Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Carmona.
Hi Carlos, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m currently a 42-years-old part-time landscape and nature photographer who tries to express himself through photography finding inspiration from the outdoors. I’m a full-time Mechanical Engineer for a large Medical Devices company based out of Minnesota. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Got my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Campus and I’ve been working in the medical industry for over 16 years. I relocated through the company I was working for with my family to Minnesota four (4) years ago and even though winters can be the real deal, we absolutely love Minnesota, especially up north.
My relationship with photography started at a very young age. I used to be the official photographer of my family whenever we went to the river, or the beach. I used to use those disposable Kodak cameras. I was always amazed by how the revealed film would look like thinking about what I tried to capture. Today with digital photography, the process is almost instantaneous, but I still try to feel the same emotion by printing most of my photographs.
A few years after I graduated, I decided that photography would be my hobby, so I got a DSLR camera. I started practicing using my daughter, using her as a model doing studio work at home. Most of the knowledge at that time came from YouTube Videos. Shortly after, during a visit with a friend to San Francisco, I fell in love with the outdoors, landscapes, and nature. In my opinion, this offers the best combination; since I also love traveling, being able to capture all the landscapes every place has to offer filled the happiness tank.
Seven (7) years after that visit to San Francisco, I’ve visited many countries states including Japan, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica and Iceland seeking epic scenes full with inspiration and beauty.
I’m so excited to be able to say that in September 2022 I will be offering my first two (2), fully sold-out Landscape Photography Tours in Iceland and we are planning a Northshore Winter Photo Tour this upcoming January. Hopefully, these are the first of many. I’m eager to share all the knowledge and experiences with as many people as possible; it’s been a dream of mine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve been very fortunate of having a stable engineering job. That has taken a lot of pressure of coming up with my photography tours business. Inside the photo tours, there have been many challenges. Let’s start with having my very first planned and sold-out tour to Patagonia (Argentina and Chile) canceled because of the pandemic; not the smoother start. Planning a photo tour is not an easy task. While it is a challenge to fill this tour, requires a lot of marketing and also years and years of photography work so you can have a great portfolio, scheduling for a photo tour with different plans in case the weather does not cooperate is a tough task. Thankfully I’ve been able to navigate all these challenges and we are confident that we will offer the best experience possible to the upcoming tour participants.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
CARMONA Photography focuses on landscape and nature photography. With two (2) different Instagram accounts (@officalcarmona and @carmona_wildlife) I’m able to connect with the world and show my expression and the experiences I’ve been able to live through my photography. I consider my photography artistic, where while keeping all the elements natural, play with focal lengths, color theory, composition, and contrast to transmit emotions lived while capturing the scene.
With the knowledge acquired from the many places visited and the skill gained in photography, now we are offering fulfilling experiences to all the photo tour participants and also helping them bridge the gap between the experience and the photo shot.
The plan is to establish a constant cadence of photo tours so we can reach out to more and more people and help them achieve the photos they dream of taking and make their travel experience one that is unforgettable.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I think the message to relate to our readers is that never give up on a passion one has. Where there is a will there is a way. Sounds cliché, but putting the work and passion, everything is possible.
Contact Info:
- Email: carmonaimagery@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialcarmona
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlos.a.carmona.39
Image Credits
Carlos Carmona
