We recently connected with Alejandro Ambriz and have shared our conversation below.

Alejandro, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I’d love to tell you that the name 85mil Productions came from an inspirational source or some whimsical story but the reality a bit more ‘normal’ than that to be honest. My business partner Jose and I had the business and were doing the work long before we came up with the name. Portraits were always our bread and butter so when the time finally came to name our company, we struggled for a bit because we weren’t sure of our purpose or mission ya know? We were messaging on Snapchat as most professionals tend to do when the name 85mil just hit me and I suggested it to him. Around that time I had been using a Samsung rf 85 f1.4 lens for most of my sessions. If you’ve ever used those lens you know that they have a lot of compression and insane detail. I figured since we liked taking candid and personal photos of people our name should reflect that. Thus 85mil part was born and Jose wasn’t a big fan of it but nether of us came up with anything that we liked better so we grew into it. The production part was added because we wanted to do more than just portraits for graduations, weddings, etc. In the future we planned to grow our team and expand to providing media services to a range of clients. I’m glad we stuck with that name, it reflects our goal and mission of providing a high quality and satisfactory experience for our clients.

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?

85mil Productions is a photography company that creates candid and personal memories that are lasting beyond a digital image. We provide professional photo and video services throughout SoCal and primarily do graduations, weddings, engagements and family portraits.

85mil was created in late 2021 when my friend Jose and I were still working independently. We were both working gigs and trying to get our names out there when we realized the potential in being a team that could take on big events. We bid our time, gaining more experience and a larger clientele while getting logistics in order. At the beginning of 2023 we launched our website and Instagram to promote our work.
What sets us apart is our interactions with our clients. People often see qetting their photo taken as a drag or a daunting experience, but with us it’s fun. Every step of the way we are there to help them get over their lack of confidence or answer questions they mav have At the end of an event Jose and I will usually joke about how we messed around more than we worked because of our easygoing nature.

I find this to be the part I am most proud of in our company. It’s a true skill to be able to connect and bond with a client because at the end of the day we all want the same thing: beautiful, uncontrived and high quality photographs that hold a priceless value. Having that trust between the client and us allows for all parties to be themselves; without compromise.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

At the end of the day I do this for myself. I do it because I enjoy taking pictures and planning concepts and working with people to make that happen. That in of itself is the most rewarding aspect; the fact that I get to do this at all and that I found something that helps me express myself.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I gotta say it’s been word of mouth. Much of our initial outreach began with people we knew and because of our stellar service and quality of photos, we have been very fortunate to continue that flow of clientele. It installs a sense of security and familiarity in clients that otherwise haven’t met us yet. This helps break the ice when we do meet with clients on the day of their shoot.

Contact Info:

• Website: 85milproductions.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/85mil.productions