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Meet Monico Candelaria

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Monico Candelaria.

Monico, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, I always loved art. drawing, listening to music and playing the piano. One day a friend in high school introduced me to photography. Seeing him develop a photo in the darkroom and watching him manipulate the image into a high contrast print was magic to my eyes. I was suddenly in love with photography and set out to buy my brand new creative tool a camera. For the rest of my years as a student in high school, I photographed everything. I joined the camera club at school, entered contests. I carried that camera everywhere. I loved photographing my girlfriend, so much that I think that’s when I realized I like photographing people.

After attending a small photography school I found in the back of a magazine, I moved back home from California to my new home in Albuquerque with my wife and newborn daughter Jessica with hopes to make it in the business of photography.

For the next few years, I held a job with a commercial studio during the day, busing tables or assisting other photographers at night, and working at a go-cart fun center on the weekends. It wasn’t easy. I was trying to balance starting my career and spending valuable time with my family. There were lots of late nights, weird hours and lots of great experiences. It was fun too!

All the photographers I worked for had different backgrounds and styles from commercial to advertising, portrait, automotive, food to products and people. Every place I worked gave me new skills or habits to avoid or grow from. I learned weird things like “If it can fall it will” or “learn the mechanics first, then have fun with the creativity,” “or how to wrap a cord and believe me, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Some seemed foolish a the time but over the years became ingrained in me and my workspace. So with that said, assisting was the best thing that helped me to start my own business and I am grateful to all my mentors and studios that employed or allowed me to intern. They allowed me to work for them, to develop my skills, my work ethic and to continue my love for photography and the business.

Eventually, I started my own business. With the experience I got my school and hands-on assisting, I now had the skills behind the camera and the confidence to look for work. I was on my way. In the beginning, it was all about the photos. And don’t get me wrong, it still is, but there is something else I didn’t think would be a big part of my photography business. It was people. I learned more about people and more about myself. Putting them first has given me a way to understand their needs better and be a great photographer for them. Understanding this has given me more opportunities to meet more people while making new friends. Not just clients.

I have always loved challenges and creative freedom and this business have certainly given me this. Many times I have been introduced to something I had never done before and times I had to say sure, even though I did ‘t know what I was saying and others when I had to say no. One was a video. If it weren’t for having a great friend in the business to challenge me to take it on, I wouldn’t be doing a video today. He helped me with my first job and set me up with strict guidelines for my future work. Challenges make you grow, and I’ve always reached out to people I know for help and they have always given it to me. And it goes the same way. I have always opened myself up to colleagues, friends and clients to offer free advice whenever possible. All this stuff goes a long way.

At the time, most of my work focuses on photography with a good variety of work in video as well. When I was a young man in high school, I set three goals . 1. Go to school 2. work for someone and 3. start my deal. Well, that happened over 37 years ago, and I feel blessed to have my wife, three kids and do what I love.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not really. Like any other business, it has ups and downs. Everything from finding customers, cashflow, self-confidence and believing that I was good enough, is just a few. The good thing is there are a lot of resources that have always helped me, like colleagues, mentors and especially books like the Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz., P.H.D.

I’ve always kept in touch with people in the same industry and asked them how things are going. When I found they were slow too, usually, it was a reflection of the time of year, maybe tax season or a time when most people were on vacation. That was comforting in some way to know it wasn’t just me.

I started working in photography back in the 80’s and it was a whole different scene. It was 4×5 camera’s, E-6 Color processing for slides with clip tests and polaroids to confirm the shot. Computers were barely on their way into my workflow. At that time, I never would have believed that I would be using a magic wand and a clone tool on a computer for a better photograph, thanks to photoshop. Times have changed. I think I moved slower than most of my colleagues towards change with shooting digital, but after a while, I realized that it was my new future. That was a big step for me. I think the fear of learning a new approach is what kept me from starting, but from there on, I found there were more opportunities for me on the horizon.

Photography is ever-growing and changing and we have more photographers than ever. I think that’s a good thing. I used to think that maybe all of these guys out there were my competition, but really there is enough work out there for everyone. Especially now with social media. Thankfully everyone needs a good photographer with good skills. That’s where experience kicks in.

Honestly, now that I think of it, most of the problems I had, were easily solved by stepping back, asking a few questions and pursuing some guidance and sometimes a lot of faith. Sometimes, just as little as putting things in my calendar that I wanted to do and lo and behold, the phone would ring. It sounds weird, but it has happened to me. Many times.

Please tell us about your work.
I am a photographer and videographer and love telling stories with my camera. I call it visual media for business and life. For business, I shoot everything from advertising, commercial, products, real estate, headshots, events to 90-second explainer and training videos to testimonies or a music video. I have a broad range of clients and being a commercial shooter keeps it interesting. One day I’m shooting on location lifestyle photos and the next week I’m in the studio doing closeup work with cable wire.

My specialty is working with people. Most compliments I get from my clients is that I put them at ease and make them feel comfortable. By doing this, I think that is what helps me bring out expressions and emotions in my photography work. I also photograph a lot of kids with a long standing talent agency here in town. Somehow, kids and I connect. I joke a lot with them and bring myself down to their level and we just have a good time as I capture those timeless moments. My clients tell me they love their pictures, but I believe giving them a great experience is what makes my sessions memorable.

What am I most proud of as a company? Probably the idea that when I am working on a project, I aim for the best level of quality for my client and maintain it throughout a long day. If we run into a bump or issue, I don’t get worked up, I step back, evaluate and then move forward. I have a lot of experience in the business and I think that matters and attitude is everything.

I’m pretty talkative when I work. Mostly to give us something to talk about and relaxing may client, But I don’t stop there. I like giving good guidance, as well. Sometimes everything just happens naturally with little help, but if someone needs direction, I will give it. I coach my clients and model talent all the time on how to pose and show off their features and never run out of poses.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As a commercial media creator, your work is based on the type of work that comes your way. The joy is in giving it life and making it interesting, but as a creative, a personal project gives you a purpose—my plan to do personal work. I would like to tell stories with my camera using photography and video. Maybe with mixed media with a comic look or black and white. Still vague, but it’s what has been on my mind for a little while now. I don’t have any big changes coming up, but I do plan to continually learn, improve my skills and make myself the best asset I can be to my customer.

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