We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laredo Montoneri a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Laredo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

When I started my photography career in New York City I switched from a corporate career, so I had many challenge to overcome. The thing that I mostly regret is not having spent enough time as a photographer assistant in order to get acquainted with the new reality.

So if today I had to start over again, I would go find a photographer (that would suit my photography goal) to assist and to commit for a 3 years plan to stay there in order to get what no school can give you.
I would have got more information about how to handle clients, find clients, more about technical photography skills, planing for photoshoot, pricing and budgeting, etc.

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

I am an Italian Fashion and portraits photographer based in Los Angeles. I started my career as a photographer after spending years in Italy in the corporate food industry. I decided to be photographer and moving to USA as a way to pursue a more suitable path for me. I was feeling that the corporate industry wasn’t for me anymore. I started in New York City, because I loved that city and its vibe and lots of dreams come true there. I got some extra photo skills at the ICP (International Center for Photography) while working as Marketing manager for a company for few years.
Now I am a freelancer photographer working in Los Angeles and New York City. Mostly I focus on Fashion, Portraits and e-commerce product photography on and off model. I also have a growing Youtube channel about photography and Travels.

Today I don’t think is that easy to bring something new to the world of photography for your clients, but what I think I can bring is:

A Tailored Creative Vision and concept. I think I excel in understanding and translating their ideas into visual stories and this is something that come through a clear willing to listen to their prospective and their goal. Because every client has a unique vision for their photos and I offer a highly personalized approach, ensuring the photos align with their expectations.

Expertise in Lighting is fundamental in fashion and portraits photography which demands a deep understanding of lighting and posing. In my early days when I started I got obsessed with understanding lighting, always wanted to know how to set them my self, to feel free to achieve whatever was in my mind. This sets me apart as a photographer who can handle a wide range of shooting conditions.

Professionalism, because I prioritize clear communication, punctuality, and a strong work ethic. My clients appreciate my professionalism, which ensures a smooth and enjoyable photography experience from start to finish.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Honestly when I started my photography journey I did’t realize how important Youtube could be as a source of informations. I was eager to even see moment of Behind the scenes of fashion photoshoot just to get the feeling of what to expect. I was relying of few people that I new, and on some very short assistant activity. This is why I got started with my photography channel sharing BTS of fashion moment and normal photography experiences that could be of inspirations to others. And nowadays I use constantly for inspiration and informations.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I started to be serious with photography the only think I could do was relying on my savings coming from my previous career. I made some mistakes like buying things unnecessary or too expensive for my level of photography at that moment. But mostly I expanded my equipment little by little depending on my needs, selling old stuff in order to fund new acquisitions

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laredomontoneri.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laredo_photographer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laredomontoneriphotographer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laredomontoneriphotographer/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/laredomontoneri

Image Credits
Federica Dall’Orso for my thumbnail portrait