Interview with Rodrigo Izquierdo | Discovering Joy & Fulfillment of Photography

My name's Rodrigo Izquierdo. Photography has always been a part of my life. However, it wasn't until I acquired my first professional camera in 2015 that I truly embraced the art form. Since then, I've been on a continuous journey of learning, experimenting, and creating images that inspire and connect with others. My goal is to help others discover the joy and fulfillment of photography.

I don't have any formal training, but I constantly study the top photographers in their own categories, like Lindsey Adler, Joel Grimes, Joel Sartore, and others.

My first shot with a DSLR camera was in 2015, in Page, Arizona. My wife and I went there to celebrate Valentine's Day and took a tour of the most popular canyons. In Lower Canyon, we really clicked with our tour guide, who invited us to go "shoot at night". That night he gave me some tips and let me borrow his Nikon D3300 and did some night photography with some steel wool burning and used my wife as my model.

The result ended up in an art gallery a few years later when I started submitting to photo competitions. That encouraged me to believe I'm at least above average since my first shot. Special thanks to Derek Kanaswood (Mouse), for getting me into professional photography.

At this time, I'm using the new Sony a9iii and Sony lenses. The photos I submitted to this contest were taken with the Sony 70-200 G Master for the Bee Happy image, and the other two were taken with the Sony 24-105 mm f/4 lens in my small home studio.

I hope to be able to win many photo awards in many different categories and earn enough notoriety to then be able to help new photographers be encouraged to also submit their work to international photography competitions and learn how difficult it is to win the top prize, but how much fun it is to be constantly in the top. Help them learn to create art in their own unique styles, and hopefully, that way, create a broader art culture in the world of photography.

It was when one of the Tamron sales representatives, Marc Morris, whom I did not yet know, recognized one of my photos and told me he always remembers when he sees unique and excellent work. It was a photo of my wife at Slab City, in California, with a very post-apocalyptic feel to it.

That specific photo took me a year to capture, and I carried the outfit in the back of my car, everywhere we went, in hopes of eventually finding the perfect background, without photoshopping any of it. Now it hangs on my studio wall, as one of my earliest award-winning images and the first one to get me in-person recognition.

I try to be different, not use any Photoshop and minimal Lightroom, and try to convey emotions. This was inspired by seeing photos in a National Geographic gallery in La Jolla, California, and seeing that, even though some images were not totally sharp and had some blur to them, the emotions they conveyed were just as strong and captivating. I strive to replicate that and create captivating or thought-provoking images.

Colorful, alive, and real.

This is an incredible achievement that encourages me to keep submitting to international photography competitions and keep trying to step up my art. Having received 10 awards in 10 categories entered with 3 images; 6 being Platinum and 4 being Gold, I'm excited to see how much more creative I can be in hopes of taking the top prize next time around. I guess we will see in a year!

The first image, The Golden Warrior, was initially inspired by the headpieces I saw at a photography convention (The Portrait Masters), in Phoenix, Arizona. I challenged myself to create one myself, and then I decided to create an entirely unique costume to go with it. In addition, I'm working on getting images with a monochromatic theme for a coffee table photo book I'm working on about color theory.

The other photo in the people category, titled Eisely, is part of another coffee table book concept about body image, where I'm hoping to photograph 100 people in tasteful nude styles, and where they will share how they feel about their own bodies, which is the one thing we all have in common, no matter how much or how little education or income we have.

The third submission, Bee Happy, in the nature category, was taken at my local Botanical Garden and is the style of photography that helps me relax when my stress level is getting too high. Bee Happy reflects what nature and photography together mean to me.

It's helping me build up a resume and portfolio of award-winning images, adding credibility to the quality of my work and showing consistency as well. I have been winning different level awards since 2020 when I first started submitting to photography competitions. I've gotten as close to a category win as to have a 2nd place, but the top prize still eludes and motivates me.

Lindsey Adler, Joel Grimes, and Joel Sartore.

Find your own style; be an artist, not just a photographer.

Start with what you love, and try something new as often as possible. Photography as an art form is ever-changing and evolving. Keep an open mind.

When a new idea hits me, I write it down, then I break it down into easy pieces and I'm always willing to change any part of that new project, or scrap it all if the natural flow of that new art piece no longer feels natural and exciting. I share the idea behind the project with the model and start with a short "warm-up session" before the main session, to help myself and the model get in the right head space. Then I let the art flow and try to capture it with my camera.

I'm always looking to find new art that inspires and stretches me. I never want to be the person that knows the most in a room. If that's the case, I need to find a new room where people know more than me and are more creative. I find new art forms to implement into my photography and, when I'm too tired, relax by watching videos or tutorials from top artists.

Thank you for the awards and the recognition from IAA and the Global Photography Awards. I look forward to entering again next year!