Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Sanchez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gabriel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I guess I have always been “in the field”. I come from a home where my father is an actor, TV, and radio host. SO, I have always been around artistry and entertainment. My father was also obsessed with capturing out life moments in photos and in video. So, for me, it was also a source of entertainment growing up. As a kid, I would make photo albums with my friends and also made stop motion films with my toys. As I grew older, my interests shifted to friends and other activities. But, I always had a camera on me taking pictures. I remember my college dorm room had all the walls from floor to ceiling with 4×6 photos of past years. I must have printed over 1,000 photos to cover those walls. It was a great conversation starter tho! It was in college where I met my wife, Daniela. Recently, after we got together, she opened up her fashion blog and needed someone to help her take her blog photos. So, I immediately stepped up to the plate. Got a better camera, learned how to photograph better and really started studying photography. I would (and sill do) spend hours reading about photography techniques, looking at online seminars from great photographers just to learn what they were doing. This is how I learned. It was not by going to the university for it, as my studies where far from it. But it was teaching myself and I think this is why I just soaked up all the information the way I did. As I evolved and progressed in photography, people (thanks to my wife blog) started to take notice of my photos and began to hire me for their projects/campaigns. To this day, it is still how my business is handled and it continues to serve me right.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nothing is ever easy. Also, nothing worth having should be. Things that I view as “important” or ” valuable” are never simple or easy. I believe that hard work does pay off and that we must work hard to achieve our goals. therefore, I work hard at my craft. I continue to learn and attempt to evolve not only as a photographer but also as a person. Because my work is highly reflective of who I am. The struggles that I have faced come in 2 stages, the first one and most important is the personal one. Being ‘on top’ of my own game and exceeding my own expectations is always a struggle. The secondary struggle is simply being a freelancer. Managing my time, finances and creating the work that gets you hired for jobs is always stressful. But like I mentioned before, hard work does pay off and I continue to pour my heart into my work in hopes of its continued success.
Please tell us about Gabe-Media.
I started off as a Fashion Photographer. More specifically, a street-style fashion photographer. And I still continue to work as such, but also work on ad campaigns and editorial work also related to fashion. More recently, I have incorporated video into my work and find myself obsessed with this new challenge. I’m very thankful that my video work has gotten me to produce content for companies such as Red Bull, BMW, and Adidas in its short lifespan. I can only hope that this trend continues and I get to work with more of my dream clients. I guess that what sets me apart from others is the fact that I’m doing my research. I often see photographers work for different companies and fall short due to the fact that they don’t fully understand the brand and fail to deliver their needs. I pride myself in evaluating my client’s needs and providing them with work that is compelling and at the same time follows the brand’s direction and style.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
No. I am who I am today because of all that has happened to me. The lost jobs, the errors, the stolen gear, the broken gear, the success of certain jobs. I wouldn’t change a single thing because from every single one of these things I have learned something that has shaped me into what I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gabe-media.com
- Phone: 305-903-6687
- Email: booking@gabe-media.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gabe_media
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