act cool and composed. I, on the other hand, am a very goofy person, I make jokes, embarrass myself from time to time, and I’m accident-prone. Because of this, I’ve been told by many models that they’ve felt the most comfortable with me. They felt they could be themselves, they didn’t have to worry about feeling a certain way because in front of them is a photographer that’s making them laugh and making them feel great. The photoshoot ends up being a fun experience instead of a job.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far in my career, but it definitely isn’t easy. I made the decision of pursuing it full-time as a freelancer to be my own boss and to pursue as many creative opportunities as possible. But the road is and can be hard, some months can be rewarding, while other months are not. The best way to deal with it is to never give up and keep making yourself available to any opportunity because although some might not seem rewarding at first, it’s the people you end up meeting that could potentially open the door to bigger and more exciting opportunities.

On top of that, there’s unfortunately a lot of male photographers out there that do take advantage of other models, which can make it hard for not just me, but others to market themselves. The best way for me to deal with that is to be transparent and accommodating as possible to all my clients. I want anyone interested in working with me to be able to know me before meeting me. I keep up a presence on social media, I never hide my face, I show off my personality and I’m always available to talk. When meeting in person, I always encourage and welcome clients to bring a friend or family member to help them feel comfortable. Because if a client is ever having any doubts, then I will not go through with the photoshoot.

What makes you happy?
Several things in my life make me happy. My photography alone gives me a huge boost in serotonin, capturing moments, expressing my creativity, experimenting with different techniques, new perspectives all bring a sense of joy to me.

Outside of that, I have my friends that I’ve made since moving here that have grown to mean a big deal to me.

This past year, I rescued a black kitten that has become a new member into my own little family, many people find joy in the companionship and unconditional love of pets, and taking care of them can be fulfilling.

I think it’s very important to keep things in your life that make you happy because this city, while it’s very big and exciting, can also deal a heavy blow in people’s mental health.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.demiantejeda.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/demiantejeda
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/demiantejedaphoto 

Image Credits
Alexia Balistreri, Masha Americasha, Elizabeth Kaminski, Kimmie Tu, Cheyenne Goode, Ellen Hancock, Preston Pollard, Sharaun Brown