We recently connected with Hugo Aguiluz and have shared our conversation below.

Hugo , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

1- I learned how to use a professional camera by watching professional photographer tutorial videos on Youtube. Eventually, I decided to buy courses and attend workshops to meet other industry professionals, learn how to pose, and interact with other people in front of the camera. Also, I started to follow different photography groups on Facebook where many other photographers posted about sales, poses, gear, courses, preset, etc. All of these opened my eyes to a new world in which I fell in love. Since then, I haven’t stopped shooting, learning, and enjoying this profession.

2- If I knew all of what I know today, I think it would have been much easier to get where I’m now. However, I believe that I wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as I did during this whole process. It has been years of hints and misses but this has trained me to be a better photographer and I don’t want to say I know everything because I don’t. I will say though, that I’ve years of experience on my shoulder and I’m constantly open to learning more because there’s always something new to learn every day.

3- Many obstacles! One of them was economic. When I started it was much more challenging because I did not have enough funds to buy the equipment I needed, but over time it became easier to buy the equipment I needed. Another obstacle at the beginning was being afraid to photograph strangers and use the camera settings manually. At the beginning, it was hard to control my environment and to have the right settings as quickly as possible in order to achieve the best image. It was hard for me to handle all of the settings in the camera and at the same time try to concentrate on posing the clients in front of the camera.

I think this’s one of the major obstacles that we the photographers have when starting our careers. This is one of the major reasons why I decided to learn, invest and practice since the beginning because I wanted to memorize the camera setting completely. Once I achieved that, then it was way easier because it was one thing that I didn’t have to worry about so I could concentrate on interacting with my subject and that’s when the magic started happening because my creativity started to kick in!

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

Hello, everyone! I’m Hugo Aguiluz owner, editor, and photographer of Hugo Aguiluz photography. This journey began in 2013 when I purchased my first Nikon DSLR entry-level camera with a kit lens at a local shop. I remember going to the store (several times before buying it) to look at it and dreaming of using it for the first time while I was saving to purchase this kit. My wife Claudia Parducci is my biggest fan and my number 1 assistant. Without her help, I believe we weren’t be where we’re right now.

I specialize majority in maternity photography, family sessions, professional headshots, and wedding photography. One of the biggest inconveniences for our maternity clients is that sometimes they don’t feel that they will look good enough in their photos because of their pregnancy. Our goal is to protect the beauty of being pregnant and how to express that through my camera to create astonishing photographs. To do that, I guide our customers in how to pose, how to relax in front of the camera, and how to enjoy every bit of their time so that later they can have beautiful memories in their photographs that will last forever. This also applies to customers who book us for professional headshots, family sessions, and weddings. My wife and I always project confidence and enthusiasm so our customers can trust us in what we do, because, for many of them is their first time in front of a professional camera, and it can be a little intimidating at first.

I’m proud to be able to call myself a professional photographer. Also, being able to photograph people in general who are trusting me to create art about them. This is maybe one of the major aspects that makes me love why do. Knowing that the person I’m photographing is expecting to see a beautiful photograph of themselves created by me. I love when my customers email me excited asking when I will deliver their photos and that they can’t wait to see the final result. Even though it’s still early to receive their photos but this tells me that they enjoyed their time during their photoshoot.

Also, I want to be known as someone who takes pride and passion in what I do. So my potential clients know they can trust what I do and expect to be treated with respect, professionalism, and the utmost care!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my wife back in El Salvador when we were still teenagers and we were attending the same University. At that time, we were good friends and we never thought we would be more than that. Later, I moved to Texas when I was 20 yrs old and 3 years later she moved here too without knowing I lived here as well. Thanks to social media, we knew we were living in the same city and we decided to see each other, and later that friendship became love.

My wife knew I loved photography and she was one of the first ones to inspire me to be more than an amateur photographer. I still remember when used to talk about how to start our photography business in a local cafe. Now, we are a team that knows how to work well in what we do. We believe that communication, respect, order, and perseverance are key to having a well-organized small business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Referrals! This has been by far what has helped us grow over the years. We appreciate every client that shares our work with their friends and family and who tells them about our services. Some clients have referred us more than we can thank them. This is what we do our best for every single client because they can be the next one who can refer us to many other people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hugoaguiluzphoto.com
• Instagram: @hugoophoto
• Facebook: @hugoophoto
• Other: TikTok: @hugoophoto