Alain Gutiérrez: From Beginner to Photographing Obama and the Rolling Stones

Join Cuban-American photographer Alain Gutiérrez as he shares his extraordinary journey from Cuba to photographing global icons like Barack Obama, Pope Francis, and the Rolling Stones. After walking away from his teaching career—and even calling himself a “bad photographer”—Alain transformed self-doubt into a masterclass in resilience and artistic growth.

In this episode, Alain reveals the pivotal moments that elevated his photography, how humility became his superpower, and why connecting with fellow photographers propelled his career forward. If you’re eager to learn from someone who turned early struggles into iconic successes, this conversation is a must-listen.

Transcript

00:00:00:16 - 00:00:24:27

One is crazy. I have crazy story with my wife. I was in Regla. I was her her guide and to pass the one of them my relatives house and they have a house that they rent. They have different rooms that they rent for the hour. And he was showing the place. There was a couple in one of the rooms. Oh, but I didn't realize that he opened the door. And this is one of the rooms I 

00:00:26:25 - 00:00:29:18

closed. My wife never forget that. 

00:00:29:20 - 00:00:32:18

There was like a romantic couple. There were people loving each other. 

00:00:33:08 - 00:00:34:13

Yes. Ha! 

00:00:37:17 - 00:00:59:01

Welcome to the Big Photo Hunt Podcast, a show where we talk with aspiring and professional photographers to help us all grow and improve our photography together. I'm your host, Ken Dickinson. If you're one of our community members and you'd like to be a guest on the show, please visit Big Photo hunt.com for more information. 

00:01:08:24 - 00:01:38:22

In Cuba, there's a popular term. It's called resolver. The direct translation in English is to solve, but in Cuba it represents a concept, a philosophy of just making things happen in light of having just about everything working against you. It's a mindset and a way of life. It's also how my guest today, Alain Gutierrez, became a photographer. Alain, welcome to the Big Photo Hunt. 

00:01:39:09 - 00:01:41:07

Hello. Thank you for inviting me. 

00:01:41:17 - 00:02:19:06

I mentioned receiver because talking to you and learning about your background growing up in Havana, it seems that that's how you became a photographer, getting whatever gear you could and whatever skills you could, however you're able to get them until you eventually. And this is the part where I just really like to flex how awesome you are to our listeners. You found yourself photographing Barack Obama, Pope Francis, The Rolling Stones, Karl Lagerfeld fashion shows, and Alain was invited as the official photographer to the reopening of the US Embassy in Havana with then Secretary of State John Kerry. 

00:02:19:11 - 00:02:37:18

He now lives in the states in the Washington, D.C. area, where he focuses on photojournalism, photography, freelance work and, if I may say so myself, gorgeous street photography. And I feel like we've got so much to talk about. But let's start with you telling us how you got started in Cuba with photography. 

00:02:38:04 - 00:03:05:02

When I think about my life, I think the first scene of Forrest Gump, that scene of The Feather in the wind. I've been in places. I've been witness of things and events that happen in my country. Not because I have the best of the best. It's because I was there or life put me there. I become a photographer when I get in college? That was the beginning. Actually, I look back and I was a really, really bad photographer, honestly. 

00:03:05:24 - 00:03:23:19

That's actually good to hear because I don't think I'm a good photographer and I'm trying to get better. So I actually think your work is amazing. I am comforted to know that you felt you were really bad at one point. Was it in college that you had to decide what you wanted to focus on? 

00:03:23:22 - 00:03:31:20

You don't graduate in Havana in the University of Havana as a photojournalist, you become a photojournalist, but you have another career. 

00:03:31:22 - 00:03:34:00

What do you mean by you become a photojournalist? 

00:03:34:11 - 00:03:46:22

Oh, like me, for example, I'm a journalist and I start working as a photographer. People start looking at me as a photographer. I was writing and taking photos at the same time. But it's not like you go to a school to be a photojournalist. 

00:03:47:04 - 00:03:50:20

And so what was your first job in Cuba after you graduated? 

00:03:51:08 - 00:03:52:29

I was a teacher in University of Havana. 

00:03:53:15 - 00:03:54:16

A photography teacher. 

00:03:54:18 - 00:04:08:19

Yes, for two years. And then I realized that I was so bad as a photographer that I can't teach people. How can I teach people if I have no experience, so I quit. 

00:04:09:08 - 00:04:14:07

Why do they pick you? Was it just because they needed a professor and like no one else raised their hand? 

00:04:14:09 - 00:04:53:19

Yes, they need a professor. And I never was popular. Honestly, in my life. I'm not a dancer, so I never went to parties to be like, oh, this is the guy that I want to dance with. No, that's not me. I was very shy. So in college I became very popular because I started taking photography and they said, oh, we need a photographer. Could you come here to take photos and something is going to happen and speech or we have an important visitor in university Havana. Can you come by with your camera and take some photos and then start taking photos everywhere at University of Havana? And people know me because I was their University Havana photographer and it was a great time. 

00:04:53:27 - 00:05:06:20

And then at the end they said, well, we need a photography teacher. You want to be a photography teacher? So sure. But it wasn't good. Honestly, honest. Today I don't recommend anyone to do something like that. 

00:05:07:00 - 00:05:09:25

You don't recommend anyone to become a professor. 

00:05:10:09 - 00:05:16:05

Not a professor. After finishing college, like right after you need to have experience. 

00:05:17:15 - 00:05:54:24

I would agree with that. I mean, if I was about to hire someone to be a professor in my university and they told me, hey, I'm not any good, I would probably rethink my decision. But guess they didn't care and they didn't really know. And you were just like, hey, sure, I'll take that job. Yeah, I'll do it. So now that I know that you're a self. I'm sorry. You were a self proclaimed terrible photographer. How did it escalate from there? From being a terrible professor to photographing Barack Obama, the Pope, Karl Lagerfeld, the Rolling Stones? It's like you've photographed the kings and queens of every category of importance in the world. 

00:05:54:26 - 00:06:14:05

And how did this all happen? Like they said, let's just hire the guy. That sucks. Well, just for the record, I asked that question because I didn't know that you sucked. I actually thought you were always great because your photos today are amazing. This is for me. I want to know because I think I suck and I want to go to amazing. And so tell me how you did this. 

00:06:14:09 - 00:06:54:05

Well, first, the moment they start appreciating all the photographer work and realizing and understanding that they were better than me, that they start being a better photographer, getting rid of all that pride that you have as a photographer and standing way, way, way, way. These people, those photographers are really good and not need to be good. And then you start understanding the work, be more humble. And that was my path. The other thing is, like Cole had a girlfriend that she work in a in, in in a school, and somebody in the school was promoted to be the editor of a magazine, Cuban American magazine. 

00:06:54:07 - 00:07:24:29

They said we need a photographer. My my boyfriend is a photographer, but also I was doing a bunch of volunteer work and one of your podcast, one of your interviews, he said that you need to volunteer to be better. And I was listen to her. I said, yes, you're right, because I was hearing from school and when they saw my photos. They say, would you like to work with me in a new magazine that we are creating? So sure. And then start working for that. That was a foreign press. That's a Cuban American magazine. 

00:07:25:01 - 00:08:03:18

And then start having access. And I'm a traveler. I mean, even when traveling wasn't that easy in Cuba, I'm a traveler. I was like always going to different places, meeting new people. And that was the ideal job working, going to places, getting here, getting there. And because it was a Cuban American magazine, do we have relationship with the American Embassy? And it was during Obama. So I took a lot of photos in American Embassy events. And some point they call me and said, would you like to be our photographer for the opening ceremony? And said, yes, definitely. 

00:08:03:20 - 00:08:14:24

You don't need to pay me just yes. And it was amazing. It was the first hand witness of part of the history of my country. That's a privilege. 

00:08:15:05 - 00:08:23:26

More than a witness. You were documenting it, and the history that is documented is your perspective. It's it's your lens. 

00:08:24:22 - 00:08:39:02

It's true. Actually documenting, being conscious about that. The photo you take today is part of the history. When you understand that another door opened, it's like a whole new war. It's like, wow, you take more seriously what you're doing. 

00:08:39:16 - 00:09:21:10

I have a million questions based on everything you just told me, but can we take a step back to right before the part where your girlfriend offered you up to a Cuban American magazine without telling them that you sucked? You mentioned that you started looking at other photographers and from a humble perspective said to yourself, they are better than me. When you looked at their photos. What were you looking for? What were you? What were you trying to dissect or understand in their photos to help you improve? And I ask that question because that's a technique that I use where I look at photos and I say to myself, that's a beautiful photo. 

00:09:21:12 - 00:09:53:07

I try to learn from that photo, but I don't always know what to look for. I don't know how to dissect it. And I'll give you an example. There is this woman that I've been following on Instagram. Her name is Natalie. She lives in New York and I love her photos. There are these photos of the Amalfi Coast and that part of Italy, and I'm trying to dissect them to understand what she's doing. That makes me not able to look away, but I can't figure it out. How do you look at those photos and what are you looking for to learn from them? 

00:09:53:17 - 00:10:24:05

Well, I'm going to tell you how I start changing. I start imitating photographers that I saw, and then in the way you find your own self, you find your own style. When I look at all the photographers work, I will look for the composition, how they see the world. How they put everything in the frame, the light, how they understand the light, how they work with the light, what they're looking for, what it's like, oh, this is curious. And that's how they start making that different. 

00:10:24:20 - 00:10:37:05

Of course there is photography that they close their eyes, take a photo and it's amazing. Yeah. And you are in the same place. You try to do something similar. You can't know. Come on. It's the hand of God. It is. 

00:10:37:07 - 00:10:46:23

It's something I've been trying to get that hand. I don't have it. I can't get it. I try so hard. I've gone to be. Yeah, I've gone to be an H. And I'm like, if I buy this camera, will I get the hand? 

00:10:47:27 - 00:11:22:03

No. That's true. I got now at Polaroid, and I get inspired by the Polaroid photo that I've seen and say, how can they do that? It is how people grow, how they feed, they sell themselves. Culturally, where you come from, what you watch or you listen with who you talk with. You consider your environment. I mean, you need people to understand and to be better. You can go outside and take photo by yourself, but when you're taking photos with all the photographer, your mind open. 

00:11:22:05 - 00:11:49:15

You start seeing things from another perspective. That's why it's so important to go to a workshop, for example. You go to a workshop, you learn from the others. They have similar level, but you're learning from there. You're seeing what other people are doing. Oh, this is this, this, this. How do you take this? And you realize, oh, we were in the same place, that you have a different photo, and then you are learning, you are growing. I think it is talent, but also you grow learning from others. 

00:11:49:27 - 00:12:20:06

I agree, I believe you have to be with people. You're collectively like learning from each other. I've never attended a workshop, so I actually find it interesting that you mention that because I was about to attend a one day shop up in Maine on the coast as a first time workshop, it sold out, so I can't. But I was trying to understand in my head how you learn from a workshop. So to hear your perspective on that is really interesting. And what people are talking in these workshops is that's what's happening. 

00:12:20:08 - 00:12:54:16

Exactly. I mean, I've been in several workshops as part of the workshops, and you learn from the people you have the instructor, the instructors telling you how to do things or suggesting you what to do. And then you are hanging out with other photographers and you are learning your listening. What they are saying, oh, look at this, oh, look at this. But what about you? Look from this side. Oh wow. That's amazing. You have a great eye. Do you start recognizing other people and your photography grow? I work for people who offer workshops in Cuba, and I was working. 

00:12:54:18 - 00:13:00:17

I was working with them as a photography guide, and I was drinking all that knowledge. I was learning for what they were doing. 

00:13:01:09 - 00:13:11:12

And you really feel that when you've attended these workshops or participated in some capacity, you've really felt yourself grow, your skills grow, and your photography grow. 

00:13:12:01 - 00:13:42:09

Oh, definitely. When I travel outside now outside America, because I live here, my wife and me, we used to hire local photographers to work with us. So what we are doing with that? We are supporting a local photographer. We are helping somebody to make some money doing what they're doing. But at the same time, when you do that, you learn from that photographer the sort of bring you to the places that they know. They make it easier for you to find amazing photos. 

00:13:42:23 - 00:14:04:28

And it's like doing a workshop. Even when you're not doing a workshop, you are just hiring somebody to work with you for a win win relationship. It's like, I'm going to pay you bring me to places. And we always said, we don't want to go to touristic places. Please bring us simple places. I want to eat also where people eat. There's something beautiful that we can do as a photographer to build a community. 

00:14:05:08 - 00:14:06:08

Have you been to Lisbon? 

00:14:06:17 - 00:14:08:05

No. That's one of my dreams. 

00:14:08:14 - 00:14:39:27

I've got someone for you in Lisbon. His name is Joao Gomes. And actually, Joao is going to kill me because he took me out and we went for photography all around Lisbon. And since then, every time I talk to someone, I mentioned his name, including. I think this may be the second or third podcast episode. I've mentioned his name, and so he's probably going to kill me. He's like, Ken, stop mentioning my name. I'm just kidding. He's really cool. Anyway, I did that in Lisbon for the first time. I didn't pay him. Sorry. Joao. I guess I should have paid you, but just don't send me a bill. And he he was awesome. 

00:14:39:29 - 00:15:10:15

And we're like good buddies now. He just had a baby. I mean, it was awesome. I had such a wonderful time in Lisbon, and I thought it was one of the best ways to see the city. And we did the same thing. We just went all around. We had lunch at some local place where I was eating everything from like rice and steamed pig ears, and it was this amazing. And like, not necessarily the ears. I mean, they were fine. They were floppy and chewy, but just the experience. So I agree, and Tokyo would love to get the person's name in Tokyo because been there twice, but never with my camera. 

00:15:10:17 - 00:15:15:00

We hire explore. You can find it in England. Amazing. 

00:15:15:02 - 00:15:44:28

I actually think that that's a great thing in Cuba too, because Cuba's misunderstood in a lot of ways. I think there's a lot of things that are correctly understood, but there are a lot of things that are misunderstood, particularly like us, the relationship between the people, Cubans I have found welcoming and loving to me as an American. And I've such close friends now in Havana. But my point is that with Cuba and Cubans being so warm, it still can appear a little intimidating the first time you were there. 

00:15:45:00 - 00:16:16:24

Yes, I agree with you. You as an American, never been in Havana or in Cuba in general. You can feel intimidated the first time, and once you get in there and you meet the Cuban people, you understand that, okay, okay. It's not what they said. Same here. Honestly, when I came here, I have a concept of the American that was different today. I talked with my friends there. They say, well, but in America, people don't care about each other. No, we do. I say we do because an American citizen now. 

00:16:18:06 - 00:16:22:09

Oh, well congratulations. That's great man. 

00:16:22:26 - 00:16:39:26

Yeah. And that's what you need to talk. That's what you need to travel. They need to make friends. That's why you need to create a community. This is my concept now that I learned with the Americans, it's creating a community. When you create a community, it's like we help each other. We learn from each other, and we grow up together. 

00:16:40:03 - 00:17:06:04

My first time in Cuba, I landed and I was at my casa, my particular at like one in the afternoon. It was in Havana Vieja, Aguacate over by Plaza del Cristo, right over there, right across the street from El Cafe, which was still is my favorite cafe in the planet. I told Nestor that this is my favorite cafe is like, great, thank you. I'm glad it's your favorite cafe in Cuba or in Havana. I'm like, no, dude, this is my favorite cafe in the world. 

00:17:08:01 - 00:17:44:29

And he gave me like a lechon sandwich with yuca and like this marmalade on it. And then, like, he became my favorite person in the world. But anyway, so my first time in Havana, it was one in the afternoon. It was like April, so the weather wasn't too hot and I was meeting a friend in my, like, co-producer in this documentary we're making, but she was out in Vinales at the moment. It was just me and I just started walking around with my camera. I walk into this garlic shop and start talking to this guy in Spanish, and my Spanish was a lot worse then and really have no idea what we're talking about. 

00:17:45:01 - 00:18:22:29

But I have it all on video and I have photos of him. So then I go home and and I never see him again, and I'm. But whatever. I think maybe unlike my fourth or fifth trip to Havana, I'm walking down the street at night. And this guy from the garlic place, you know how when, like, you take photos of someone or video and then you're editing it, you feel like you know them, right? You're so close. But it was that one second in time from them, and they never even thought of you again. This guy goes flying by in a piece of taxi driving it, and I'm like, hey, hey, hey, let me go. 

00:18:23:01 - 00:18:37:14

I can't come here. And I'm like, so I go and he stops his taxi and he looks at me like I'm crazy. And I go hug him and I'm like, hey. And he's like, no clue who I am. No idea. And I finally found this guy that I got these photos of. 

00:18:39:00 - 00:18:54:13

Never see the guy again. Until today, when I'm watching that video of you and your story on YouTube and he's in your video, I'll play this clip for you. 

00:18:54:22 - 00:19:15:17

Here is a dime. The first image that I took with that camera was in a concert. I was so, so, so, so happy because I can do what I want to do and I can keep the photos with me. So I don't need the permission or somebody to be agree with what I want to do. 

00:19:15:19 - 00:19:17:11

And right there, that's him. 

00:19:17:13 - 00:19:17:28

Freedom. 

00:19:18:10 - 00:19:19:10

There he is. 

00:19:19:19 - 00:19:20:13

Had another opportunity. 

00:19:20:26 - 00:19:22:04

That's the guy. 

00:19:22:11 - 00:19:29:21

Oh my God. This is going to tell you what is in. It's close to LA. 

00:19:31:15 - 00:19:33:02

It's near Obispo. Si?

00:19:34:09 - 00:19:50:19

Yeah. And this is, um, another story. Actually, in the corner of that place, there is a Japanese restaurant that she sells ramming. And we're like, really ramming here. What is it? I know the guy. This guy. 

00:19:50:21 - 00:20:08:21

I hugged him like he was my brother that I haven't seen in 20 years. He had no clue what I was doing. As I'm jumping onto his taxi and hugging him in the middle of the night in Avana dark street, and I'm like, it's me, it's me. 

00:20:09:08 - 00:20:34:05

Come on, it's crazy. I have crazy story with my wife. I wasn't regular, I was her, her guide. And who pass the one of them? My relative's house. And they have a house that they rent. They have different rooms that you rent for hours. And he was showing the place. It was a couple in one of the rooms. Oh, but I didn't realize that he opened the door. And this is one of the rules of custom 

00:20:35:21 - 00:20:38:14

clothing. My wife never forget that. 

00:20:38:16 - 00:20:41:12

There was like a romantic couple. There were people loving each other. 

00:20:42:04 - 00:20:42:19

Yes. 

00:20:43:17 - 00:21:13:24

I've been through that. I've been through that. Not the walking in on a people. Like sleeping with each other, having sex, you know, introduction, not introduction, you know, intrusion. But I have done that walking down the street where they're like, come in my house and they make me coffee. And I've often told people that one of the hardest thing about being a photographer in Cuba is that when you start photographing people, they all want to invite you into their house and talk to you for 45 minutes or an hour or more, and your whole day is gone. Exactly. 

00:21:13:26 - 00:21:14:11

That's. 

00:21:14:20 - 00:21:17:01

Which is wonderful. But that's a funny story. 

00:21:20:18 - 00:21:38:25

Hi. It's Ken. I hope you're enjoying the show. Hey, guess what? The new Big Photo Hunt Beta website is live. There's a lot to be done still, but it's a pretty good start. So if you have a moment, give it a look, post a photo and let me know what you think. All right. Thanks again for listening back to the show. 

00:21:43:23 - 00:22:15:01

All right, so can we get back to your story of sucking to being awesome? You got an opportunity at a magazine you got in there. That process started giving you opportunities. And I know that during that window in Cuba, all of this was happening. Obama, the Rolling Stones concert. This is all like that time period where everyone was very optimistic and positive about where relations could be going. And then at some point you moved to the US. 

00:22:15:03 - 00:22:16:12

So tell me about that. 

00:22:16:24 - 00:22:53:07

I met my wife in Cuba and well, we marry in 2017 and we had a beautiful wedding in Havana. And then I decide to stay there. I wait for all the legal stuff. I stay in Havana and then I move here. Five years ago, I moved here. I open a company to bring people to Cuba, start working the first year, and then the pandemic. But the second year when things start getting opening and we have the vaccines and stuff like that, I start working for the year as a tour guide in D.C. 

00:22:53:12 - 00:23:23:24

so it was a year that was like, okay, it's second year, okay? And now working on a school so hard as an immigrant was really hard. Being a person that was popular in Cuba and moving here when I didn't know anyone to start from zero. And as every immigrant, I didn't want to recognize that I was an immigrant. I just moved to America. Some point, you start feeling like an outcast. You. This arrived. I think it's the the word is already that you are like where I am. I don't belong to here. 

00:23:23:29 - 00:24:02:21

And that was a tough time for me, even when I'm never had the same issue that all the immigrant had. Like trying to fight for where to live, how to eat, you know, have all of those things solved. But it was hard. And now I'm starting breathing again. I'm building myself again in this country, doing anything possible. So my wife the other day asked me, what kind of photography are you? And I said, okay, I know that here in America people are specialized in things. So I'm a wedding photographer, I'm a food photographer, I'm a portrait photographer, I do events, I can be like that because that's not my personality. 

00:24:02:27 - 00:24:28:27

I do everything because I need to eat and I like to do it and I get bored. I do the same every day, so I need to do something different. But we were like, talking. And she's very smart. She's a lawyer. It was like a trial at the end of yes, I need to recognize I'm a photographer. I'm a travel and history photographer because I like people. I want to see something new every day. I want to do something different every day. 

00:24:29:04 - 00:24:59:10

I can relate because I am the kind of photographer based on whatever good photo I took. If I took a good street photo, I'm like, I'm a street photographer. But then if I took a landscape that I like just because I got lucky, it's good. Oh, I'm that. But I love street photography and I love it for the same reason. I was traveling with my wife recently and I was putting my camera on everyone's face. She's a little uncomfortable with it and I'm not uncomfortable with it. I was in the beginning. Now I'm just like, just life. And I love it. For the most part. 

00:24:59:12 - 00:25:13:02

People don't care anyway, so I love street photography. Could you tell me from a photographer's perspective, what are the biggest contrasts that you've noticed between being a photographer in Cuba and now being a photographer in the States? 

00:25:13:16 - 00:25:38:07

It was easier in Cuba to engage with people. People trust more and all the people than here in Cuba. You can openly take a photos. Anyone here you need to shoot the moment to take the photo. I never hide myself when I take a photo here and never hide my camera. Just in the metro and the metro I just take photo from the hip. I love taking photos in the metro. Everywhere that I go, I take photos with the metro. I love that! 

00:25:38:09 - 00:25:50:02

I'm so glad you brought that up because I love your photos from the Metro, and I'm so glad to know that they're just from the hip. They're not like some meticulously planned photos, because now I know I can shoot them from the hip in the metro or the subway and get good photos. 

00:25:50:04 - 00:26:21:17

Thank you. And if you shoot with a fixed lens, better because you know that you're going to get something. But yes, I think the engaging with the people, that's the difference. And also taking photos. Kids in Cuba you can take photo of kids with no problem. But you know what? I learned that here in America, I don't see kids at the same way that I used to do it before. I'm more respectful of the people in space, and I take it positively, you know, things that you learn when you live in different country, you learn. 

00:26:21:20 - 00:26:25:02

But that's the main difference that I find interacting with people. 

00:26:25:16 - 00:26:40:20

That's really fascinating to hear. And I've noticed that I've recognized that going the other way, going to Cuba and realizing, like, how warm and welcome people are to be in front of your camera and welcome you into their life. Is there anything that I didn't touch on that maybe you want to bring up? 

00:26:41:10 - 00:26:47:13

I do love metaphors. I have a great time taking photos in Tokyo in the metro. 

00:26:47:15 - 00:26:48:08

Are the trains. 

00:26:48:10 - 00:27:04:27

There you go. There. Spent 15 days and I was like, my mind was flying. Impressive. And I. This summer I was in London for 20 hours. I fly over and I get into the on the ground and I'll tell you in something, I need to go back. 

00:27:05:13 - 00:27:12:06

The reason I love photos in metros and subways and like the London Underground, is because it tells such a story. 

00:27:12:13 - 00:27:43:23

When people commute, people have no mask. They are themselves. They end the day. They are ready to go home. They don't care about anything else but going home. They still get exposed. And I love that. I really, really love that. I want to show the beauty of life. So what? I take photos in the metro. I try to bring that even when you see a person that is so dirty and tied up with hand in the in the in the forehead, that looks like it's crying, it's no crying. It's like the real life people get naked. 

00:27:44:02 - 00:27:56:09

People are like being themselves, floating through this pain of the city. That for me is like, I want to do that if I can get a job, but I can do that around the world. Perfect. Yeah, but that's not going to happen. 

00:27:56:12 - 00:28:12:23

Ah, you're beautiful man. Alain, I'm going to go with you to London Underground. We'll spend like we'll go to London. We'll spend five days there. We'll spend four and a half in the tube. And I'm so glad you brought it up, because it's really comforting to know that you're just shooting from the hip, because that means I could get photos just like that. 

00:28:14:16 - 00:28:20:20

Mean shoot from the hip when you can. Yeah, when you can. Cannot put your face, your camera in your face. 

00:28:21:09 - 00:28:30:25

So I have three questions that I want to ask you. And I ask these at the end of all my interviews. The first question is what's your favorite genre to shoot and why? 

00:28:31:05 - 00:28:35:20

Oh, street photography of course, because I can connect with people. 

00:28:36:09 - 00:28:39:24

Number two, what camera system do you use? 

00:28:40:03 - 00:29:12:06

Nikon. I used to have a 50 and now I have a C6 and a C7. And recently I discovered the 26 millimeter and I'm in love. Actually, I do weddings. And after the traditional photos, like portray the brain of the groom, the ceremonial, you have to use different lenses. The rest of the ceremony or the event. I shoot with a 26 millimeter dinner first dance everything. 

00:29:12:08 - 00:29:16:10

And are you shooting wides or are you using that 26 to get close up perspective? 

00:29:16:15 - 00:29:21:20

I can go close and move myself and I have wide shots. 

00:29:21:22 - 00:29:30:15

And you can put the subject close up, but it's so wide. You could also have that whole scene behind the subject because it's such a wide lens. That's a cool look. 

00:29:31:00 - 00:29:33:23

I mean, it's my style. I'm not saying that this is the truth. 

00:29:34:19 - 00:29:36:02

I don't think there is a truth. 

00:29:36:04 - 00:29:37:10

Exactly. There is no. 

00:29:37:12 - 00:29:39:03

True. If you like it, it's truth. 

00:29:39:12 - 00:29:40:22

People like it. That's okay. 

00:29:41:09 - 00:29:51:05

That's all that matters. All right. Number three. And my final question is, how often do you get that burning itch to go out and shoot photos? 

00:29:52:13 - 00:30:11:02

Every week. Every week I will. I want to go out. Not every week. I can do that because it's real life. You have to work out. It's America. You work and then you work the weekends too for the extra. But yes, every week I want to do something different. 

00:30:11:29 - 00:30:14:28

I'm with Allan Gutierrez. And where can everybody find you? 

00:30:15:01 - 00:30:19:10

Oh, you can find me on Instagram. My Instagram is alainmenox. 

00:30:19:12 - 00:30:26:26

A l a i n m e n o x. And then your website is. 

00:30:26:28 - 00:30:29:06

AlainGutierrezphotography.com. 

00:30:29:23 - 00:30:33:13

You have a workshop coming up in Spain, so tell everyone about that. 

00:30:33:21 - 00:30:53:13

It's going to happen in Andalusia, Seville and Granada. Six to seven days in these two cities doing street photography, doing architecture, landscape and also every day are going to be teaching people how to use Lightroom, how to work in Lightroom. It's going to be amazing. And at the same time you're learning. 

00:30:53:27 - 00:30:57:13

And where can people find information that's also in your Instagram and website? 

00:30:57:19 - 00:30:59:20

It's in my Instagram and also in my website. 

00:31:00:07 - 00:31:19:16

Alain, thank you so much man. It was awesome and I really do appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining me for today's episode. Our next show will feature more valuable stories from our community members. If you'd like to audition to be a guest, please visit Big Photo Hunt for more information. Thanks again for listening today.