Calvin Hernandez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Calvin, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m most proud of building a network of not only artists that I get to learn from, connect and relate with, but also a genuine support group of people who will root for your wins instead of voicing their jealousy, saying they should be at this place, as well.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
So… my name is Calvin and I’m based in south Florida. And this was all an accident. I never intended on photography and I definitely never intended on being as involved in sports photography as much as I am. It’s been an insane ride and I’m beyond blessed to be on it.
I started with a camera because I just wanted nice photos of my kids. That turned into “you should maybe start a business.” I had turned that idea down for a couple years before I finally took the leap.
It failed… I wanted to get into weddings and families and all the pretty things. I didn’t do many weddings, as I worked through figuring out my style and my preferences on how I wanted my work to look. Well, I just took my camera to a soccer game with a supporters group, Vice City 1896 when Inter Miami was in their second season and I shot photos in the stands for a while. Someone from the team ended up seeing them and asking me if I wanted to come down to the field and shoot a game for fun. And who says no…? I wasn’t going to be the first one. And that’s where it all started.
Don’t worry… I still do weddings, families and all that good stuff, but I’ve managed to create a monstrosity of a sports gig and I’m here for it.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Honestly… my wife pushed me to start this business. She saw a potential I never knew I had.
She kicked it at home and held down the fort while I went and covered soccer matches, she still does and she does it with a grace and understanding that I will never grasp myself.
When I told her I had to get on the waitlist to cover the Copa America Final in 2024, she had me out the door at 930 AM to put my name on a list for a match that started at 930 that night and I didn’t get home until 4am the next day.
I wouldn’t be here without the support she continually shows, even if it means me spending the night in a random city to cover a game that I’ve been wanting to cover or just when she rolls her eyes when I tell her about a new lens that could help me do what I enjoy doing.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I’ll take “things I feel every day for $1,000, Alex.”
It’s no secret that there are thousands of photographers out there. Impostor syndrome is real, even on your most successful and proud days of doing what you do, it will still rear its ugly head. A little voice that whispers, “that post didn’t get as much engagement” or that “your eye is too weird for others to even embrace what you see.”
But I read a line somewhere, “it’s not about the algorithm, the likes, etc… it’s about creating art that feels honest” and that’s what continue to do. Work that feels true to me. If a bride loves that, awesome; if a mom loves that for their family photos, sweet; if an athlete enjoys those so they can post them later, that’s pretty sick. It’s all happened so I’m grateful. Even for the days I doubt myself and what I see for myself.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Haha. Absolutely. First and foremost, I picked a camera up late in the game. I’m not competing against anyone for one thing or another. I actually enjoy watching my people who also get amazing opportunities succeed. I will never see myself as better than anyone else. Someone may look at my work and say “yeah I’m better than that,” because I post what I enjoy. I am not that type of person, someone may enjoy what they do, so who am I to judge them on that just because it’s not my cup of tea?
I’ve always seen myself as just a dude with a camera… I get lucky on some shots and that’s what people see. They don’t see my going through the first 5-10 frames of me trying to find the play or get my focus straight. They don’t see my failures, which are plentiful. But I see those failures, so I know that at the end of the day, I’m just a dude with a camera that is blessed with opportunities and anybody can do what I do, a lot of them are actually better than I am. And I have no issues admitting that.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I sit on the sidelines with some immensely talented people. I know what their work looks like and I know that I’m not as seasoned nor successful as these other folks. So while sharing a seat in the photo wells or behind the advertising boards is a blessing, there are thoughts of self doubt. They’re putting out content live during the games, while I will wait til after the game to put together a perfectly curated collection of photos to share (in my eyes… which is different than others. Heh.). They nail all their shots while I, in looking for a unique photo, sometimes miss a shot that I know the person next to me absolutely nailed. So I feel like, “do I even belong here?” I’ll be on this ride until someone kicks me out, but don’t get me wrong, I wonder why the heck I’m out there sometimes with so much talent around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thepictureboxphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepictureboxphoto
