Meet Miguel | Photographer

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

Hi Miguel, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am an Air Force brat/grew up in a military household. My dad was in the Air Force and we moved around a lot. 5 different states in the U.S. and 3 years as a teenager in Europe. I have always been an introvert but attending 3 different junior high schools and 2 different high schools helped me become more social/a situational extrovert. I was blessed to be able to build friendships with people from all over the world. This taught me open mindedness. My dad was very intelligent and dedicated to his career. He taught me the value of working hard and taking care of your family. My mom is an amazing human who believes in God and treats everyone with love. Fun fact: I never heard my mom use profanity, raise her voice or speak unpleasant about someone. She teaches me forgiveness, patience and kindness. I believe my upbringing shaped me to be self-confident and kind, as well as respectful towards all people regardless how they treat me. Love always wins.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My photography definitely keeps me busy professionally. If I was to describe my photography I would say it is more urban inspired. I love shooting in industrial or city environments. What sets my photography a part from others is the street vibe you feel when you see my images. I grew up listening to underground hip hop and what I love about artists from that genre is that they were raw, creative and created music with respect for the craft. No gimmicks. Hip hop has 5 elements, deejaying, breakdancing, graffiti and beatboxing. I like to think if street photography was the sixth element, you could picture my photography in it. I love shadows and black and whites. A lot of my photos are black and white but some I edit and add color to just a few things that seem special to me.

I believe my work ethic and attention to detail sets me apart from others. I remember as early as 13 I was intrigued with being creative. Whether it was with still images or videos. I would use my dad’s Zenith camcorder and record my friends skateboarding. I would have them do the same trick numerous times and record it each time from different angles. I would then edit putting all angles together showing all sides of one trick in progress. I used the camcorder for playback and connected it to a VCR to record. I had added weird adlibs of us being silly in between tricks. It was a very long process editing these videos but I truly enjoyed this even as a kid. That work ethic still lives in me when it comes to capturing that perfect shot. I served 20 years in the Air Force and throughout that time we talked a lot about attention to detail. It was one of our core values. I carry that over to when I am shooting and I am focused on details.

I feed on peoples energy. So the excitement or happiness I see on my clients faces when they see the results of what I created is what I am most excited about when it comes to photography.

I believe I got to where I am today because of my wife and kids. They motivate me when I really need it and push me to continue doing what I love. I remember at the beginning I did a lot of free photo shoots for practice. I would also ride around downtown on my bike and just shoot random things. Focusing on lighting and angles. All of the time I put in learning my camera and listening to others advice who have been doing photography for years has helped me tremendously.

Some lessons I learned along the way that helped me are establishing clear expectations at the beginning with the client. Asking the right questions ensured we were on the same page. What is the theme? Countryside or city? Portrait or full body? Do you have examples/screenshots to help me see your vision? Another lesson I learned is to ask for and appreciate constructive criticism. I learned to not take it personal and that helped me grow. The client is always right.

I want the world to know that I am passionate about what I do, people I love, and maybe we can link for a photo shoot soon!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting me for a week, the first couple of days we would go up to Keystone Mountain to snowboard. On our drive back to Denver we would stop at Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs for some Colorado Style pizza. The next day we would do a hike up to Saint Mary’s Glacier and set up hammocks by Glacial Lake. The next day we would take the fixie bikes out and ride around Wash Park then catch the Cherry Creek Trail to Confluence Park. We would visit the Rino Art District on the next day checking out some street art and then hangout for the rest of the day at Denver Central Market. I would definitely take them to Frozen Matter on 19th for some ice cream and then surprise them with the hidden bar behind the freezer door. If they just want some really good ice cream we would hit up Little Man Ice Cream on 16th street. Since I love pizza so much I would have to take them to Fat Sully’s on Colfax for a 26” pie on our last 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?
Super shoutout to my God who brings me joy, patience, love, and strength. Another super shoutout to my amazingly creative wife, Aleksandra, who has supported me through all of this. We do photo shoots together and I’m so glad I can spend this time doing what I love with who I love. You can check her art out @zarysuj on IG. Shout out to my dad who was also a photographer and inspired me to pick up a camera. My mom who is my heart and I look forward to our daily FaceTime convos. She always has the good life advice and keeps me laughing. Shout out to my awesome kids, Diego and Bianca, who motivate me every day to be a better person. They are both super creative humans who I learn so much from. Diego crochets his own plushies and you can check them out @soy_arlo on IG. My brother Carlos for always supporting me and being there for me. I love you bro! My photography fam Dom @pnw.dom and MJ @_denverstreetphotographer_ both on IG. You guys are amazing and keep pushing me to be more creative. And shout out to Nick Ramirez from Shoutout Colorado for reaching out and giving me this opportunity.

Website: MiguelShotMe.com

Instagram: @MiguelShotMe