Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Donald Sanchez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Donald thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve been fascinated with dancers, particularly ballet dancers. The mastery of movement and motion that can be achieved with the human body is breathtaking when watching dancers perform. The many years of intense physical training it takes to become a professional dancer is something to be admired when watching them perform seemingly so effortlessly. A high level of athleticism, coupled together with extreme flexibility, grace, balance, endurance, and performing complex movements is something wonderful to behold.

After seeing the works of photographers Jordan Matter and Puerto Rican photographer Omar Robles, I was inspired to try to embark on my own project of photographing ballerinas. A friend formerly danced for the New York Ballet Company and I took a series of photographs of him. We made arrangements to schedule other dancers that he knew, but due to our busy schedules, nothing became of it. Earlier this year an opportunity to travel to Cuba to photograph former Cuban dancers from the prestigious Ballet Nacional de Cuba became available and I took advantage of it immediately. After a number of years had passed, I finally have the beginnings of body of work that I can build upon. My experience in Cuba was nothing short of amazing!

Donald, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in the Bronx in New York City and I had an interest in art when I was very young. I applied for, and was accepted to the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan where I majored in advertising design and illustration. While there, my art studies included oil and water color painting, photography, packaging design, life drawing, and illustration, just to name a few. However, after graduating my interests changed and I decided not to pursue the arts as a career. I pursued my undergraduate studies in the social sciences and began working in that field.

However, a number of years after high school I felt stifled creatively. A photographer friend of mine returned from vacation overseas and shared a slide presentation of photos he took during his time abroad. I was moved by his photos and decided photography was the medium I wanted to pursue in order to satisfy my own desires to create. I borrowed my father’s Canon AE1 and that friend mentored me as I began to learn the craft of taking pictures. I have not put down a camera since.

While I have never made a living from photography, I have had my work published in newspapers, photo magazines, and jazz magazines. I participated in several online galleries shows, as well as a number of solo and group shows over the years. In 2018 I discovered street photography. I have predominantly been exploring that genre ever since. Most of my street work can be seen on my Instagram account (@donaldsanchezphotography).

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist and a creative is the satisfaction that comes from people who are moved by my art. I’m aware of the reality that in this day and age where many strive to achieve notoriety and recognition through “likes” on social media, my fulfillment comes first through creating art and next, the reward that comes from viewers who are impacted by my work. Whether an appreciation of my photographs, or a deeper sense of relating somehow to the image, it is very satisfying to receive that kind of feedback, particularly from other photographers. I also welcome critiques of my pictures as well It is an opportunity to improve. I’ve had several that were shared with me which helped improve my eye.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

One of the resources I wish I knew about earlier in my creative journey was photo books. Obviously, YouTube and the internet are great resources that I take advantage of today which didn’t exist in the mid 80s. but many years ago when I was starting out in photography, I was only aware of “How to” photography books for the most part. I wish I knew about well known street photographers such as Gary Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz, Helen Levitt, and many others. I did come across and purchased several books by Jill Freedman, Annie Liebovitz, and Herb Ritz, but they were books being sold on the streets of Greenwich Village and probably fell off the back of a truck (wink-wink). In any event, back then I didn’t spend a lot of time in book stores so it was a missed opportunity for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donaldsanchezphotography.com
• Instagram: @donaldsanchezphotography; @donald_sanchez_photography

Image Credits
Donald Sanchez