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

Alright, Angel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope when people look back on my life, they saw that I lived everyday attempting to capture the magic of life. From the mundane routine—to the spectacular life events that only happen once, to say that you were a part of capturing proposals, a child’s first taste of birthday cake, weddings, anniversaries—all of life’s most grand celebrations-gives me a joy of fulfillment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Back in the day, phones didn’t have cameras. I remember the first time I transitioned from a disposable camera you took to the drug store to develop—and picked up a basic point and shoot digital camera in the 2000’s. This is where my love of photography grew, self taught and with no formal training. What started as just a hobby of taking photos of nearly everything I encountered, blossomed into a career I never expected. Being somewhat introverted, as I feel most creatives are—I was terrified when a friend approached me and asked me to take their engagement photos, but by the end of that first session I was probably floating visibly off the ground-creating for someone else was a ‘high’ I’ve never gotten over. Making others happy using my craft was so rewarding I couldn’t go back to my regular 9-5 job. Once I stepped into my potential, it became full time—location scouting, buying and learning new equipment, and building a clientele that trusted my vision. I’ll be honest with you- I do not feel that I am the typical photographer. This feels most apparent because I hate rules! Full sun? Let’s shoot it! Pattern mixing? YES! Abandoned buildings? PERFECT. I remember most family photos done in studios growing up were stuffy. Everyone looking at the camera with a forced smile. I never wanted to capture that. I want to see smiling, laughing, interacting together-LOVE, in fact—pretend I’m not here and just have fun & BE PRESENT. In my earliest days, I encountered stressed out mothers who spent months planning outfits and dads who were yelling at the kids to smile, by the end of their shoot everyone was on edge and it’s not a memory you would necessarily want to remember. Nowadays, I approach my sessions with a carefree and go with the flow attitude! Have a 3 year old that just wants to run? awesome, I will follow. Have a partner that isn’t into photos, well let’s pick a location you can sit back and enjoy yourself— and I’ll capture the two of you actually having fun vs. torturing them for an hour with formal poses. I have always tried to remain humble, no matter how many sessions I do—I will still be critical of my work and strive to learn and do better. Mainly these days my sessions are so fun and gratifying—after relocating to Orlando, Florida and weathering the storm of covid on small business, I seem to have found my footing and its centered around vacation photography. So many people come to this area on holiday and I have had the sincere pleasure of capturing many surprise proposals, people on their first trips to the Wizarding world of Harry Potter, reunions, anniversaries, couples celebrating engagements, first birthdays —you name it! Being in central Florida has been amazing and offers no end to the cool locations you can capture something magical. I will say one of my favorite sessions to plan is the surprise proposal at Universal studios. This requires a lot of sneaky communications between the proposer and I, but I’ve got it down to a science and the moment they round the corner and I am lying in wait, my heart skips a beat, a calm washes over me and boom—the magic happens! I am so grateful that people appreciate my creativity, it’s the biggest life compliment.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

This has been, and will continue to be largely based on word of mouth. I have always been amazed by how a positive review will send more eager clients to my doorstep. The power of social media these days is unparalleled. One tag, one share, one person telling their girlfriend on a play date about their session with me, has always worked better than sponsoring paid ads.

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

Although not an immediate part of my journey to becoming a photographer, I did suffer a set back in the very beginning of my professional career. When I was 24 years old I suffered a horrible medical emergency. I was admitted to the ER, intubated and mercy flighted to a large hospital near by where I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, adult onset. I was in a medically induced coma for one week and the hospital for near one month. My body was in diabetic ketoacidosis and I only had a 10 percent chance of survival, and against the odds they were able to turn things around and I was able to come out of the coma. Being a person with a photographic memory, I did suffer from some loss after the trauma to my brain and body, so when I was finally released from the hospital my pull to document only became stronger, as it was a way for me to look back and remember small details that I often overlooked after my illness. I’ve had to overcome many obstacles being an insulin dependent diabetic and an active photographer, as more care needs to be taken on long days shooting weddings or just staying hydrated on hot days in general. Despite those trials, I never let my diagnosis define me. It has only pushed me to do and be better in all aspects of my life and in my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wanderlustportraits.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theverybusybee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlustportraits