May 12, 2016

TPX02: Roberto Valenzuela – Get Better at Photography or Get Lost

57 minutes

Roberto Valenzuela of www.robertovalenzuela.com has dedicated himself to the art of wedding photography and to becoming a master of the craft for over a decade. At the start of his career, after having photographed one wedding, Roberto priced himself so high that his experience never came into question.

Roberto is based in Beverly Hills, California, but travels anywhere in the world to shoot weddings. In fact, as this interview was recorded, he was driving to Arizona to deliver a workshop and I’ll be seeing him in Melbourne Australia in a couple weeks time.

This guys resume is incredible!

Sponsored by Canon USA

Top selling author in Amazon for photography books

Before photography, he had a 10 years career as a classical guitarist.

He has a degrees in Economics, Marketing, and International Business.

He was also a High School Economics and Finance teacher

He’s been named one of the ten most influential photographers and educators in the world

The list could go on and on…

Here’s some of what we cover:

Why Roberto gave up a career in teaching to become a wedding photographer

How Roberto became of all things photography, a wedding photographer

How Roberto found the style he uses for his wedding photography

How to find your own photography style

How to book 10 weddings at your first bridal fair

Understand consumer behavior and it’s importance when marketing your photography business

Pricing your photography high to prevent people questioning your experience

Using personality and charm to win over clients

A bridal fair is overwhelming for people and a massive visual stimuli

Do you really lose passion and excitement with photography once you gain more experience

Clients will want a photographer whose excited to be at their wedding

Why Roberto decided to go full-time as a wedding photographer

Are photography workshops really a waste of time

The benefits and downsides of photography workshops

Why it is OK to copy other photographers

How to develop your own photographic style

Copying someones style is a learning process

The bad stigma surrounding photography workshops as money-making ventures

Roberto’s secret to his success as a wedding photographer

Why you need to constantly practice photography despite the success you have achieved

Practice exercises to become a better photographer

Practicing photography techniques allows you to be in command of every decision you make

Why Roberto prefers finding inspiration from modern photographers over old classics

Why Roberto wrote his own books on photography

Why even documentary photographers need to learn how to master lighting and posing

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

People really responded to how passionate I was about photography and they wanted to hire somebody who felt that way more so than somebody who was technically good – Roberto Valenzuela

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Ian or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.

Your clients deserve a performance, not a practice session – Roberto Valenzuela

It is inevitable that you are going to copy somebody – Roberto Valenzuela

I consider a wedding or a portrait shoot a performance, like a guitar performance – Roberto Valenzuela

You only live once so you have to take a chance – Roberto Valenzuela

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Roberto Valenzuela’s Website

Picture Perfect Practice – Roberto Valenzuela’s Workshops

Roberto Valenzuela on Periscope

Roberto Valenzuela on Twitter

Roberto Valenzuela on Instagram

Roberto Valenzuela on Facebook

DECA Competitions

Parker J Pfister

Jeff Ascough

Helmut Newton

Richard Avedon

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Rocco Ancora

Johnson Wee

Cliff Mautner

Susan Stripling

Marcus Bell

Episode 012: Jerry Ghionis – Cooking Up Wedding Photography Success, Don’t Get Caught in the Fire

Episode 077: Yervant – It’s Time to Get Serious About Your Photography Business

Ryan Schembri

WPPI: Wedding Photography Association

Picture Perfect Posing: Practicing the Art of Posing for Photographers and Models (Voices That Matter)

Picture Perfect Lighting: An Innovative Lighting System for Photographing People

Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Taking World-Class Photographs (Voices That Matter)

Equipment:

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens

Profoto 24 In. OCF Beauty Dish

Chimera Octa 2 Collapsible Beauty Dish

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening to the show and thanks to Roberto for coming on and experimenting with a new and different format for this photography podcast.

I priced myself so high that my experience never came into question – Roberto Valenzuela

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and photography!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew

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