Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Escareno.
Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got into photography completely by accident. In the mid-90s, I became friends with a wedding photographer in Austin. I was thoroughly impressed by his work and asked him how he was able to take such amazing photographs. He advised me to get a decent SLR camera which I ended up doing. After using the camera for a year photographing structures around the city and on vacation, I got together with a friend and asked her if she would go on location and be my subject for some images. After the shoot, I showed the images to my photographer friend. His response was, “you should really try to pursue this”. I was able to work with more people and my friend gave me some recommendations on composition and framing. I was doing decent work from the beginning which enabled me to work with more people and helped me develop my portfolio. About two years into it, I met another photographer, who had a studio, and he gave me instruction on studio lighting and information on different lenses.
Within the first three years, I had assembled a good beginning portfolio and went to go meet the best photographer in Austin, Andrew Shapter. Andrew was phenomenal and extremely gracious, and I referred a couple of models his way because I thought he could create some great work with them. Soon after that Andrew received call from a media company specializing in college careers, lifestyle and entertainment asking him to shoot an ad at the Austin airport. His schedule was very busy, but he referred them to me. They called me, I shot the ad, they liked my work, and the floodgates opened from there. Working with the editors, I started shooting many ads for businesses buying space from them. We also started shooting ads for many of the bars and restaurants downtown, and the employees I worked with started coming to me on their own and referring many others to me. Then one day the magazine asked me to photograph a concert at the Frank Erwin Center, the 17,000 seat arena at The University of Texas. I made my contacts there and began shooting all the major concerts at various venues in Austin and San Antonio for the media company.
From day one, I was receiving permission from the artists’ management and publicists to work with the large tours like U2, Aerosmith, Journey, KISS, Sheryl Crow, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, Taylor Swift, and literally hundreds more. One thing that was key on having these opportunities is thorough professional communication and always adhering to the rules set forth by the artist’s management. I did the concert work for about fourteen years but have scaled back as not as many artists are playing indoor arenas anymore and most of the concert photography guidelines have become much more restrictive. However, I still try to remain active with local artists in helping them develop media packets, and with the advent of Instagram, I stay fairly active with individuals trying to develop their portfolios. In conclusion, it has been the fortune of meeting the right people such as Andrew, photographer friends, media editors, music personnel, and some amazing people to create with that have enabled me to continue this for the past 24 years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a fairly smooth road. I always tried to get better and treated all my work with professionalism. That enabled me to have the opportunity to work with even more people along the way.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I actually worked in the events arena at the University of Texas during college and was hired for a professional position there after graduation. After that, I moved on to a different career in risk management and did that for many years. I was blessed to be able to take an early retirement and after that just continued with the photography. However, it was the time that I put into professional positions and the people I worked with that gave me the opportunity to do what I am doing today.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Thorough communication for every appointment is imperative, and always ensure that both parties agree on the expectations. This applies to if you are photographing a family event or spending the evening photographing U2 live.
Contact Info:
- Website: Austinportfolio.com
- Instagram: @austin_portfolio_photography
