Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristian Gonzalez.
Hi Cristian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my journey during Covid. I used to work as a finance manager at a dealership and I enjoyed it but I knew that it definitely wasn’t my passion. At that point, I didn’t know what it was.
A friend of mine needed product photos for her jewelry business so I reached out to a photog friend of mine to actually perform the job. Long story short, he was too expensive so I took it into my own hands and bought a camera and shot the photos.
Then I would say within 2 weeks… another friend of mine worked at a financial firm and they needed photos and a video recap for an event that they were doing that day. I made $1500 that one day without any prior experience besides that shoot that I had done. Then I said to myself, hmm maybe, I could do this full time.
I thought, what if I can give this my all. I worked for another month at my finance job before I left because I didn’t want to leave without a plan. Right before I left, I had already about 5 retainer clients that required my services and I never felt happier.
Quitting my old job to pursue my passion has been the best decision I have ever made. The rest is history, to say the least.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Everything has its challenges for sure, but I can’t say I’ve struggled.
I feel like people truly enjoy my work and I also get along with people very easily, therefore, I always connect and create good relationships with my clients which ends up just giving me more work because they just refer me.
If I’ve struggled it would be a photo or a piece of content that I’m trying to create and it requires me to learn and sharpen my skills, but that’s the fun part right.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a commercial food & beverage/lifestyle photographer located in the Miami Area. I basically shoot Miami’s hottest restaurants and showcase their culinary experience along with hotels all across Miami. I’ve always wanted to focus on businesses because they understand the need for social media content and how important it is nowadays. Businesses for the most part require content on a month to month basis, the sooner you find this out, the quicker you’re able to pick your niche and get to work. If I do a good job… they get more sales, I get hired again.. It’s a win win.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I would say if there is anybody that helped me and showed my work to her team (Groot Hospitality). It was my friend Sarah Acosta-Rubio @svacostarubio. I think without her it would’ve taken me a lot longer to showcase my work. It definitely propelled my career and will always be thankful for that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @cg.mediaa
Image Credits
Groot Hospitality, Bodega, Sushi Fly chicken, Papi Steak, Komodo, The Setai Miami Beach, Tom Ford, and Aura Groupe
