Today we’d like to introduce you to Xavier Damo.
Hi Xavier, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started back in 2018 while I was being deployed overseas. It was just a little montage recap video I was trying to create while performing my mission. When I came back, my friend took me to Beyond Wonderland 2020 and I saw all the after videos and photos which later sparked my interest to do more. I started messaging clubs, djs, friends just to get into the scene to even practice using my camera and getting creative with the work
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely not a smooth road and its still not a smooth road. Some things I struggled with was being self taught on everything. I didn’t go to school taking a media and I didn’t have college friends or any family members that had a hobby in photography. I had to do the research on my own, watch videos, and find any excuse to go out to use my camera then to practice editing. That was a roller coaster because if the content didn’t come out the way they did I would restart the next day. Another struggle is being able to go into a low light nightclub scene because most clubs don’t allow attendees to bring in any professional cameras. I was lucky enough to meet a local dj that ran EDM events and he would allow me to come in. That was still a struggle because low light is a different scene. At first, I was just spraying and praying with camera putting it on high burst to catch every little movement, but now i’m selective and time my shots waiting for the exact moment to show up. My current struggle is obtaining those “gigs” in the city I’m in. Its not a very saturated EDM location. There’s not many big venues that have the lighting production, special effects, or space to hold many people in. Getting in contact with headliners is difficult. Sometimes it seems my email gets missed, but thats the grind of it all
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professionally I work in Electrodiagnostics at a hospital. On the side I have my own personal business as a photographer. I specialize in live music, festival, concert photography. What I’m really proud of for myself is just the ability to grow. It seems there’s always something new in the scene to learn.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My cousins, my brothers and I created a dirt bike track in a field near my cousins house. On Sundays, my brothers and I went over and rode the track till sunset. Across our dirt bike track we made was the mountainside which we called the “pineapple fields” because thats where it was picked. Our fathers and us kids would cross the highway and ride all up in the mountains till we ran out of gas.
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