Meet John Zamora | Photographer & Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Zamora and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I was told that your opportunities in life grow and shrink in relation to your tolerance to risk. Best advice I’ve ever received. I don’t say this in a pessimistic way, but the reality is that most people who want to start a business, work for themselves, freelance, etc. don’t ever take the chance, and the ones who take the chance usually don’t make it. At least not long-term. I think the main reason for this is that most of us grow up being taught that risk and failure is something to be avoided at all costs. This mentality doesn’t usually produce good business owners in my opinion.

I took the safe path too. I got good grades in school, did well in sports, listened to my parents, teachers, coaches, went to college, moved up the corporate ladder, the whole thing – and there’s nothing wrong with taking this path and enjoying this path. I sometimes wish I was satisfied with the traditional path because it would be simpler, and wouldn’t ruffle so many feathers. It’s the traditional path for a reason. There’s not a whole lot of risk involved, and it’s predictable. You pretty much know more or less how your life will turn out and you have a huge pool of people who also took the same path that you can look to for advice.

The reason it didn’t work for me was that I felt like I was never asked about what I really wanted to do, or who I really wanted to be. Of course people told me I could be anything I wanted to be. What they meant, though, was I could choose anything from a list of realistic careers; what I actually wanted wasn’t on the list. It was like fitting a round peg into a square hole. It still sort of works. I got praised for fitting into the square hole, but there were gaps, and I had to shave off things that made me unique. Eventually, the things I was shaving off became more important to me than the praise I was getting, so I made the jump and quit my job to chase my passion 6 years ago.

I don’t get praised as much anymore. I either don’t have a real job or I’m working too much. I’ve failed more often these past 6 years than I have in my previous 26 years combined – and these failures become very public when you work for yourself – but being able to live a life that’s authentic is something I’m proud of myself for. I’m a strong believer that if you ever come across a window of time where you have the opportunity to chase a dream, it’s a responsibility to jump. Not everybody has that privilege.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally? Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

That’s a tough question to answer without feeling like I’m bragging, but I’ll try my best haha. I make it a point to prioritize story in my work. In the realm of photo & video, it can be so easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole of figuring out which techniques or pieces of gear can give you the best looking visuals, which can give you the best social media metrics, which can give you the biggest following and the most leads and the most money, and you can get sucked all the way down this hole without ever having to worry about telling anybody’s story. To me, the story is the most fulfilling part. It’s the part I fell in love with. Of course skills pay the bills, and I’d say mine are good enough (a B- at best), but they’re not usually the reason somebody hires me. If you look at my portfolio, it’s all over the place. My Instagram feed isn’t curated to fit a certain aesthetic, and I have plenty of sub-par shots that I post anyways. My reason for this is that the story takes priority over those things. I’ll choose the flawed shot that tells a better story over the aesthetically perfect shot every time. In filmmaking, there’s this quote that the story is king, and everything else serves the king. I like to think this is the main reason people decide to work with me.

I’m often asked for mentorship and how I got here professionally, and most people have been disappointed with my answer. I don’t have any special knowledge or equipment that nobody else knows about. It’s just a lot of work and honestly a lot of losing and a lot of doubts and if you can continue to work and improve through failure after failure and show up to the next one with the same amount of enthusiasm and intensity, that’s how you find success. Somebody told me once that there are no winners or losers; only quitters. Ideas are cheap, execution is everything, and if you can put the work in when you don’t feel like it, you’ll eventually make it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For the record, I’ve been told I’m the worst tour guide ever, so I’ll try to plan just one day. We’d start off with a morning run or hike. Devil’s Backbone in Loveland is great, and you can’t go wrong with Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. If you’re looking for a more difficult trail, the Soderberg Trail loop in Fort Collins is great. If we’re really going all out planning-wise, running the Bolder Boulder would be the best thing ever. We have to stop by FeelLove Coffee for brunch, then we’d get burgers at Stuft in Fort Collins, pizza at Rosalee’s in Longmont, or Mexican food at Wapos in Erie. I also have a weak spot for Famous Dave’s. I’ve never been one to go out to bars or clubs too often, but if we happen to still have energy by some miracle, it’s easy to find something fun to do at night in downtown Denver. It would be a very busy day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

There are way too many people to put here, but first off I’d like to recognize my wife, Sarah. It’s easy for others to root me on from a distance, but Sarah is the one that feels it most when I fail. She didn’t sign up for this, but the fact that she’s still here and still believes in me makes me want to prove her right. I’d like to recognize my daughter, Isabella. She’s only 18 months old, but the amount of motivation I get when I spend time with her is unmatched. She makes me want to lead through actions, not words, and I wouldn’t be working so hard if it wasn’t for her. I’d like to recognize my brother, Victor, who has always had my back since the day he was born. He’s the person I call when I don’t know what else to do. I’d like to shout out my mom and dad who, even though we have our differences, have always rooted for me to succeed. They’ve always done everything in their power to help me find happiness, and that’s not lost on me. I’d like to shout out Lex Hadley. She’s an incredibly talented photographer, coworker, and an equally great human being and friend who gave me and my business a spark during a time when thoughts of quitting were starting to seep in. Individual efforts are glorified when someone starts a business, but it can’t be done without a solid supporting cast, and mine is top notch.

*Cover photo credit: Lex Hadley

Website: www.johnzamoramedia.com

Instagram: @itsjohnzamora