We recently connected with Adriel Bencosme and have shared our conversation below.

Adriel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started my creative journey as a photographer and was quickly advised to pick up video since it was starting to gain momentum over photos in many aspects. Now we use video as one of the most powerful mediums of communication in both storytelling and advertising. Recently, though, artificial intelligence has unleashed the previously hard-to-reach potential of photography by eliminating the costs of travel to exotic locations, top talent/products, perfect lighting, and high-end camera equipment. Today we are only limited by our imagination which is the fundamental element to a creative with a camera; taking our imagination and bringing it to life. Learning the craft never ends and the tools of the craft are taking exponential leaps forward. Very soon, we will be able to imagine something and it will instantly show up on a monitor for us to show others. If this is our future as creatives, then the number one tool in your kit is not a tool. It is your imagination and no one else can use that unless you give it away freely or at a cost. So I would advise all creatives to focus on exercising their imagination. From problem-solving to artistic expression, your imagination is what will take you further than anyone else who only depends on their physical or digital tools.

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?

My feet were hurting after standing for 12 hours straight at a sales job I didn’t like and then it hit me. “Why don’t I just do what I’ve always enjoyed since I was young?” So I quit my job on the stop and went home to look for anyone hiring a photographer. Minutes after sitting down, my friend walked in and asked me if I knew any photographers because someone was looking for one that night. I answered, “You’re looking at one!” That night I did my very first photo gig and it marked the beginning of my professional career as a creative.

I started off in nightlife then moved into print/magazine, runway, portraiture, flash photography, studio work, weddings, corporate, and artistic content. Videography was always riding side-by-side with photography because the signs were clear that it was gaining value in the marketplace and becoming more accessible to the common person due to the rise of DSLR cameras and their capabilities. Soon I found myself working in a high-end photo studio shooting content for brands like Dunkin Donuts, Range Rover, Keurig, Bose Sound Systems, Timberland, and many more. Due to the experience I gained with video prior to that opportunity, I was part of the small team that spearheaded the video department at that studio and was soon traveling the world.

In the more recent years of my career, I have found myself focusing more on social media and more specifically on social media advertisement and creatives. Today I work for a marketing company that has done over $1B in e-commerce sales, so you can imagine that the stakes are high when it comes to delivering effective content that can deliver an attractive ROI on ad spend. The tricky part for me in this stage of my career has been balancing out the application of high-end production value and effective ads. Believe it or not, I’ve seen a 5-second video shot on an iPhone with poor lighting and sad composition outperform a very well-produced video that required a team and a good amount of resources. So when you are producing content at this level, there are several other layers of thought processes to consider when the ROI is not solely dependent on production value.

There are two main things that have set me apart from others. The first one is the ability to adapt on the fly. Even if the freight train of momentum is moving in one direction and everything has already been prepared for whatever was planned, I am willing to scrap it all if a better opportunity to reach our goal arises, even if it requires a stretch in the final lap. This is the place where most will just stick to the plan because it’s a lot more comfortable. I embrace discomfort in exchange for great results over mediocre ones.

The second and most important thing that separates me from others is my reputation. I’ve always thought in terms of the long run. I am where I am today because others spoke highly of me when I wasn’t in the room. Your reputation will open doors for you before you ever knock on them and it will have new relationships begin with trust as a foundation. This reputation was not free. There were times when I had to make hard choices that put me in tough positions because I refused to abandon my principles and ethics. I did my best to treat others, whether it was my team or the client or a passerby, like human beings with hearts and souls, dreams and ambitions, insecurities and strengths. As a “simple” photographer, you have the power to destroy someone’s confidence or empower them with a newfound confidence in themselves. Those conversations really matter and they ripple on into the future.

One secret I’ll share here is that, even though content creation is my career, I’ve NEVER taken photos or videos of th most incredible moments of my life. I’ve just soaked them in through these beautiful God-given gifts called eyes. I was supposed to be blind by age 10, yet here I am using them to make a living and an impact. I’d say that’s a miracle.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

My camera is a magic key. It has opened doors most don’t have access to, gotten me into meeting rooms with people that most would freak out about, allowed me to experience things most can only dream about, and taught me many truths about life itself.

Being behind the scenes of many types of experiences has removed the illusions that many are still influenced by and helped me to see what human beings are really like when the cameras are off.

I’ve learned more through these exclusive experiences than any book, YouTube video, or education program you can find. So if I had to choose one rewarding aspect of my career as a creative, it would be the reality of the world we live in and how to move through it.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

This one is EASY and I know that there are many creatives that will agree. Non-creatives, at times, make requests for things that they believe are easy and will only take a minute to work on.
“Just move that thing there and it should be all set. Easy peasy.”
In reality, sometimes, what they ask for can take hours of work behind the computer, even if the end result looks like a small change. This disconnect has brought about frustration with non-creatives who were unwilling to take the time to understand or attempt to do it themselves. I think this comes from the obvious point of creative process ignorance but there is a second point. That point would be lazy creatives. Sometimes non-creatives have bad experiences with creatives and wonder if they’re being duped again or if it really is as challenging as the creative is expressing. So as a creative, have compassion for the non-creatives but don’t take no poo poo from no one. If someone is hard to work with and being unreasonable, save your sanity, deal with the financial side accordingly, and move on. Your creative power requires you to be in the best state of mind possible to solve problems and use your imaginative power.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrielbencosme/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriel.bencosme.1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriel-bencosme-400756270/