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

Osmany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

As a creative person, it is challenging for me to pigeonhole myself or to stick to one constant idea. Change and diversification are inseparable parts of any creative mindset or process. I’ve often heard it said that to have a strong portfolio as a photographer you have to choose a specific type of photography, and wipe out all of your other work, even if it’s actually good enough to show to your clients.

That seems to be what the market dictates, and that is how agents and headhunters evaluate you and your work. However, since the beginning of my career in photography, I have avoided that statement, at first because –obviously– I hadn’t yet decided on my path, and now because I don’t think a choice like that has to be made. How could I clip my own wings? The most essential constants in a photographer’s work, whether commercial or fine art, should be creativity, knowledge, and love for the profession. Enjoy what you do; that will make you a better professional and a better person over time.

Osmany, 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?

I love my career as a photographer but I was not always a photographer.

When I was a boy, my paternal grandfather who raised me, gave me notebooks and coloring crayons to keep me away from the dangers of a tough neighborhood on the outskirts of Havana where I grew up. That loving and barely educated man did not know that he was paving the way for my future. I have the equivalent of a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from the Instituto Superior de Diseño in Havana (ISDi). I went on to become a graphic designer and later an art director.

In 2008 I moved to Mexico City, where Mexican culture greatly influenced my work. It was then that I began to clearly define my future career as a photographer, becoming a regular contributor to iStockphoto and Getty Images.

Since moving to the United States in 2013, I have dedicated myself entirely to professional photography, focusing primarily on music photography, studio portraits and product photography. Currently, I live and work in Miami, Florida.

The multicultural vision I have gained over the years is one of my greatest strengths. The approach of my work as a commercial photographer is backed by years of experience in advertising and design –both as an art director and as a photographer. This has strengthened my technical and aesthetic skills as a photographer. On the other hand, it has increased my ability to communicate with clients, who often come from advertising and marketing agencies. Although I have navigated many fields of photography, I am currently focusing on two main areas. One is inside my studio in downtown Miami, where I enjoy creating little worlds to surround a product or a person that needs to tell a story through a photo. The other is the outside world, although I must say I move primarily in theaters and concert halls, covering music and the performing arts. Which one do I enjoy more? I enjoy them both!

I have the pleasure of being able to combine most of my great passions, such as photography, music and my love of food. For instance, when I was a kid, I dreamt of being a pilot and now I have a drone to take aerial photos! Working with small local businesses is something that I love. I identify myself with them, and it’s gratifying to know you are helping someone else to grow. I take my camera everywhere with me because there is beauty in almost everything we see; only the angle from which it is appreciated changes. And I just can’t resist beauty!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Like most, I’ve had to turn a corner more than once, but I think the most significant, at least for this conversation, was when I decided to switch from design to photography.

I studied graphic design at a time when most of us thought that the world would be saved by designers. for 15 years I practiced the profession. I was an art director for art magazines, I designed advertising campaigns for world-renowned brands, I won important awards, etc. I really loved being a designer.

Photography was always a hobby, at best, one more tool for my profession at the time. But for those who practice it, it’s no secret that it’s a passion that gets under your skin, gaining ground and growing within.

In 2013 I came to the United States, this meant a professional challenge: another language, a new context, and new rules to learn. Ergo an opportunity to redirect my professional life as well. At first, it was necessary to combine the two professions to pay the rent, but little by little, I managed to convince some of my clients to take the leap with me. Although I studied photography as a side subject in my design degree, the exercise, the will and many lessons acquired in various online platforms, gave me the tools to learn the new profession.

The visual tools I acquired as a designer and the possibility of collaborating with great photographers strengthened my skills. Today I am a happy, tried and true photographer with the desire to continue learning, but above all, someone who knows that working hard is the best way to achieve your goals in life.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

“Hard work” + “professional ethics” is probably a fair answer. But let me tell you briefly about a couple of examples of practices that have improved my relationship with customers.

Taking on all projects with the same respect and offering clients, regardless of the budget or the magnitude of the assignment, the same commitment and quality in solutions is a very healthy and appreciated practice. It is, once again, finding the opportunity in the challenge. Small businesses will have a small budget but generally tend to be more open to the creative process, either because they do not have a flawed view of the market or because they have not yet been drowned in corporative norms and rules. That is an excellent opportunity to show how creative you can be and to improve your portfolio. Also, some of those small businesses will grow and take you with them on their journey. Teaming up with the client is my other best shot. The client usually comes to us with a problem and a primary –sometimes inaccurate– idea of a solution. Understanding the problem and committing to the solution is the way to go. Being proactive and proposing solutions even for unexpected issues (sometimes not included in the original project) can make all the difference. Sometimes of course budget factors can be limiting for any strategy. Still, if being flexible in practice means earning the respect of the client, any perceived “loss” is regarded as an “investment.”

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.osphotographystudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/osphotographystudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photographystudioOS/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osphotographystudio/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/ostorresphoto/

Image Credits
All photos by OS Photography Studio