Meet Antonio Cuellar | Commercial Photographer

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

Hi Antonio, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
What was the thought process behind starting your own business? I am an artist at heart; I started with a music business career and slowly moved into photography. So would describe the thought process as more of a transition.
A transition that started moving from the Music business to the photography business. Followed by a move from doing all types of photography jobs I could get, to focusing primarily on interiors and architecture, thanks to the booming real estate market at the time. A transition from interiors and architecture photographer to having the luxury of focusing on High-end hotels and resorts. This brings me to where I am now; a photographer focused on all aspects of travel. I have commercial clients from Luxury resorts and restaurants to airlines.

What’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
I see a lot of photographers, including an earlier version of myself, who try to sound like they are a big corporation with 100 employees. This practice is beneficial in any other line of business. However, due to the nature of the photography business and the lack of ways it can be scaled, presenting yourself as a corporation will limit the value customers are willing to pay for your services. For example, clients are reluctant to pay top dollar for a wedding photographer if they don’t know which photographer is coming to their wedding. If you present yourself as an Individual and your work is outstanding, clients will be willing to pay a premium for your service.

What do you think about risk, and what roles have taking risks played in your life and career?
The photography business has changed over the years. Twenty years ago, photographers could have different specialities. As the barriers to entry into the business disappear thanks to the ease of digital cameras and smartphones, commercial photographers have to narrow down and become outstanding at their specialities. Most photographers think having a portfolio that reflects multiple specialities is safer because they feel they have a bigger pool of clients they can work for. For me, it was a rewarding risk to go down the path of removing every aspect of photography I was just “ok” at and keeping only what I excelled at. Clients value my work more as they perceive me as a specialist.

What habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Constant education is always a great habit. Not be complacent with where you are, and keep learning every chance you can. Whether in business, marketing, or your craft, continuing to learn keeps your work current. Network as much as possible, and never stop working on your portfolio. Your artist portfolio should already reflect the type of work you want to get.

What is the most important factor behind your success?
The art of collaboration is a big one for me. You reach a point in your career where you get a chance to collaborate with excellent art directors, and wardrobe and makeup artists. Very little can go wrong when you get an opportunity to work with the best, and your work gets catapulted to another league. It is hard to turn back.

What is the most important lesson your business has taught you?
Consistently deliver your best work! No matter how much a client tells you, a particular picture is not as important as others. Or someone tries to tell you that it is ok to deliver a mediocre image because there is a good excuse. You always have to step back and think that as an artist, you will always be judged by your weakest image. This is true with any business, but it is especially true when you deliver art that will stay around for a while. All a client remembers you by is the images you deliver.

Work-life balance: How has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?
Confucious once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That being said, things do change when you have kids. Leaving my kids when I have to travel for work becomes harder and harder. I am now more selective with my chosen jobs as I try not to travel more than six months out of the year.

How did you come up for the idea for your business? Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?
That is an interesting question based on how long I started doing what I do. With the rising popularity of Instagram and social media, it is now widespread for young people to want to become travel photographers. Or a photographer that travels the world photographing Luxury hotels and resorts. When I started 20 years ago, it seemed unattainable. It did not even sound like a real job.
I have always been creative at heart. I have spent a lot of time and resources investing in my career, which has paid beautifully. I made a lot of sacrifices early on in my life to be where I am now.

What are you inspired by?
Other cultures inspire me. There used to be a time when every country’s version of Luxury Hospitality was a copy of the British or French. In other words, it was very common to visit a luxury hotel in Asia and find out all the butlers look British. Hotels even went out of their way to hire front-line employees with a western look. As travel became more accessible and sophisticated, countries began to embrace their cultural heritage. The travel industry realized that travellers wanted to experience different cultures. It is now widespread, even with hotels under the same brand, to have a different look that reflects the country’s heritage. Consequently, a Ritz Carlton in Tokyo will have completely different architecture, employees, uniforms, menus and restaurants than a Ritz Carlton in Arizona. That, to me, is inspiring.

Website: https://antoniocuellarphotography.com
Instagram: @antoniocuellarph
Twitter: @antoniocphoto

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been a commercial photographer for over 20 years now. I started photographing Architecture and interiors, a speciality that was not as common back then as it is now. Life as an artist is never easy. While every other photographer aspired to be a fashion photographer, the unique speciality I chose to develop allowed me to get work regularly. Architectural photographers develop highly technical abilities but stereotypically tend to lack fluidity and sensitivity when shooting people in spaces. This was a stereotype I challenged myself to overcome. And after shooting more than 100 lifestyle sessions, I find myself working more and more for lifestyle clients than I do architectural clients.
I am currently a commercial photographer that successfully covers every aspect of Hospitality. My ability to capture people and spaces has let me travel the globe for luxury hotel brands such as Mandarin Oriental and Qatar Airways, the number one airline in the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
What kind of friend would I be if I had friends visit and not take them on a tour of the luxury homes on a boat and end the day at one of the many restaurants on the Miami river, such as Seaspice Brasserie? The faena theatre is also on my list, especially on jazz nights, along with many restaurants in the city. Without a doubt, we would stop at Calle 8 and enjoy a few cigars and a few of their restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be here if it weren’t for a few faithful clients who believed in my work early in my career. But most definitely, I would not be here if it wasn’t for the love and support of my family. Life as a creative is not always easy, and early on is always a bumpy ride.

Website: https://antoniocuellarphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antoniocuellarph/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/resortandhotelphotographer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/antoniocphoto

Image Credits
All images by www.antoniocuellarphotography.com