We recently connected with Marcanthony Naranjo and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcanthony, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Absolutely! To me it is almost therapeutic. Sometimes it is difficult to express how our day went or something that is coming up and to me, going out and being able to express myself creatively gives clarity to things I am facing or having to overcome. I think we can get too caught up with present problems so being able to step away from them and develop a well formed thought or feeling around it is much better than reacting off emotions. Being able to pick up my camera and take photos for nobody but myself, gives me the time I need to shut my brain off and get lost in my passion of photography and capture the world around me. This allows me to just let thoughts be thoughts while filling my time with something I enjoy doing. Once I return back home or have put the camera down, I feel refreshed and clear minded giving time and a break from the day I may have just had. If I just had a regular 9-5 job I believe I would be struggling to find a way to release myself creatively, but thankfully being a photographer alleviates that even though I still have a regular job outside of being a photographer too!!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well I first got into Photography late 2012 and have always had a camera with me since then. It started off by taking Journalism and yearbook class in my high school. By the time I graduated I had my own digital camera and began taking pictures of my family and around the neighborhood. It wasn’t until 2015 that I decided to put my digital camera on the shelf and take up 35mm film photography. This is when I began taking photos for small clothing brands and other small businesses around Miami, FL. Around this same time I began hosting a few photo-walks in the city and started to do some more professional portraits and commercial work at the same time. Around 2017 I picked up my digital camera again as the price for film began to climb.

That period while I was shooting only film really shaped my vision in photography and helped me develop the composition and knowledge that I have now. I think that this sets me apart because I do very little if no post processing or editing on my digital photos now. I have been able to manipulate certain colors and settings from film photography that I have transferred over to digital.

Because of that, my digital photography at times does get confused and mixed for being a film photo when in fact, it is not. Each setting is constantly changing affecting the light, focus, sharpness, etc. of the image so there is always a calculation I am computing in my head and entering into the camera to give me the final results. I am quite proud of myself for being to know the settings at which to capture something without having to take a few test shots and I think that sets me apart from other photographers that may fall back on light meters and their camera to give them the correct settings. Although time to time I do this too, I usually have the numbers already in my head that I just need to enter into the camera.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Taking more risks. Some artists already have a style and aesthetic in place while others may just be getting their foot in the door so being able to acknowledge that and give those artists a platform to find their style, I think will only lead to a better collaboration and relationships between those that need the services and those that provide it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect is seeing a project come together and the reaction those involved have. Seeing the look on their face while also having a feeling of satisfaction knowing everyone is happy with the finished project, has to be the biggest compliment as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marcanthonynaranjo.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: @35mm.marc