Meet David Cruz | The Drunk Wedding Photographer

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

Hi David, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
I have made many difficult decisions throughout my life—I mean, who hasn’t?

Funny enough, a difficult decision I made walking into high school a million years ago became relevant again due to my recent rebranding as The Drunk Wedding Photographer earlier this year.

You see, everyone I knew in middle school ended up going to Manual Arts over on Vermont and King with a handful going further away to the Valley.

Due to school zoning, I was forced to go to George Washington Preparatory High School over on 108th and Normandie. I should mention I was given the option to opt out and go to Manual a few days later, but I decided to stay knowing I knew absolutely no one.

It was a difficult decision to make at the time, but it was for the better in the long run as it allowed me to rebrand and start over. Quickly becoming part of the cool kids which eventually led to the decision of pursuing film wedding photography as a career in the 10th grade.

Funny how a decision made long ago feels relevant today because when I was in the process of rebranding exactly a year ago this time, I knew I was alienating myself by starting over. However, I’m happy to say that the plunge was worth taking as I’m now attracting my ideal clients.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m David Cruz, a fire rabbit Sagittarius and according to 16Personalities, I’m a logician, idk. What I do know however, is that I hate the summer, despise wearing shoes and because I eat with my hands, I believe the best food and drinks come from random street vendors.

I’m from Oaxaca, Mexico, specifically, from a borough affectionately known as the South Central of Oaxaca.

Coincidentally, I’m a descendant of Mixtec Great-Grandparents. And did I mention I’m a self-proclaimed Mezcal connoisseur?

That’s right, just a polite way of saying I day drink often and usually have a ‘lil buzz going, even as I write this.

Now, despite being an average Mexicant wandering in Los Angeles, I’m a certified L.A. local as much as the next guy is. Mainly because I did my time in the LAUSD, all twelve years in fact, starting in Westlake MacArthur Park in the early 90s followed by middle and high school in South Central in the early 2000s.

As fate would have it, I would hone even more street cred by savoring the simple pleasure of street tacos on a shoestring budget of twenty dollars a week throughout my twenties while living in East L.A.

Now, East L.A., unlike the made-up ‘Eastside’ crap the transplants call Silverlake and Echo Park, East Los, East L.A., East Los Angeles, call it what you will, yes, it’s a real place. And nothing West of the L.A. River should ever be called East anything. But I digress.

And by my brand name, I’m pretty sure you’ve guessed what I do for a living. I photograph weddings throughout Southern California on analog 35mm film almost, not always, but sometimes while drunk.

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.
I’m of the opinion that THE best food almost always comes from the rougher sides of the city. Both here in L.A. and in Mexico.

But because I have such a disdain for so called content creators who claim this is the best or that’s the best, I don’t recommend any one place unless I do it in person, or I’m able to take you myself.

That said.

I recommend using Google maps to find good places to eat while on your next vacation or simply visiting a part of town you haven’t been to in a while. Avoid Yelp at all costs.

For example, for those of you haven’t been to East Los in a cool minute, hop on Google maps and punch in tacos, read the reviews and go from there. Also, a good general rule to follow is seeing if people who look like they live in the area are eating there. Because that tells you it’s probably good.

If you see tourists or out of towners however, it’s probably a hard pass and nothing more than TikTok “influencer” hype.

And it doesn’t matter what part of the world you’re in, because that’s exactly what I do when photographing destination weddings in Mexico.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of the things I’m often complemented on is my perpetual positivity and overall positive outlook towards life, especially in difficult situations. And I owe it to Six Feet Under and Dead Like Me.

I know right, how can a series about death teach you about life? I would say, it’s how you look at it. The common outlook of the glass either being half empty or half full.

With each subsequent episode, I learned to not worry about things out of my control. To deal with the cards given to me and appreciate what I have in front of me because it can easily be taken away in an instant.

In other words, if there’s a solution to the problem, why worry? If there isn’t a solution to the problem, why worry?

It’s funny how we tend to dig our graves when comparing ourselves to others. But guess what? No one has their shit together.

It’s all an illusion.

No one is as complicated as they make themselves out to be, you’re entitled to nothing, and no one owes you anything. And sadly, we must all die eventually.

And I believe when you accept that reality, it’ll be the day you’ll realize what makes life important. Which is why you must make each day matter. Because no one knows how much longer we have.

And with that I thank you for making it this far, and if you or if you know someone who is recently engaged, have them hit me up on either of my socials listed below to book me as their Drunk Wedding Photographer.

Thank you.

Website: https://thedrunkweddingphotographer.com

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedrunkweddingphotographer