Conversations with Oscar Mendoza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Oscar Mendoza.

Hi Oscar, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I took an interest in photography after a black and white darkroom class back in high school. I’ve come in and out of taking photos as a hobby ever since then, abandoning the practice for years at a time, but always coming back to it.

I went to college for documentary photography in San Francisco in the mid-2000’s where I began interning at Hamburger Eyes, a photojournalism/street photography collective, zine, and at the time, gallery and darkroom space. It was there that I really began to think of photography as an artform and the experience changed my life.

Once my student loans were due, I left SF and started working in advertising at an agency, again leaving the practice behind. Eventually, I found myself as a Marketing Strategist at vegan food brand that was in desperate need of content and photo work, so I picked up the camera and it led me to a career in food/editorial/event photography, which is where I am now.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road is never smooth when you follow your passions, but I’m grateful for the journey. I’ve stumbled a lot across the way and always prioritized making enough money to survive over other desires, but at the end of the day, I’m just happy to be here.

The main struggle always comes from within. The struggle to be perfect, the constant need to compare yourself to others, the feeling that as you get older, you just aren’t quite where you want to be. Figuring out how to juggle clients and invoicing/payments, etc etc etc. But it all works out in the end.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I believe I’m mostly known for the high-energy documentary style I bring to events/editorial and food work. I love to capture candid moments and find joy in appreciating the seemingly mundane. I also really like to get in the mix of things and capture the energy of some of the events I get to photograph. I mainly shoot color with flash, so the images are usually pretty high contrast.

On occasion, I will be asked to shoot film where I take a lot of creative liberties. Double exposures, long exposures, motion blur, out of focus images, etc. I feel like the texture of film and the warmth it provides supersedes any need for a perfect image. It captures certain scenarios better than a perfectly exposed and composed digital image might.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Los Angeles is twenty cities in trench coat. If you’re patient and driven, you can carve out your version of the city. Whatever you’re interested in or whatever you want to learn more about is available to you, it just might not always be super obvious. Outside of the more popular, commercial areas, there’s also a deep sense of community. People who have been here long enough truly love it and it shows.

One of my least favorite things is the direction the city has gone in terms of affordability and social services for the unhoused. And of course the lack of respect for immigrant communities and businesses when it comes to gentrification. A lot of institutions that I grew up loving have shuttered due to high rents and developer demand for multi-use buildings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oscardot.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bosskie/