Meet Lexus Gallegos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexus Gallegos.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lexus. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Up until my senior year of high school I was pretty dead-set on becoming a graphic designer and illustrator. I made a last-minute change to my schedule swapping the class that made my school paper (I wanted to create a comic) for photo class because I thought it would be easy. It wasn’t. Apparently, there is no command+z when you develop film incorrectly. It was a pivotal experience because it was the first time I respected a creative process. Drawing is such a relaxed, therapeutic process, but with photography you have so much responsibility. Once you start shooting, every moment is vital because each one is a potential image. One mistake could destroy your entire roll of film, and that reality forced me to become present with my work. To be honest, it was the most present I’d ever been in school, and my AMAZING teacher, Mr. Harris, encouraged me to follow what was obviously my biggest creative passion.

I attended photography school right after graduation thinking I was the bee’s knee’s, and was immediately humbled. Those three years redefined my relationship with photography. I realized its impact came from the image’s ability to communicate with others outside of myself. I also discovered that not everyone gave my work the same value that I did. Though it took some time, because I was 17 and stubborn, I learned to actually listen to and respect critiques. The two greatest things that photography school offered was a space where people challenged my work and extremely tight and strict deadlines. Early in my career, I understood the footing required to hold your confidence in high-pressure environments. This proved to be extremely valuable when I entered the field post-graduation.

The path of my freelance career from the beginning to now has been a crooked line of trial and error. There is no guidebook to a photography career, and at some point you really just have to jump in the deep end and trust that you have the grit and passion to figure things out. My “jumping into the deep end” moment was in the form of 50-plus cold emails. I just got to a point where my desire to work as a photographer outweighed my fear of failure. I googled and Instagram stalked as many companies in my community as I could, and offered a selection of companies a first-time holiday special for content packages. The first two companies that replied to that email a year and a half ago are clients today. One of those clients led to 5 other clients through referrals and photo crediting on Instagram. Another huge factor that led to my career was working for other photographers. No photographer has the same workflow, and there is so much to learn from anyone who has found success in the field. Learning the tricks and trades you want to apply to your own business are as important as the ones you find and NEVER want to apply. I believe that a strong intention to learn and adapt will always be critical to success.

Oh yes, and having fun. That’s definitely the most important thing. I love love love what I do!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nope! The road has been more like riding a rollercoaster blindfolded. In retrospect, any struggles have revealed themselves as lessons, but just to name a few:

1.) Comparing yourself to other photographers or content creators. It’s one of those things you’d like to believe you are over, but then you find yourself stalking a photographer five photographers down the vine at 3AM because work feels slow. Comparing yourself to the “competition” will never reveal something you are missing in your own work. It just wastes time. No, it’s not research. Putting the blinders on and sticking to the grind will always reveal a better path to your own success.

2.) Understanding the value of your work. This is probably the biggest struggle for anyone in the beginning stages of their freelance career. There is a huge difference in rates between a photographer who works part-time or as a hobby, and as one that is full-time freelance. Full-time photogs have to cover all of their expenses and well as pay themselves a livable wage, and many clients will balk at those prices. If your work and experience is worth the rate, a client that respects that will pay it.

3.) Learning to say “No”. Potential clients will say something like “Our budget is low, but will you help us out?” or “We will give you a lot of exposure and credit”. I’ve done those jobs and ended up feeling resentful because I knew I was essentially doing free work, but ultimately I put myself in that situation. Clients who respect you and the worth of your work understand that exposure won’t pay your rent. I’d rather give my time and 150% effort to those clients, and say “thank you, but no”, to the other ones.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a freelance commercial/event photographer specializing in content creation for social platforms and event photography for brands. In content creation, I am known for creating versatile galleries in one shoot, whether it’s a planned shoot with specific shots or I am documenting a space. Clients know they can give me little direction and receive a great gallery, but most of them have find shoot day to be super fun so they have a whole shot-list and moodboard created for the day 🙂 The events I photograph are typically high-volume or high pressure/profile and the images are vital because they are the client’s final impression of how that event went. The clients who hire me tend to be marketing/production companies that are working for their own client. I get referred to these jobs because I’m known to deliver well-rounded galleries with all of the key images, working under pressure and with little direction.

I am so proud of the relationships I have built with my clients. I love that hiring me for their projects is something they can always feel confident about. My job often puts me in situations where I have to interact with (and photograph!) a lot of people, but being in those situations actually give me energy. I thrive in high-pressure events because I love the challenge of working with new people and putting them at ease in front of the camera as quickly as possible. I know that can seem overwhelming to some but I just think it’s fun.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is waking up excited to do your job every day. It’s knowing that you gave that job 150% and had fun doing it. It’s even seeing a different perspective in what would be considered a “boring” job or subject. Being able to do work I’m so passionate about and get paid for it is success in my book.

Contact Info:

• Website: lexusgallegos.com
• Email: lexgallegos@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexgallegos/?hl=en

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