Meet Jose Yustiz | Wedding & Elopement Photographer

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

Hi Jose, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
There was honestly no thought process or planning behind starting my business. Photography came to me as a hobby at first. I experimented with my first camera a lot with my friends and didn’t really think too much of it. Eventually, some friends of mine ended up asking me to take their engagement photos and when I got that first $50 for my first paid photoshoot, it sparked something in me. I started taking things a bit more seriously and ended up building my own website, got me a nicer lens and camera and before I knew it, I started booking more and more sessions. Little did I know that my photography turned into a huge passion where I made it my mission to help all couples celebrate their love by documenting their most intimate moments. Something I will always hold on to for the rest of my life.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As most business owners know, we do not grow unless we fail and learn from our mistakes. One of the things that was very hard to overcome, was switching the mindset that I would have to invest in my own business. I was always taught to be wise and to save up my money, so the thought of spending anywhere from $500-$1000 on camera equipment was ridiculous to me. I didn’t take long though for me to realize, that if I wanted for others to take my craft and passion seriously, I would also have to take it seriously myself.

When I was scrolling through facebook, I came across this add by a photographer called Jai Long who was planning on setting up a wedding photography summit and that I could attend by only spending $7 (?). Once I signed up and listened to all the speakers that were a part of the summit, I was incredibly inspired by just how much potential I had as a business owner and the impact I could have in my own community. At that moment was when I flipped the switch and decided to take matters into my own hands and put in the work and dedication to make my business a reality.

The one thing I will say that will make me stand out from the rest is that as an openly gay man, I have made it my mission to make sure that anyone is welcome within my business no matter your race, religion, skin color, or sexual orientation. EVERYONE is worthy of loving who they want and I will do everything in my power to make my clients are CELEBRATED within my business.

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?
If I’m going to be 100% transparent, I actually do not owe this to anyone but myself. Growing up, my parents for lack of a better word, forced me into doing most of the things I know today. That can range anywhere from being in sports teams, playing musical instruments, learning new languages and the list goes on. However, that was not the case with photography. Back when I was 15 years old, I got my first iPod touch and I had the time of my life taking all sorts of pictures with it everywhere I’d go. Eventually when I got my first professional camera in college, I started taking pictures of pretty much everything. Little did I know that fun hobby would turn into such a huge passion that led me to start the business I have today.

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Website: https://yustizphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yustiz_photography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yustiz.Photography