We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ismael Quintanilla III a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ismael thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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?

I learned photography by reading books, watching tutorials, and taking thousands and thousands of photos. Knowing what I know now, my learning process would’ve speed up by asking questions to photographers who were already doing what I wanted to do, rather then figuring things out on my own.

The most essential skills during my journey were perseverance to keep moving forward, even when things didn’t feel comfortable. This is a cycle that keeps happening over and over, but I learned to feel comfortable with being uncomfortable.

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

Hello! I’m Ismael Quintanilla III and I’m a music photojournalist based out of Austin, Texas. I started doing photography as a hobby shooting concerts with disposable cameras. The first concert I took photos of was Judas Priest at La Villareal in Mission, Texas January 26th, 2001. I was 15 years old. I moved to Austin, Texas 2013 to start a job in a tech company as a Power Integrity Engineer and continue to shoot music casually at small venues around town. Eventually, the hobby transformed into a living dream creating visual art touring bands, music festivals, and music publications. I capture sound waves into pixels in a way that aligns with love, fulfillment, and connection. In my spare time, I work with Zero Hour ATX, a video production team capturing Austin musicians playing music at their home during the pandemic and play bass locally world-known punk band The Guacamole Police.

I specialize in live music photography, musicians portraiture, and music industry documentation. I have the joy of working with an extensive roster of Austin music bands and festivals, but I’m greatly known for the work continuously created with Austin’s singer-songwriter and guitarist powerhouse Jackie Venson. What I’m most proud of in my artistic career is the immense amount of beautiful memories I had the fortune to experience along with so many magical friends that I met through photographing concerts. I feel that what sets me apart from others is that I don’t see photography as a business. I see photography as a way to get to know myself and get to know others. Each photoshoot is an opportunity to connect with people through the creation of art while getting to know each other.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The mission driving my creative journey is the aspiration to create genuine connections with clients and their interests. If the brand becomes the principal focus, what’s best for the client might be overlooked. A brand is nothing without a client to sell it to. However, when the client becomes the number one priority, the brand becomes tailored to their interests. Brands evolve over time, but genuine connections will exceed the product regardless of the market.

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

Live music is about energy and connection between the artist and the crowd. As a music photojournalist, my purpose is to capture that energy and connection into a single frame. Without the capability to connect with music, the photographs come out dull and lifeless. Exploring and understanding this connection to music has become a life purpose. Over the years, I learned breathtaking photographs don’t come from having the best cameras or expensive lighting equipment; they come from the simple practice of being present and focusing on what’s in front to see everything align to know when’s the right time to press the shutter button. Art requires an unbelievable level of self-awareness; the chokehold on the growth is always the artist itself. The more you understand yourself as a human being, the more you understand yourself as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iq3photo.com
• Instagram: @ismaelquintanillaiii
• Linkedin: Ismael Quintanilla III

Image Credits
Personal Photo by Robert Hein.