Rising Stars: Meet Luis Alonso

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Alonso. 

Hi Luis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
In the late 90s, my serious involvement with photography started in WA. State when I was hired at Kenmore Camera in Bothell WA. I was hired to work in their film developing lab doing basic work and learning more about the film developing machines and chemical mixing, and sometimes, I would be asked to assist with the photo printing and color-correcting of images before printing. At this small family own store, I discovered all the variety of cameras brands, formats, lenses, and a lot more other interesting photography equipment. The inevitable happen, and I purchased a Minolta analog SLR camera with a 35mm lens, and I started to take pictures and learned firsthand how a picture image started with the click of a shutter button all the way to a printed image on a piece of paper. After the Kenmore Camera Store, I worked for Ritz Camera in Bellevue WA., and Westlake downtown Seattle and I learned more about cameras, developing film, and printing images into pictures. 

As an owner of an SLR camera and people knowing that I could develop and printing their pictures, I started to be asked to covered small events, headshots, and to take their portraits, which I learned to love doing because photography allowed me to build and increase my network, and my introvert personality seem to disappear every time I have a camera in hand. 

In 2003 I went back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Washing to University in Bellingham Washington and after graduation in 2007, now married and with a young daughter, I accepted a work position in Lakewood Colorado with the USDA, United States Department of Agriculture in their administration department, and I forgot about photography altogether partly because film photography was becoming obsoleted and digital photography was slowly replacing digital, and with a busy work and family schedule, I didn’t have the time or the desired to continue with photography. I kept shooting film for my personal enjoyment. 

It wasn’t until 2017 that I made the decision to buy a digital DSLR camera and start learning photography and its newest digital processing. It didn’t take long before I met other digital photographers, and with all the digital platforms available like YouTube to learn anything I managed to learn in theory digital photography. In the last three years, I have been partnering with a photographer friend, Adam Dooley, who is a master of artificial lighting, and I have been able to learn when I assist him on his shoots, which has allowed me to implement the lighting knowledge into my portrait photography which is way more challenging than only working with natural light, but it is also more satisfying, and the results are 10 better. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I made the decision of becoming a part-time I portrait photographer to my immediate community for the Denver Metro Area in 2018 when I started to get direct messages in Instagram about my price rates and my availability. I was a bit hesitant, but the thrill of creating beautiful portraits for estrangers and finding a source of income to sustain the expensive habit of buying expensive photography equipment was too hard to resist. 

Any photography business could be difficult if photographers don’t value their time and work. There are different markets and different photographers for everyone’s needs/wants. At the beginning, I was saying yes to every opportunity I had to go out and captured images, but I soon realized that my specialization is lifestyle portraits. Once I realized that by only accepting work that met my customers’ expectations and matched my abilities, I was able to better serve my customers, and I was able to be happier and feel accomplished and successful for the services I provided. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am very selective about my clients because I like to make sure that my photography style meets their needs and wants. By the time I start planning a photoshoot with a customer, I already made sure that my photographic style, editing, and lighting is what the customer wants in their portraits. 

I specialized in people lifestyle and environmental portraits, and I use mobile studio lighting when needed to manage and overcome ambient lighting difficulties, which also allows me to control light to enhance and correct exposures or over-dramatized images to achieve uniquely results. 

I am known for my saturated vivid colors and dramatic lighting, and I also proud of being accommodating and for helping my customers planned and pushed their portraits vision a bit more outside their comfort zone to help them explored and show their personality and creativity. I am most proud of my persistence to continue learning despite the hours required to learn the theory and practice what I learned. I have also managed to build a network from all the people I work with photographers, videographers, and customers, which has allowed me to multiply my resources and help bring value where specific value is needed or wanted by referring and/or distribute information. 

What sets me apart is my ability to be flexible and available to accommodate customers that are extremely fearful about the photographic experience for the fear of being judge and/or struggle with self-doubt. I can talk to a customer for a long period of time before they decided to bring themselves in front of a camera without bringing additional pressure to this difficult decision. I am also able to service them at their own pace and discretion outside busy crowded areas where customers feel safe and comfortable, and I don’t have a time limit when I know that we are dealing with someone who needs time and space to slowly get comfortable with themselves in front of the camera. 

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born and raised in Mexico City where I learned to survive many socio-economic challenges. I migrated to the United States at the age of 17 where I have had an extraordinary lifetime adventure full of struggle but with many rewards and full of wonderful memories. I have lived in different places in the United States and Mexico. 

I am an extrovert around Spanish Speaking people and when I have a camera in my hand; otherwise, I am a bit introverted and quiet. My interest besides photography are history, anthropology, geography, and visual arts. I enjoy humor and sarcasm and exploring the Colorado outdoors. I also enjoy helping other photographers get over the fear of using light in their photographic work. I have been able to help beginning photographers in other states via the telephone and some locally by answering their lighting questions or by having a one-on-one session so they can test the equipment and get comfortable with the process. 

Pricing:

• starting pricing at $250

Contact Info:

• Email: sonriks@gmail.com
• Website: https://sonriks4.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonriks4/

Image Credits
Geovanny Flores