Meet IRVIN RIVERA | Photographer and Creative Director

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

Hi IRVIN, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
That there are lots of work and hours involved behind the scenes. When your audience sees the final product of what you’ve done, there’s usually weeks, probably months of hard work behind it. Lots of creative calls, zoom meetings, back and forth discussions on creative direction, then there’s the production aspect, pre-production, shooting, lighting, then post-production. For anything that involves commercial or advertising, you also have to consider the client and the decision-making bodies that dictates the direction of your final work. Usually, one image takes a village and lots of hours to make. On some occasions though, you can still create magic with the most minimal set-up. But for the most part, there’s a whole lot of layers behind that one beautiful image you see posted online.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Photography is my life right now (and I think will be throughout the years to come). It helped me evolve and survive in America when I moved here years ago. It taught me a lot about life, it provided me business skills and it also encouraged me to come out of my shell and become more social. As a young immigrant who moved to America with barely any knowledge of the fashion and photography industry in general, diving and immersing myself in the field definitely helped me gain enough knowledge and confidence.
Aside from being queer, Asian and thriving in the freelance world, I also write, and publish an independent magazine called A BOOK OF. I am proud and happy on where I am today. Throughout my more than a decade of experiences- all the trial and errors, failures, heartbreaks, triumphs and success- there’s constant growth, and it’s this development throughout the years that I’m really most proud of. Aside from the awards, magazine covers, exhibitions and all amazing opportunities to work with talented artists and people, the valuable lessons that I’ve learned along the way are really something that I proudly carry every day.
Getting to where I am took a lot of work and sleepless nights. It mainly starts with one crazy idea. For example, I decided to quit my day job years ago and go full-time freelance and pursue photography. I didn’t question the how’s. I just envision my destination despite the challenges. Freelancing is such a tricky tightrope to navigate full of unknown variables that would consistently challenge you along the way (i.e. finding jobs, getting clients hooked, building trust with your network, getting paid, etc). But several things I learned throughout the years helped me cross these tightropes. First- take things one at a time. Specialize on something and be really great at it. Not mediocre, but actually be really great at it. Focus is crucial. That builds trust. And with trust, comes confidence and that provides an easy flow of creativity and money. Second- Never ever take anything personally. It’s business. And if you run your creative endeavors like a business, you will for sure thrive. People’s opinions will always be thrown at you whether you like it or not. If your work is in public and out in the open, it’s normal to get critics. Don’t ever think that your work should cater to everyone. Find your audience, find your tribe, your audience and stick with them. Third- Always find time to rest. Regardless of how important you think a project is, your health should be one of your top priorities. It’s simple, if you get sick, would you be able to continue creating your art? It’s important to rest, recuperate, and be inspired again. Don’t ever overwork yourself to burnout. And fourth- keep going. It is a continuous ever-growing and evolving road to success. Your meaning of success right now could change any minute, so never stop, keep going.
Hopefully my work and my story inspire people to create despite the challenges, and that anything is possible. I came into this country with no prior connection, with very little knowledge of the industry. It took a while, but I can proudly say that I got in some places that I want to be. Though it’s been years, I’m still learning, and still networking. It’s a constant, continuous pursuit to grow and succeed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hmm, if I have a friend visiting town for a week, I’ll give them the full LA experience from nature to tourist traps, to the hidden gems everywhere. I’ll have a day hiking, then spend the afternoon at any of the beautiful beaches around town. Probably spend the afternoon on a nice coastal area near Malibu, then spend the evening in a place overlooking the sunset by the beach.
I will of course have a day with them in my photo studio in Downtown LA to do a portrait sitting. From there, I can give them a tour of downtown and take them to the Grand Central Market, take a quick ride on the Angel’s Flight across it (which is the shortest train ride in the world). If the museums are still open, I will take them to The Broad and to the Museum of Modern Art then probably head to Little Tokyo and walk around the Arts District, grab some food and drinks, and probably do some bar-hopping.
Then of course, a day visiting all the touristy areas in town- Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Sign, LACMA lights, Runyon Canyon, Rodeo Drive, Venice Boardwalk, Griffith Observatory, Getty Museum, Universal Studios Citywalk, Snata Monica Pier, National Museum in DTLA, La Brea Tar Pits, etc. It’s just going to be a day of running around town taking photos.
There will be a day of watching films, stage plays and live performances. We may visit the Hollywood Bowl, The Pantages, The Roxy, The Belasco, or find exclusive screenings with panel discussions featuring the directors, writers and actors.
Of course, another nature day- visiting the parks like Descanso Gardens, LA Arboretum, Exposition Park, Rose Garden, Huntington Garden etc
We will for sure have a day on-set with me on a photoshoot so they can see and experience a bit of what I do.
And we will for sure have a food day going to different hole-in-the-wall places and restaurants that I love.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m giving a shoutout to my collaborator and fashion stylist- Andrew Philip Nguyen. Andrew is an exceptional fashion stylist packed with knowledge, experience and vision. He brings excitement on set everytime I work with him. It’s rare to find a solid collaborator to consistently create with these days, but Andrew has proven himself to be an exception to the norm. Always bringing his A game that’s usually paired with his high energy, Andrew is definitely someone that you want to be on-set to create with.

Also shoutout to Cecilio Asuncion, who is also a long-time collaborator and incredible human being who is the Director and founder of SLAY Model Management, the only Trans-Modeling agency representing transgender fashion talent globally. His tenacity, and influence in the LGBTQIA+ community is inspiring and highly commendable.

Also sending a shoutout to the hardworking and inspiring team at A BOOK OF, the independent arts and culture magazine that continuously thrives among its community of creatives.

Website: www.irvinrivera.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/graphicsmetropolis

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/irvinrivera

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/graphicsmetropolis

Other: www.abookof.us

Image Credits
Irvin Rivera, Graphics Metropolis Team