Meet Samuel Diaz | Cinematographer/Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samuel Diaz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samuel, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think the most important factor behind my success to this point in life is just truly understanding my purpose and always moving in a space of love & positivity. I always do my best to just keep a positive mindset because the world just shoots out so much negativity that sometimes it may seem difficult to progress. I knew very young that my purpose was always to bring light into this world through believing not only in myself but also breathing life/hope into others who have trouble believing in themselves and it’s a big part of why I am where I am today. I do my best to remain humble and constantly move from a place of peace & love in order to bring out the best version of myself/my best work & inspire those around me to be the best that they can be as well. And most importantly just always giving thanks to God himself for even allowing me to pursue such a career, continuing to be a student of life, and impacting as many lives as I do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think in this line of work being a cinematographer/photographer, what sets me apart is my personality & heart. I’ve walked many paths in order to get where I am today and have dealt with a lot of confusion just trying to figure out where my life was meant to go. I’ve worked many jobs where my kindness & loyalty were abused and taken advantage of, and other jobs where my time & energy wasn’t respected. But it got to a point where i realized it really didnt matter what the profession was because my purpose was in making others feel loved, seen, & appreciated! And as a cinematographer/photographer that is the game, to make the client feel seen, heard, & understood in order to create the best product possible! My journey in this line of business started in the midst of Covid in June 2020, Joining J.Odell Production I had the opportunity to learn from the best in this production world, and my mentor James “Odell” Johnson taught me to trust my eye & to capture the moments because that is what we do and what is felt when you see the finished product! I am still a student of this game because it’s changing every day and you must learn to adapt quickly.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend were to visit, even though I still feel like I am new here compared to lost because I spend most of my time working! But I would definitely take them to the beach for sure just to take in that moment from everything and breath a sigh of relief & gratitude then immediately hit up either Downtown or Brickell to restaurant hop for happy hour then maybe go check out some live music in Wynwood or even see if there are any concerts going on or games we could check out at the Airlines Arena. Again I usually don’t really plan anything out I just go with the flow of things and just read the energy around me!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give all glory to God for guiding me and making sure that I made all decisions from a place of peace, love, & positivity. If it wasn’t for my parents instilling a strong work ethic, good heart, & loving soul…I don’t think I would be where I am today or have impacted as many people as I have. And just in terms of my journey in this line of work, it took a lot to get to where I am at today and many different paths I’ve had to cross, but the people who have impacted my life know exactly who they are because I talk to them as much as I can and remind them of how important they are. Everyone who has ever supported me, wether a client, friend, relative, etc. you have and will always have a special place in my heart and I will forever look to inspire the next person because of you. Those who have/still believe in me give me the strength to believe in the next person and for that I will continue to do my part in changing the world. Spread love, only love.

Website: www.jodellproduction.com

Instagram: @_alwaysforward