Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesus Daniel Ochoa Solis.
Hi Jesus Daniel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
To get to where I am today it all started in Senior year high school in a small town in the Central Valley, Dinuba. I had moved over from Richmond, CA and thought photography would be a fun elective. Just as the school year ended and I went off to college, my teacher/mentor gifted me my first film camera. Once I got to college at San Francisco State University I entered their cinema program, here’s where I really started to hone my craft in film photography and 16mm filmmaking. I began shooting editorials, music videos, documentaries, weddings, and portraits, people started putting me on their film projects more and more. I started to be known as the film guy around the Bay Area and I’m still one of the few filmmakers to own their own 16mm camera and work with film. Today I own a digital camera but continue to work with film, especially when documenting people. There is an intimacy of life working with film, it’s warm, it’s real and I don’t think you can get that out of any digital screen.
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?
With being freelance the struggle is continuing to find consistent work, like any artist finding those who want to utilize your skills is often tough. It leads to odd jobs and side hustles, anything to continue doing what we do. No road is smooth but I’d never pick anything else.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a photographer and filmmaker specializing in (but not limited to) film. What I’m most proud of are the stories I’ve collected through my career. I enjoy human connection above all else, it’s the historian in me that cherishes each person I’ve documented. One of my projects that I’m most proud takes place in 2022 when my mom got her residency and we went to Mexico for the first time. For the first time in 30 years she got to see her father and I got to meet him for the first time ever. For a man I never met in my whole life, he treated me like I was always apart of the family.
What makes you happy?
Before going to school for Film I studied History and what makes me happy is that I’m able to continue documenting what’s in front of me. I get to hear peoples stories and connect with others I never thought possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dosfilmproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jes.dos/
