Meet Esteban Larranaga: Photographer and Automotive Specialist

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

Hi Esteban, why did you pursue a creative career?
I decided to pursue an artistic/creative career because of one thing and one thing only; happiness. As cheesy and over played as it sounds, it is one THOUSAND percent true. Yes, money is important and it helps solve a lot of issues in life. Yes, you need money to be able to survive, but there is no point in survival if you’re not happy. I vividly remember getting up to go to work some days and not wanting to roll out of bed. I was sad I had woken up for another day, I was 20 years old and had felt like time was slowing down all around me. College was hard, personal issues that every young adult goes through in life had arisen and I really had no idea what to do with myself. I had friends and had fun around me and an incredibly supportive family, but within myself I was missing something. Since I could remember, I had a passion for all things automotive and cared for nothing else but cars. I would spend hours reading, learning, and obsessing over all of my favorite vehicles to the point where I was seen as the weird kid. I was a boy that didn’t like sports or video games, or anything other than cars and drawing them. As time went on, the drawing slowed down and I picked up on photography and playing with my dad’s camera whenever it was laying around. When I was in high school, I was on my broadcast journalism team and I realized how happy I felt when I was taking pictures, making videos, and writing about cars. Indulging in both interests entertained me and kept me grounded. Once I graduated, I started to shoot more in college. I began freelancing on the side for small businesses and started to take pictures for various people in the automotive community I was in. That is when I started to finally realize what it was that made me feel happy. I felt happy creating things, whether it was photo or video, seeing the final result of whatever I created was cathartic. I kept freelancing on the side using borrowed cameras until I finally had enough money to buy my own camera and go through the motions of opening a business (it’s honestly a lot easier than I thought it would be). I then started to professionally freelance in the corporate realm of photography and did headshots, real estate, and videos for many more companies. Thanks to that, I was able to meet many people in the automotive industry that lead me into writing once again. Since then, I opened up another passion project, Fuel Files. An online blog dedicated to automotive culture, where combining my hobbies eventually landed me other amazing opportunities. It wasn’t until I started focusing on sharpening my creative skills and turning them into a career that I really found happiness. Tyler, The Creator tweeted “IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO, KEEP DOING IT GET REALLY GOOD , FIGURE IT OUT AND THE MONEY WILL COME TRUST ME” I know…I know… “A tweet? Really?” YES. There were moments where money was getting tight and I was worried, I won’t lie. However, I was doing what I loved to do and getting better at it and eventually, the money did come…most importantly though, I was happy. Pursuing a creative career made me happy and to whoever you are reading this, if you’re not happy now it’s okay, it gets better. If you’re thinking about making your creative skills a career, do it. Don’t think, just do. You will be stressed at times, but I can guarantee you’ll find happiness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
If there was a way to select Artist/Creative/Employee/Professional, I would. You can never take away someone’s creative passions from them which why once you have done something in the arts, regardless of where you end up you will always be an artist/creative. In my case, I currently am an employee at a boutique dealership, ASG Miami specializing in collectible enthusiast vehicles. Having been obsessed with cars throughout my entire life, I realized that I needed to do something related to the automotive industry. While on the pursuit of happiness, I realized that chasing after creative endeavors is what truly satisfies me and helps bring me peace. In chasing after the feeling of happiness, I realized the creative skills I had would become a career. Therefore, in starting my own freelancing, I learned to take the risk that comes with starting a business at a young age. I was only 19 when I opened my business and I was seen by many as just a kid with a camera. I didn’t come from a wealthy background or high social circle so breaking into the business of corporate photography was going to be a challenge, but I did it. I networked at local car events, meeting all the local collectors and dealers and started to shoot their cars with equipment I bought for my photography business. The images I would capture of their cars was something they enjoyed and it got me known within the local scene of enthusiasts and high end cars. This is what lead to me getting employed by a local Porsche shop which brought me to a level that I honestly had no idea existed. These opportunities and doors that I began to open introduced me to working with major automotive influencers that at one point I looked up to. It then lead to me getting my current position at ASG Miami where I shoot, write about, and sell the cars in inventory at the dealer. I get to share my love for these cars by connecting with the individuals that end up buying them and continue to express myself creatively. Being that I am only 23, I will admit that I am extremely lucky to be where I am but it wasn’t easy and it was easily a couple of years of unpaid and hard work, but it paid off. The challenges I faced along the way make my current challenges quite simple. There is the occasional instance where people still scoff at a young kid with a camera talking about collector cars, but I try not to let it get to me. Having been broke before and really been “up the creek without a paddle”, I see some of these challenges as humorous sometimes. I always had to prove myself back then and I continue to have to do so now, especially being in a very “who do you know here” industry. It’s an industry that continues to teach me every day which I use to my advantage to become more respected when I write about cars and share my opinions of them on video. It has made me polish myself into a better spoken person and into a more confident person as well. When talking about my current employer and the artist/creative in me, they are working hand in hand where everything I create for my automotive blog, Fuel Files is thanks to the inventory they allow me to shoot with and sell. It’s a win-win for everyone involved and if there is anything people should know it’s that the same way people know the names of major automotive content publications like Top Gear, Petrolicious, Speedhunters, and more, Fuel Files will be in that list soon.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
During the week I typically stay in, not that much of a night owl anymore. However…when I did go out, I loved going to 1800-lucky. How much did I love it? Put it to you this way, when your bluetooth connects to your car, it’ll usually tell you how far you are from your house or typical spot you travel to when you’re in that car, right? Well, the night I realized I had a “going out” problem was when my phone connected to my friend’s bluetooth and it said I was only 15 minutes away from 1800… If they wanted to go somewhere for good food, I would take them to Tortellino. The BEST pasta food truck in all of Miami, hands down. I’d have to show them The Salty Donut and definitely Santo Dulce, the churros there are NUTS. Milly’s Empanada is an absolute must as well. And of course Sunday morning is a MUST nice and early before traffic or before wynwood gets busy is when the “unofficial cars and coffee” happens for a small group of friends I’ve connected with over the years and we hang out and enjoy our breakfast while indulging in our passions with our cars. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout out to my mom, my dad, all of those who I have met throughout my career and believed in me. Special shout out to my high school TV production and journalism teachers.

Website: www.fuelfiles.co www.asgmiami.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fuelfiles www.instagram.com/asgmiami

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCALIzteB0F8i1VZ8rEcJbGA

Image Credits
For the picture of myself, Gabriel Dalcomune. All other images were captured by me.