We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Gonzalez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.
Jonathan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
The name for my brand comes from a time when I mostly photographed other genres of photography, more specifically boudoir. This is the same time when I started taking my hobby more seriously and started believing I could make a profit from it. Since my name is fairly common, I wanted something that could be unique and recognizable. I wanted something that would speak to the strength and, at the same time, gentleness of my clients and the confidence that it takes to place yourself in front of a camera. This is why Velvet Arrow was born. When I think of velvet, it immediately makes me think of it’s soft, luxurious, suave feel, and the arrow represents the strength and ability to pierce through anything. This has carried on to my current area of expertise which is aerialists and pole dancer whom carry that same grace and strength when it comes to a shoot.
Jonathan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Jonathan Gonzalez and I’m the creator behind Velvet Arrow Photography. Alongside my partner Anya, who is also a photographer and dancer, we’ve shaped our brand to focus mostly on the art of photographing aerial arts and with this pole dance, pole fitness or pole art depending on your use. We are currently based out of Georgetown, TX.
I’ve been around photography for a little over 10 years and shot most genres, but I currently focus on pole dancers, aerialists, and dancers. This journey began about 2 years ago, at the time I was working mostly with pregnancy type shoots. Veronika Klock, a pole instructor based out of San Antonio, TX, happened to be pregnant when I found her on social media and we agreed to trade for a pregnancy pole shoot. Both my partner and I instantly fell in love with the art form, and the strength and conditioning required to pole. Since then we haven’t looked back and I’ve narrowed down my focus to work almost exclusively on pole shoots.
It’s been a long road since I took my first photography class back in 2008 at the Escuela de Arts Plasticas de Puerto Rico. I’ve always been passionate towards anything that would allow me to create with my hands and I was lucky enough to be able to experiment with many different art forms during my college years while I completed my bachelor in Industrial Design. These studies trained me to look at problems and situations from a different perspective whilst employing my creativity to create something out of nothing, and to see the beauty even in the most mundane of objects. Once finished I set my eyes on Austin and a new journey began. At this point photography took a second, even third place in my list of priorities as I struggled to make a life for myself.
Fast forward a couple years, I’m still searching for that one thing I can call a job and enjoy at the same time. Feeling a little lost and without a sense of direction or a true north I decide to pick up my camera again as a creative outlet. I told myself I would deep dive into photography this time and started teaching myself the ins and outs of how to become a professional photographer. I wanted to learn what it takes to make images like the ones you see in billboards and magazine ads. To be honest I didn’t want to work with people, as it wasn’t in my comfort zone yet, so I began photographing food and developed a passion for cleanliness and paying attention to even the smallest of details. This would translate to my images later on in the unique way my backgrounds are achieved.
Around the same time I picked up again another one of my interests which is social latin dancing. Anything from salsa, bachata and even Kizomba, dancing in Austin helped me break out of my shell of past experiences and the unknown into a wonderful world of lively people and some of the best camaraderie I’ve witnessed. I was enjoying living and dancing in Austin so much that I started offering to photograph social events thus getting me used to shooting individuals, moving subjects and fast action shots in harsh lighting conditions.
With this new found confidence I started reaching out to any and all models that would like to shoot so I could start building a portfolio. Everything was starting to take shape and make sense. Before I knew it I was on my way to my first paid shoot which was taking corporate headshots for the entire staff of a firm. Not going to lie, it hasn’t always been pretty, but it’s from those weaker moments that I’ve learned the most and if there is something I’ve learned to value, especially in a field where there isn’t a clear way to define who can call themselves a professional, that is to stay educated and ahead of the game. I am defined by my work and what I bring to others and what I leave behind. Most of my knowledge in photography has come from understanding where a weakness exists and overcoming it. The understanding of these weaknesses is what I feel has contributed the most into developing my style. That hunger to perfect what I do and to separate myself from what everyone else does has kept pushing me forward into the unknown and that’s where I’ve felt comfortable the most.
There aren’t that many specialized pole photographers in general, but as a photographer, my use of colors and creative gel lighting separate me from most photographers. It challenges me by adding an extra layer of complexity to my shoot, both during and on post, and it allows me to provide tailored experiences to every client no matter how many people I’m photographing in a day.
It helps that my partner is also a pole dancer and we work together on every shoot. I also work on learning the endless amount of tricks, shapes and poses so I can make sure I grab the right pose and angle every single time.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Being honest and professional at all times. No matter what happens, how you portray yourself is how other will judge your business. Being in a line of work that sometimes can place others in a susceptible situation, they need to be able to immediately trust you. It certainly hasn’t been an easy road and I certainly haven’t been able to win over everyone I come across, but I always stay true to what I stand for and I know this will prove myself to others whether they see it now or in 10 years.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
My images are a collaborative work and this is what I enjoy the most. During my shoots I like to keep an ongoing line of communication since the time I am booked until the time that I deliver the final images. While I bring a creative aspect to the images, I want my clients to get what they want out of the image too. Yes I do have a style you can probably identify throughout my images, but I also want the input from my customers so I can brings their vision to life too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.velvetarrowphoto.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/velvetarrowphoto
- Facebook: facebook.com/velvetarrowphoto