We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alex DelVecchio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alex below.

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

In 2013 I had a roommate who’s father was a professional photographer. He had handed her down an extra Nikon D3100 and she was trying to figure out how to use it. The photos just kept coming out black. At this point I’d never touched a DSLR but I was curious what could be wrong. I’d only ever used cameras that were automatic so some degree; point-and-shoots, iPhones, etc. Eventually, after googling what the buttons and settings meant, we were able to get a photo to come out! Granted, it was blurry and very yellow, but it was a start. She decided it wasn’t worth the bulk of carrying that camera around, but I saw a challenge and an opportunity.

That was when my journey into the hobby of photography began. I just had to know what all those buttons did, why you would choose them, when was the appropriate time to use or not use them? I was taking pictures of everything. I experimented, practiced, researched, and eventually gained an understanding of how to take a photo with intent. There were many nights I’d stay up late on wikipedia or various photography/videography sites learning the craft and the tools. I HAD to know the terminology, the purpose, the limits, the reasons, the “why”s of it all. I wanted to be able to capture the image the way I saw it in my head, and to do that I needed to know the effects of everything I had control over. I wanted to master the craft…but what about the art?

For the longest time I was very focused on the technical details. Proper exposure, accurate color, deliberate focus…I started wondering why my photos were still not quite up to snuff with many others I was seeing. What was missing? A lot of it was what I considered the “art of the moment”. It seemed like there was a SUPER fine line between a snapshot and a carefully timed and composed photo of a moment. The latter being an image where you can easily extrapolate into the past and future to “feel” what was happening. I was lucky to have some mentors that were “old school” in that they didn’t care so much about the tech, they knew the art of photography. I learned a LOT of valuable lessons from them and was finally able to feel like I was developing more of an “eye”. Suddenly I was taking fewer photos, making sure that I could at least answer the question of “what is this a photo of” before dropping my shutter.

The great thing about photography is that you can do it almost anywhere. There’s plenty of places and ways to practice and experiment, and not a lot of resistance. It takes a long time to get really proficient with the technical side of things, but with modern cameras it’s just getting easier and easier to have fun with it. I’m grateful to have had the time and opportunities that helped me build a solid foundation to understanding the craft that is photography, so that I could eventually focus on the art.

Alex, 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?

At the moment, I’m fresh into exploring the possibility of (again) making money with my camera full time. Around a decade ago I made a decision to try something new while I had the chance, and it was the best decision I ever made. Recently, I’ve found myself in that same circumstance again…

I grew up in Massachusetts working construction with my dad. He eventually opened a school to train heavy equipment operators. I worked as an instructor there, where I learned that I really enjoyed, and was pretty good at teaching. One day suggested that we update our relatively old, text based curriculum with some more modern, video based content. A friend of his had this “professional” video camera that shot “1080 High-definition video!” (It was a Panasonic HMC-150, if you’re wondering) He was nice enough to let us borrow it to make these videos but warned that he “didn’t really know how to use it” and that we’d need to figure that out on our own. I called on a good friend who had experience with these cameras and he gave me a crash course in shooting video. The next thing I knew, I was far more intrigued with the process of creating video content than I was with construction.

That same friend would later move to California to take a job working for a very successful YouTube channel. After about a year, he convinced me to come visit him and what was supposed to be a week long leisure stay turned into a three week long preview of what a life in LA working in film/content creation could look like. I was about to turn 30 and decided there was never going to be a better opportunity to try something else in my life so I packed up and moved to LA the following year, leaving my dad some fresh new video content to use at the school.

Over the next few years I would make a living freelancing in film, working in camera department, as well as shooting some content for other YouTube channels or short indie projects. I really enjoyed working with a camera shooting mostly video for work, and photos as a hobby. I took my camera almost everywhere I went, getting lots of practice and honing my skills. At a certain point I realized I very much missed teaching. As luck would have it, an opportunity arose for me to start creating and teaching production workshops for the YouTube Space in LA. I absolutely loved this work and when a full time job at the studio opened up, I jumped at the chance.

Working there was the best job I’d ever had. I had millions of dollars worth of production resources available to me and it was my job to show other YouTube creators how to best utilize them. I got to teach and help people elevate their production quality, while also scratching my own creative itch in the form of “demo” content or promotional video for the studio or its equipment.

When the pandemic hit, we closed the studio and moved to remote work. I had a lot of time to reignite my passion for taking photos and started getting into surf and wildlife photography. My friends would surf and I’d follow them to the break, taking photos of everyone and offering them up for free later. Every now and then someone would throw me some money as a thank you and I started to wonder how lucrative this could be…

Before I could really figure that out, the studio opened back up and we were expected to go back in, albeit not as the same service we were providing before. Now it was an internal studio only available to full time employees. I was offered the Studio Lead position, and with the uncertainty of the pandemic still a major concern, I took the chance to have gainful employment while I still could. Over the next year, I’d unfortunately learn that this position was not a good fit for me. It required things that were almost exclusively my weaknesses and utilized almost none of my strengths. One day I had the active realization that this position was not fulfilling to me in any meaningful way, and I decided to give my notice.

Since then, I’ve been really exploring my creativity and building a brand to see if I can make my interests my living. I love wildlife and nature photography. I miss teaching. I miss the adventure of freelance work. I miss the new people I’d meet and places I’d see. I miss creating. I started Vex Media Photo to explore all possible avenues of turning this hobby into my career, steadily building a portfolio and learning the skills of self-managing a brand as best I can.

The ultimate goal is to share inspiring content, sell art, and teach people how to create their own. It’s been a slow process trying to do everything myself but it’s a steady one. I’m excited to see if this can be the new best decision I’ve ever made.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’ve got to be fully honest here; One of the best feelings is when someone asks to buy my art. Hear me out…

Obviously, it’s nice to think “I can be paid to do something I like to do!” That’s not what I mean.

When someone asks to buy my art, I don’t hear them saying, “let me pay you for your work”. I hear them saying “your art has value to me.” It’s a reassurance that we still have a world where the way someone feels, or is made to feel, is important and has value.

Ultimately, that’s the goal. Inspiring people to find joy in the world. Helping bring a positive feeling into someone’s life, whatever that may look like. Maybe it’s showing them something beautiful, or teaching them how to create their own art. Whatever it is, I’d like to keep reminding people to seek out things that make them feel good, because that matters…a lot.

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?

The creative process should feel like play, not work. I think creativity can be easily converted into “work” when it’s not allowed the freedom of exploration, and that exploration is what I think gives way to inspiring new ideas. The “work” part should just be how to best bring the creative to life. That’s also a very fun part of the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vexmediaphoto.com
• Instagram: @vex_media_photo
• Facebook: Facebook.com/VexMediaPhoto
• Youtube: YouTube.com/@VexMediaPhoto
• Other: Reddit: u/VexMediaPhoto