Final paper (Outtro to Reaction paper #2)

So the type of photography that I have chosen is yet to be discovered. When I hear and look at this question you presented its like what I was asked in the beginning of my freshman year of highschool. Seriously I don't know and i think it's for the best. I do believe one day i'll know what type of photography i'll get myself into but right now I can't figure that out at this very moment. I started photography about 8 months ago and ever since then i've fell in love with the images and the visual arts that photography offers.But its do to one photographer that I look up to heavily. A fellow educator such as Professor Keener and Professor Cyr, Juan Lopez Espantaleon. But I won't talk about Juan as a professor but as a really talented photographer. He's the biggest reason on why i'm still shooting. When I started photography I had no clue on what I was doing. Juan always had faith in me in any work I presented. As a non art major he's described my work as “outstanding” and very pleasing to see, Because of that I kept shooting more and more without hesitation and kept getting better and better in photography. After finishing the photography class I pursued street photography and found a passion to get away from the world (even though It's a very corny line). We'll talk more about it later so let's start talking about Juan Lopez Espantaleon on what he does and how he got to where he is today.

Juan Lopez Espantaleon is a commercial and artist photographer. In commercial Photography he works with clients one on one or works with companies that seek help in advertisements such as food photography and in art photography he does editorials. He also works with several other clients in the interior design industry. To my knowledge and also what he other than being a professor he's a self employed photographer which means he works for himself, very self explanatory. In his perspective and his position as a photographer he believes no formal education is legally required to enter in his specific profession as a commercial photographer nor artist photographer. However, it does require several years of train, both academic environments and at an entry level such as an assistant. Academic education is always a strongly recommended option; in college and art school not only learn the technical aspects but also aesthetics, a great starting point for developing a network. Such as for me formal education has revealed me to my work that i wasn't aware of. Finally, emerging photographers need to develop teamwork and collaborative skills to be up to par in juans career path in commercial and artist photography. Juan Lopez started his career as a photographer attending an art school in Madrid (Spain), but at the same time he was also assisting different photographers and artist as a freelance assistant. Later on Juan ended up as a first assistant to a photographer named Miguel Oriola as a full time first assistant for 3 years.

For Juan when it came to time in photography everyday was different, every shoot had their own different challenges. When it comes to pricing Juan would estimate it by the job he will be working. “ When a client contacts me for an assignment we first negotiate fees and estimate the job. Then i start pre-production process which means considering all the needs for the job”.

“ In the shoot it’s not only capturing the required clients vision but also to add in my personal value as a photographer. The client brings the basic idea, it is my task to take that idea to the highest level”. After the shoot and the work is done he talks about the final fee: Creative fee+ Expenses+License= Final fee. The expenses vary for the amount of days Juan works but can roughly get up to about $500 or more a day just for one assignment but can get much higher if you think about it. Coming from Juan he has told me he has made approximately $53,000 last year (only freelancing, not including teaching).

Advice that i've gotten from Juan was that each person that chooses the photography career path needs to have their own voice. That will develop over time, your own style will speak for you, its you it represents you. Juan's favorite example for your own style and your own voice is Jimmy Hendrix. “If you hear the guitar, Jimmy Hendrix playing his guitar behind a curtain without knowing he's behind there you instantly know oh it's Jimmy Hendrix”. After finding your voice you'll be golden and you just keep developing and getting better and better and the rewards for you will be endless. What I discovered for myself is that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I've always dealt with the fear that people wouldn't accept me for who I am. I always thought I had to do certain things in certain ways but its all horse c***.Photographs have let me step out of my safe zone and led me to explore new things each and everyday. The secret is just to stay true to yourself, forget everyone and everything and just follow your own voice (another corny line). But again the reason I picked Juan because he is the most influential to me. As a photographer he has helped me stand up and push me to a limit i've never really gotten to before, inspiration i've never really had before, and a journey in photography that I never thought would happen. I’ve been inspired by the realm of photography, I hope all can do the same. Thank you for your time.