Meet Carlos Rafael Suárez | Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlos Rafael Suárez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos Rafael, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As a freelance filmmaker, we’re taught to be team players, collaborative partners, creative fixers but most of all, we’re meant to have a lot of work endurance. And I mean A LOT.

A regular shoot day in LA for most projects rounds the 10h-12h mark. But at this point we know that’s never exactly the case. Between travel, setup/wrap-up time we are definitely out of home for 12+ hours. And anybody in this industry can relate to 14+ to 16+ hour days.

Naturally, there’s an age where this heavy workload becomes part of the process of building one’s work flow, client list, portfolio build up, etc. That doesn’t make it fair, right or morally agreeable. But it is part of #setlife.

You ask balance? I don’t exactly know if I had balance until I became a parent a year ago.

During that year I definitely had to work extra hard to provide for my family but it meant instances where I would leave home at dawn with everyone asleep, to return home at a time where everyone had gone to bed. So essentially, I was providing in the old “food en the table” sense but in reality, I was missing key moments and memories that I wasn,’t going to recover. Plain as that.

Our Parents generations sometimes sell the statement of sacrifices done for family. And I half agree. Because once we age, memories is all we have, so I had to make a choice to say no to certain projects and to look for a different approach to projects I worked with. Because I couldn’t bear to miss my daughter’s first word, first steps, first solid meal, and yes, I missed some already.

Nowadays I’m in a process of finding that balance, which means that it’s not either finished of entirely succesful. But I have made strides that have allowed me to find film work that is wholesome both mentally and physically. I have had the chance to be home more and be more present when it matters most.

I can’t say the work is done but I believe is an ongoing struggle to find one’s wellness with balancing time to live, enjoy and work.

Family is all we have and they should always come first.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I work as a Cinematographer, mostly as a Director of Photography.

I am most proud of being able to work with filmmakers from my home country in the US, because we are bringing a new way of doing film for ourselves and our culture.

Working in the film industry is not easy. It requires endurance, thick skin and the means to have emotional support. But besides that, it can be incredibly rewarding.

The main lesson I’ve learned is that film life should not replace one’s personal life. No matter what.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’d take a famer’s market tour of LA

Then go to the LA Zoo

Then the LACMa

Then the Getty

Then Korean BBQ in Koreatown

Then a trip to Malibu

And finally a drive through hollywood blvd

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife Chelsea Rousselot, Aerial Artist, Schoolteacher, Musical performer, actress, writer, and Amazing Mother.

For always pushing me to see that the smallest moments can become the most important thoughts we carry when we remember home, family and friends. And helping me protect that balance.

She is an inspiration.

Website: Www.crscine.com

Instagram: @ces.cinema