Today we’d like to introduce you to Nestor Gonzalez.
Nestor, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures but I guess I never really thought about it until my wife was going to school to become a professional makeup artist back in 2015. I had this idea, “what if I buy a camera and learn how to take pictures just to help build her portfolio”.
She and I bought a D3300 with a kit lens from a lady on Craigslist. We met at a police station and I examined the camera as if I had a clue how to use it. I paid her $500 and we went on about our day. When I got home I was so excited and I started reading articles from other photographers online and watching videos on YouTube. I started learning about ISO, shutter speed and aperture and how different lens worked differently than the next. I took time to practice with my kids and just random things I would find.
Since my wife, Alby, was attending EI School of Professional Makeup I offered to take days off from work every once in while during their finals to take pictures of their work and gain some experience at the same time. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing and talented individuals. At this time, I was also a member of Team Ruckus, a SoCal Car Club, and I began to practicing taking pictures of cars and models. We even did this Halloween event where we got all the cars together and all the makeup artists from my wife’s class to do a joint Halloween Car Club Photo shoot. It was an amazing experience and it was a lot of fun. Gory makeup, zombies, blood and amazing cars! What more can you ask more as a learning photographer ?!
Once I had gained enough experience, people started to notice and I was being asked if I could shoot for them. Of course, I was still learning but I started out shooting for $50 per hour sessions! Those pictures helped me build my portfolio and get more exposure.
In the beginning of 2017, I finally decided to push my photography as much as possible. I created my portfolio, purchased a domain, started promoting on Instagram and Facebook and the ball just started rolling. My first gig was a modeling session with an aspiring actress for headshots then a small 1-hour wedding. Before I knew it, I was booking cake smashes, senior portraits, newborn, engagements and so much more all within the same month. I have an online management system to keep track of all my jobs, invoices, and contracts no because it’s been good for me. I’m still learning new things daily but I’m a long way from where I was in 2015. My goal for next 2018 is to strictly focus on weddings and engagements. I’ve found that working with brides and grooms give me the most satisfaction as a person.
Knowing that I can help create memories on what is the most important day of their lives is a feeling that can’t be measured or explained.
I love seeing the smiles from families and guests and I like to be the reason why those moments were frozen in time for everyone to see for years to come. In the end, I owe all of my success to my wife. If it wasn’t for her believing in me and my kids who were more than happy to be my models, I wouldn’t be where I am today
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was lucky to find so many people who supported what I wanted to do. My wife has always loved the pictures I’ve captured, even the ones I hated. I found other photographers who were more than happy to give me advice and teach me on their spare time. I’ve had people come to me for pictures and love them so much that after some time they come back for another session. There was, of course, one session that didn’t go as planned and for me, it was the one that made me doubt myself and everything I was doing. It was a wedding reception only. I liked the images but they said that the candid pictures I took were mostly just random pictures of people and not flattering. I kept asking myself after that what was I doing wrong. I wanted to quit because I felt bad about someone not liking their pictures. I thought to myself “I ruined someone’s special day” and I started doubting myself and whether or not I wanted to continue but thanks to my wife and friends, I pushed on and I’ve continued to find success. I’ve shot other weddings and engagement session and everything has been perfect. I realized that the circumstances from that one wedding were just out of my control, the lighting, the environment, everything just didn’t work out as planned and I took it all as a hard-learned lesson. I’m happy to say I’ve learned from my mistakes have become so much more cautious when shooting. It is tiresome though. I work full time as a Medical Biller and then come home to start editing anything I have pending. I’m on a computer literally almost 16 hours a day.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about FourPointSixPhotography – what should we know?
FourPointSixPhotography started out as a name on Instagram. Technically it started as 4.6Photography until recently. It was the size of my 2006 Ford Mustang Gt engine during my time with Team Ruckus. I felt that It needed a new look so I changed the I presented it to the world. My favorite type of photography has always been maternity sessions, engagements and weddings. I love meeting with expecting moms and soon to be brides and being able to give them something that they can look back at and love for all times. Being a part of the most important moments in their lives has been the ultimate accomplishment for me. Knowing that I captured something that my client sees as one of the best moments of their lives, well there is no better feeling than knowing you did that for them. Currently, I’m strongly focusing on weddings & engagement session but I do still accept the occasional Cake Smash, portrait, and maternity session. What sets me apart from others is that I try to go the extra mile for my clients. I like to show them that I care not only about how their pictures are going to come out but how their enjoying themselves in the moment. I like to talk to my clients and get to know them so that they feel comfortable. To me, it’s not about the money, it’s about being able to capture a special moment that will last a lifetime. My clients can rest assured that their special day means as much to me as it does to them.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe the best characteristics in any profession are honesty, trustworthiness, and accountability. I like being honest with my clients about what I can and cannot capture for them. I let them know if there is anything I cannot do. I don’t let that stop me though, I use it as an opportunity to learn new techniques. If I don’t know something, you better believe I’m going to spend the next few months learning how to do it. I need my clients to trust me and my judgment, but before they can do that they need to know what I can do. If my clients are relaxed during their session and trust me then it reflects in their images. I have to know what I’m doing in order to provide that comfort.
Lastly, accountability is a big thing for me. Just as it’s nice to be praised for what you can do, it’s important to learn from your mistakes and own them. If you know you can do better, then do better. Don’t settle, otherwise, you won’t learn anything. If my clients ever have any feedback, I make sure to listen to them because I want to be the best I can be for my clients. I want my clients to look back years from now and see themselves in their pictures and say ‘I remember that day like it was yesterday and it was magical”. My goal is to make repeat customers out of my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Fourpointsixphotography.com
- Phone: 3239018518
- Email: info@fourpointsixphotography.
com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/fourpointsixphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/fourpointsixphotography
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