Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Espinoza.
Chuck, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
At the age of 13, I found a 35mm camera my Dad brought home from his tour in Vietnam. He gave me some basic instructions on using the camera and off, I went documenting my friends and our adventures. I continued to shoot through most of the high school but never considered it more than a hobby. By the time, I started college the camera had been forgotten in a closet.
In college, I found a love for the stock market and chose to pursue my goal of becoming a financial analyst. I moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and started my career in the investment banking business.
In the fall of 2000, I took my 35mm camera on a trip to Europe reigniting my passion for photography. I began to take evening photography classes while working for the investment bank. Two years later, the opportunity to leave the investment bank was presented and I left to pursue photography.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road to being a freelance professional has been far from smooth and continues to prove challenging. Most creative professionals will come to a tipping point where they find that working as a creative takes a lot of business sense and that running a small business takes a lot of work. In fact, I spend more time running my business than I do taking photos. Having a business degree and my experience in the banking business was incredibly important to my success.
There is always a struggle with the race to the bottom. Clients want it cheaper and faster and competition will often undercut each other. There’s a new creative born every day and in Los Angeles, the sheer numbers make remaining competitive a challenge.
Over the past few years, as the quality of the camera/phone in our pocket gets better and better some clients no longer look to professional photography as a budget worthy option. There are magazines and feature films being shot with iPhones and kids that will grow up having never seen a photo album. It’s my job to show clients the value of hiring a professional.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chuck Espinoza Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m a portrait photographer. I specialize in photographing people. I happen to straddle the line between commercial (shooting for businesses) and retail (shooting for families). The work and experience I have had shooting commercial help with the families and vice versa.
My photographs are known to show a sense of life and honesty. In the past few years, I’ve also discovered a love for shooting in and underwater.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’d like to think that both good and bad luck has guided my photography. I had plans to leave the banking business of my own volition but was laid off a few months before I executed my plan. In hindsight, I’m not sure I could have left a well-paying career to pursue my photography without a little nudge.
Contact Info:
- Address: 715 West Maple Ave.
El Segundo, CA 90245 - Website: www.chuckespinozaphotography.com
- Phone: 310-571-5094
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckespinozaphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chuckespinozaphotography/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckespinoza/
Image Credit:
Chuck Espinoza
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