We recently connected with James Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.
James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In my portfolio I have a photo series with an ex-coworker of mine at one of the restaurants I worked at. Early in my career, I was hungry for a photo series with a subject. We have worked together for a while, and I knew he had a rough past and an interesting story. When I was studying and learning about photography and journalism, we talked about eventually doing an interview together. He was my first subject, and he did not hold anything back about his past life; he had been in prison for drugs and his childhood was rough and brutal. He also shared personal information that really impacted me as a person and grew me as an individual outside of photography. During his interview, I fell in love with photojournalism and knew this was something that I wanted to pursue in my life.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I first started dabbling into photography back in 2016 reading about photographers, opening photobooks and learning the history of photography. Eventually I was able to purchase a camera of my own and went broke because I knew this was something that really piqued my interest. Street photography is my first love because you simply picked up and your camera and went outside and found everyday life. Every day I could grab a cup of coffee and create something out of nothing. Overtime learning about the industry, gaining more confidence with my camera and documenting different individuals, homeless and anyone who came along my path I could photograph. Over the years I have been more focused on fine art photography and exhibiting my work in art shows and exhibitions. Currently I am searching for an internship with an agency that could possibly help me get to the next level of photojournalism. With freelancing for more than 5 plus years, I am eager to learn and take my career to the next level. My level of hunger for this industry never seems to fade and the amount of passion sets me apart from the rest. My black and white photography has changed my career and opened some great opportunities for me and will always be proud of some strong work I have produced. Two of my street photographs were published in a Street Photography E-book with Docu Magazine which I was extremely grateful for. I hope to inspire others and create more passionate projects for museums, exhibits and art shows to feature my work in today’s age and leave something behind for the art world.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One of my goals at the top is having one of my photographs featured by a large news agency like NY times, Getty images or AP news. My vision is to keep tackling it one day at a time and no matter of the ups and downs this industry has and to stay focused on the task at hand. This creative journey can teach you a lot about yourself and making an impact on the community.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Freelancing is extremely tough and sometimes does not pay the bills. Photography comes with a rewarding career in different ways than money. Currently I have been working in the food industry for quite some time now and is a really repetitive and could be harsh for me mentally or physically. Sometimes it does feel like a pivot in order to make money, but hopefully that could change making money from full time photographing for an agency. Keeping positive is key and staying busy with what I love doing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jameshernandez.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james_steppenwolf/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-hernandez-6a108b200/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/j_steppenwolf