Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Jerez.
Hi Daniel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with a desire to create. Not images, and not art necessarily but websites. One of my best friends (Victor) and I started freelancing web design and development as we both loved coding. This was back when you were still handwriting code, all HTML, CSS and JavaScript for the most part. That lead to us needing some product photography one day and after borrowing a camera from a friend of ours (thanks Marlene), I knew I had found something I never knew I would come to love so much. Shortly after that, my wife surprised me with my first DSLR a Canon t5i that I still own (and will never get rid of.) Ever since then it’s rare to see me out and about without a camera bag always ready to capture a special moment, a beautiful scenery or whatever life throws your way! Photography became a passion that never felt like a job. Being able to do something you love as much as I love photography and get paid to do it is just an amazing feeling that is hard to compare to. Now with two beautiful daughters, it is even easier to find beauty and appreciation in everything around us. Everything is worthy of a picture, you just have to look at it in the right angle!
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?
Obstacles are always present in this line of work, sometimes you get burnt out or feel ineffective. Sometimes my art feels unsatisfactory for my own eyes or it feels like I do not improve. This is when having a terrific support system becomes of monumental importance. While it’s always best to believe in yourself, I don’t think there is anything wrong with needing help every now and then. That is what my wife, daughters and friends have been for me. Always being attentive to what I do and giving me feedback and encouraging me has made the ride a lot smoother and ensured that I never give up. She has been there from the beginning and I appreciate and love all the support and care she gives me. Thank you honey! Then there are always external obstacles, having a dry period of time between jobs can make you feel unsure about your skills as well. That, plus gear malfunctions, costly lenses and lights; it can very quickly add up. But sometimes I remember that everything with opposition makes you work harder which leads to improvement and evolving your art in a style that is unique and makes you stand out amongst other great artists. While at the moment, challenges are frustrating and hard to overcome, looking back at them, they have always helped me become better!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My specialty is photography. Events such as weddings, engagements, celebrations and other special life events are where my professional career takes place. I do love video as well, even though I only focus on photography professionally, I love the process of setting up, recording and telling a story through video. Besides that when it’s just me and my camera, my preferred style of photography is always landscape photography. There is nothing like waking up very early before the sun is out, making my way up a mountain in the dark where all the light there is at the moment is the one coming from your cars headlights. Setting up at what looks like an amazing spot already in the dark and waiting for that moment when the sun comes out and illuminates a beautiful landscape. It’s just you, your camera and the breathtaking beauty of nature in front of you! That is one of the many things that makes photography such a beautiful thing!
What does success mean to you?
I believe success is one of those things that is defined individually. For example, when I am hired for a job, success doesn’t come until the very end. I don’t feel like I have succeeded until I have turned in the images that I captured and edited and I am able to see the reaction of the subjects of my photography. I am able to see that I have helped make someone happy and see them relive a moment that made them so happy. To be able to so vividly bring back that memory and see them smile or even shed a tear of pure joy. To know that from now on and always that person will be able to look at that picture and think to one of the happiest moments of their lives. To know that it is through my art that they will get to experience that for the rest of their lives. That is when I feel I have succeeded. The true beauty of my art is what it invokes in others when they see what I captured.
Pricing:
- Individual sessions (1 person) starts at $150 for 1 hour
- Couple sessions (can also be engagement photos) start at $300 for 1 hour
- Family Sessions start at $500 for 1 Hour
- Elopements start at $1,000
- Weddings start at $3,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danieljerez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danieljerezphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danieljerezphoto
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/danieljjerez
- Other: https://unsplash.com/@danieljerez
