We recently connected with Aleks Antonío and have shared our conversation below.

Aleks, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Photography has become somewhat of a “trendy job” more than a way to tell visual stories. That being said, one of the biggest challenges I have seen is being able to keep up with the many trends we see in social media. Clients often hire a photographer that can duplicate a trend and not so much one that can capture moments and tell stories.
As we all see the algorithms change so rapidly per social media platform and the trends we see in each niche staying relevant and profitable becomes a harder task to keep up with.
A lot of photographers, me included, have other social accounts where we can share what we are passionate about that doesn’t follow the current trend or photos we do for ourselves. This pages are separate from our main feed that most clients see. I stay true to who I am without compromising what I love.

Aleks, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Aleks Antonio, Panamanian by birth but based in Memphis, TN. I am a photographer, explorer and a taco lover. My love for photos started a long time ago, I grew up in a family that loves to travel and I figured out that taking photos would be the best way to “go back” to those places days, month or even years later.

I moved to Memphis in 1999 and a way to learn the city I would go out and take photos. It all started with city photos, some urban exploration and eventually I started shooting weddings, portraits and commercial work.
My love for city photos and landscapes has allowed me to travel to many places and see how big our world really is.

I currently do a few things within the creative world. As I mentioned before I photograph weddings and do a lot of commercial product work. I also work with a close friend, he is a filmmaker, and I do anything from grip work, lighting, AD or what ever is needed to bring amazing short stories to life,

One of the things I am most proud of is being a part of an amazing community of photographers locally. We network and collaborate together often. We are part of a group that host a yearly photo meet up, Grind City Meet, this is the time of the year we all come together and walk downtown Memphis taking photos, networking, making new friends or just hanging out.

My clients can always expect someone that will put them first for their project. I will be your biggest fan during your happiest day and make sure to capture all the big moments and the intimate moments of the day. You can also expect an open line of communication from the day we meet that will never really close, you can always reach out to me, even years later, for any questions you may have or concerns.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a foreigner moving to a new country wasn’t an easy thing. I was 18yrs old when I moved to USA and I didn’t speak English. I went to college and recorded my classes, went home and translated the whole class to Spanish in order to do homework then I had to translate the homework back to English in order to turn it in. Being in a new place, not knowing the language, and getting out there to meet people, make friends and translate in my head how to navigate a different country showed me how hard things can get for someone. I still pushed through it and there are things I still struggle with but I will pushing forward.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist to me is the people you meet. It doesn’t matter if I am taking their photo or helping film a video, their stories are the best part of it. Getting to know a bride and groom and learning how they met, how a small business got started or listening to someone spill their heart out while telling you a story of their struggle is a big deal. I have laughed with clients, cried with them and even became friends with many due to the time we spent together and crazy enough, realizing how similar we all are, regardless of our upbringing or country of origin, we aren’t that much different.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aleksworksphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleksworks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AleksAntonioPhotography
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aleksworks

Image Credits
Aleks Antonío Photography