Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilio Acevedo.
Hi Emilio, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My photography journey was not as a straight line as others might have been. I would say my interest in photography began in high school when my oldest sister Victoria began studying photojournalism at The University of Texas. I would say she was my biggest inspiration to pick up a camera. I was able to take a commercial photography class in my junior year of high school where I learned the basics of a camera and went to compete with other schools in the state. Without winning any sort of recognition, I felt discouraged and my photography journey came to a bit of a hiatus. I would instead focus on getting into The University of Texas-San Antonio and graduating high school with no room for anything else. It wasn’t until college four years later, in my junior year of college, a friend of mine, Jacob, came over to my dorm and noticed my camera collecting dust. He convinced me to go out and shoot with him. We would shoot just about anything and everything. We even shot portraits of each other when we had nothing else to shoot. After COVID in 2020, UTSA made its students return home to study remotely. This was a challenge for me because I had recently rekindled my love for photography. Because we had to take precautions during this time, I kept taking photos of things around the house. Some of my favorite photos come from being isolated in 2020. In 2021, my work shifted to portrait photography and I would take pictures of my friends, loved ones, and pets.
With that being said, today, my work is still much the same while also branching out to other forms of photography such as nature, concert, and automotive photography.
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?
Other than what I have mentioned before, some of my biggest struggles have been imposter syndrome and comparing myself to others. I don’t believe any journey has a smooth road, you just have to adapt to the challenges and cracks that come your way like say a pandemic, creative block, imposter syndrome, or comparing yourself to different creatives.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Most of my work has been portrait photography but right now, what I’m most proud of is my automotive and concert photography. These two have kept me busy recently and I’m still very new to both. I think what sets me apart from other creatives is my upbringing. I wasn’t handed a camera early on or raised with parents who embraced creativity. Creativity is something I learned to value myself growing up and I always had a feeling to create. Photography gives me that platform to be creative.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something most people don’t know about me is I wanted to become a music journalist at some point. I wanted to write for Genius or XXL. For most of my high school and college career, I didn’t know what to study and when it was time to switch from undecided to a full-on major in my sophomore year of college, I chose something that would fit it best since my university didn’t have any journalism programs. I spent a year and a half convinced that’s what I wanted to do until I rekindled my love for photography.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emilioace.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/emilioacephoto
Image Credits
Emilio Acevedo | Instagram: @emilioacephoto
