Meet Raul Gonzo | Director & Conceptual Photographer

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

Hi Raul, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The thing that has been the so important is finding a style that feels like me. When I see the final image (be it still or motion) it’s extremely rewarding. While I was starting out I denied myself much of an opportunity to do work that I really enjoyed. Realizing that that hamster wheel would go on forever and stepping out was the best thing I could’ve done.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My signature style has become recognizable over the years. Poppy colors with a quirky concept, set somewhere between the mid-century and the 1980’s.

The amount of work and money I’ll put into a non-commissioned photo is often daunting. I’m never really certain of how it will help my career or if it will at all, but once I have the idea I become rather obsessed with seeing it through.

Getting to where I am today took twenty years. I started by working as a production assistant for many years. On the side I would work on passion projects and save up money to buy better gear. I was always trying to figure out the “secret” of what made art “good”. I still don’t know – ha! It’s of course subjective. It was a slow and difficult path to get to where I am now, but even working as a PA was enjoyable, because I was involved the field I enjoyed. I ended around many wonderful people throughout.

Along the way I’d say I learned to that being a good, punctual and reliable person can do wonders for you. Further, taking initiative and anticipating the needs of the people you’re working with will help you to move forward much faster than you think.

Growing up, I had very little and assumed I’d have to follow in my father’s footsteps of construction. I never expected that I’d be able to make a living being creative. I’m very grateful that people like my work enough to keep me going.

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 have many people to credit for teaching me my craft and often playing a role model for how to be a better person in general. The first person that comes to mind though is Dean Tokuno. Dean is a Japanese-American photographer who in the past decade has been helping light most of my music video sets. He has taught me so much about light and mood. Even more so, Dean’s encouragement has helped me to stay on course all these years. He’s taught me to listen to my instincts as much as possible.

Beyond that, there are countless people who have collaborated with me to help see one of my concepts be made into a reality. I can never thank those people enough or repay them properly. I only hope the experience was fun and they were able to glean something from the process.

Website: www.raulgonzo.com

Instagram: instagram.com/raulgonzo

Twitter: twitter.com/raulgonzo

Youtube: youtube.com/raulgonzo