We recently connected with Joe Cantwell and have shared our conversation below.
Joe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
When i first got my foot in the door with the community i knew nothing, not much about cars nor photography. For the first few months i didn’t know automotive photography was a thing so i just paid attention to the cool cars at meets and shows. I started noticing more cameras at meets taking pics of all the sweet builds. The one year i got gifted a camera for christmas, and after tinkering with it i started snapping pics of cars, i wasn’t good by any means, but i fell in love with the craft following that gift. After months of practice and learning i started to understand how it all works, settings, composition, framing, ect. So i started bringing my camera to every meet i could find and taking hundreds of photos, it was like heaven for me. Over the next two years i progressed to where i am now, i’ve meet some incredible and inspiring people throughout my journey and continue to get better every day and couldn’t be happier with my hobby/career choice.
Joe, 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 am an automotive photographer from MN, i’ve got a few years of experience under my belt with photography as well as car knowledge. I like to spend most of my free time shooting or working with cars. My brand is called AutoEstoria, where i supply photography services to car enthusiasts to capture the art they have created. though planning for shoots can get tricky, driving around scouting for a fresh new spot to suit the car is always necessary. My standard shoot consists of 20 edited still photos and a couple rollers, everyone loves a good roller. I’m pretty surprised how far this hobby has brought me, i’ve gotten to go to some awesome events and meet some great people. If you’re not already integrated with the car community i would definitely recommend going to some meets and meeting some people!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me is when i can piece together the perfect shoot and the weather is perfect and everything works out, then i go home to edit and the photos come out just how the client wanted.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
When i started my photography journey i would be taking pictures left and right at whatever i thought was cool, now it’s about half that. I found myself learning more when i would slow down and pay attention to my composition rather than just hitting the button.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: AutoEstoria
- Facebook: AutoEstoria
Image Credits
Myself