Meet Lester Villarama of Shot By Lester in Westchester

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lester Villarama.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My interest in photography started when I was in high school, my father bought a digital camera to use for family trips. I ended up using it and practicing on my younger brother and sister whenever we had some downtime at home. There was also a required photography course for my major back in college which furthered my knowledge and interest. I was mainly interested in Landscape Photography at the beginning, it wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles in 2015 when I developed interest in Portrait and Fashion Photography.

It all started when my roommate (AC Mangubat of August Models), would send his new faces my way just to get some shots for their portfolios. I started collaborating with models from Model Mayhem and started the @ShotByLester account on Instagram. I reached out to Ricardo Guerrero of DT Model Management after I developed somewhat of a consistent portfolio and started shooting their models and the rest is history.

Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely has been a very challenging experience. I feel like I’m still learning a lot and so much more to learn in the process. You’ll meet a lot of people who will want to help you grow in this industry but you’ll also encounter people who’ll want to put you down. You’ll make a lot of mistakes in the process but that’s ok! The most important thing is to learn from those mistakes and keep going.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a Photographer based in West Los Angeles. I specialize in fashion and editorial photography, as well as portraits and fitness.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is really the place to be if you’re looking to make it as a Fashion Photographer! We definitely have a huge, diverse pool of models and actors who are always looking to collaborate and create art. It is a very tough and competitive market, but for me, that makes it even more challenging and fun.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shotbylester.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/shotbylester
• Facebook: facebook.com/shotbylester
• Twitter: twitter.com/shotbylester

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