Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabriel Ponton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gabriel , 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?

I’m Gabriel Ponton, I am fashion photographer from Colombia and have been doing photography since I’m 15 years old in my hometown Barranquilla. I went to school in Colombia for fashion photography and publicity and spent four years in Europe complementing my education with cinematography and lighting.

I have seven years of experience in the fashion industry, helping brands and fashion designers developing their imagery and translating their creative universe into photographs for commercial and editorial purposes. I have worked and collaborated with producers, art directors, brands and designers from Latin America, Spain and New York City; my work has been published in printed and online media such as Vogue Latin America, Paper Magazine, Vogue Spain, The Cut Magazine, Revista Fucsia and others.

It is very important for me to create images that are truthful to the DNA of the brands I work with, while also being able to capture my point of view as a creative and portray beauty the way I understand it. I am aware of the needs of an industry that is very competitive and is evolving all the time, so I try to keep myself updated on trends, technology, pop culture and art, so that I can bring new ideas and concepts to the table during the creative process, which I enjoy from the very beginning.

I wanna keep expanding my business not only in my country but also in The United States and Europe, I can’t wait to get to know all the people and communities I will be able to work and collaborate in the future.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I first went to college for fashion design, I thought that’s what I wanted because I really enjoyed fashion from an early age. I was doing photography as a hobby since middle school and kept doing it after graduating from high school; Every semester in college, the students were asked to create a fashion editorial summarizing all the concepts learnt. Me and my team created the most amazing fashion stories with my camera, using our beautiful friends as models and all the resources that we could find. Very rapidly, I started helping most of my classmates to create their own editorials while also getting paid for it, it was just a couple bucks back then but I was happy my talent was being appreciated, not only by students but also teachers and program directors. My work started getting more and more attention in my hometown and I realized I was having a lot of fun with it and I could see a future in that field.

I took the very brave decision to drop fashion school and move to a different city to follow my instinct and start my fashion photography program. I knew nothing about the industry at the moment but I was sure I had what it takes to become a good professional and learn in the proccess. I definitely made a lot of mistakes and took very weirds roads during the process – specially regarding aesthetics – but I had a lot of fun and it allowed to discover my style as a photographer.

I think it is very important to not be afraid of being cringe, because that is actually what will allow you to try new things; of course you’re not going to be great at first, but with discipline, constancy and a good plan you can create the business you want with the right direction, and when you have that, all the clients, opportunities and open doors will come to you, easily.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I discovered the work of Joseph Campbell (writer and mythologist) during quarantine in 2020. He spent his life researching mythology, compared religions and all kinds of stories around the globe. His work opened my eyes about the importance of storytelling and the way it shapes and portrays society, it also helped me understand more about the idea that “Life imitates art” and viceversa. He noticed that there is a pattern in storytelling that he named “The Hero’s journey”, and is basically the idea that all big stories are essentially the same story told in different ways, languages and symbols.

This is an author that I always like to go back to, specially because it helps me understand that we all are the heroes of our own story and we can create the reality that our souls and heart desire, even if it seems impossible; It also reminds me that we are all part of the same source experiencing life in different forms and that all forms are valid if you’re not hurting yourself or others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pontonph.com
• Instagram: @pontonph

Image Credits
Personal photo was taken by Juan Heilbron. All other images were photographed by Gabriel Ponton (me)