Meet Joaquin Torre | Photographer & Sports Creative

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

Hi Joaquin, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
The end goal for me is to hopefully work in professional sports. It’s been a dream of mine to be a team photographer for any sports team that takes a chance on me to let me tell their story through imagery. My absolute dream would be to work for the San Diego Padres, as baseball is my favorite sport and it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to work for the team that I grew up cheering on. I hope to also be able to make a name for myself in the industry, and become a role model for others who chase their dreams and never give up on their goals. At the end of my career I hope to also be a teacher, as I feel that after I’ve completed my artistic journey, I would like to give back and help others pursue that journey, the same way many in my personal circle have helped me out.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a photographer and creative who specializes in shooting sports, as well as making graphics and other forms of media. Currently, I am the team photographer for Baylor Baseball, as well as a photographer and creative student on staff for Baylor Football. I got to where I am professionally after shooting almost all sports for my alma mater St. Augustine High School, and was able to join the Baylor Baseball program as their photographer after applying for the position. The journey to get there wasn’t an easy one, as it was one that required a lot of sacrifices and hard work to get to where I am now. I overcame the challenges that were presented by reminding myself of what I was doing all this for, and that was my ultimate goal to work in professional sports. I’ve learned a lot of lessons, from how to finish my work more proficiently to how to value my work and the attribute of patience, as more and more I learn that this is a long journey, and that in order to get to where I want to be I know it’s going to take time, and it won’t happen overnight. I want the world to see the game through my eyes, and be able to see the art and beauty of sports captured through my lens.

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?
First thing on the itinerary is to go to a game at Petco Park and show them the best game day experience in the entire country. Then after that, I’d have to take them to some of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the city, somewhere like Tacos El Gordo or Filiberto’s, or maybe take them to Convoy Street and eat some ramen at Nishiki Ramen. After that, I’d take them somewhere to see the sunset, one of my favorite views of the sky and city has to be Kate Sessions Park out in PB. If they want to go to the beach, I’d take them up to Windansea up near La Jolla as I think it’s one of the prettiest beaches anyone could go to. If they’d wanna go shopping, I’d take them to a couple sneaker and vintage stores in downtown and Hillcrest, places like Wotown, which are my favorite to shop at.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s so many people who have helped me in my career that I would like to give a shoutout to. First off, I’d like to shoutout my family as they have been the biggest supporters of my work and have helped me throughout this journey, and continue to back me up and encourage me to keep going, as well as being the ones who help me obtain the necessary things I need to make this work. They’ve sacrificed a lot to be able to get me to this point, and that has encouraged me to continue to strive to be great at what I do. Second, I’d have to shoutout two of my former high school teachers who have helped show me that all of this was possible and gave me the foundation for my work. Mrs. Drummy and Mr. Osberg were the first people who showed me my creative potential, and gave me the courage to be able to pick up the camera and go shoot for the first time. They’ve been here supporting me on my journey every step of the way, and have provided a mentorship that I believe has helped me get to this point. Last, but definitely not least, I’d have to shoutout everyone at Baylor University who has taken the chance on me and given me the incredible opportunity to showcase my skills at one of the highest levels possible. They have given me the incredible opportunity to not only gain an education in what I want to do, but also given me real life experience that I believe can take me to the next level. Everyone there feels like family, and have made Baylor really feel like my home away from home, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that!

Website: www.shotbyjoaquin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotbyjoaquin/?hl=en

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shotbyjoaquin

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/shotbyjoaquin

Image Credits
Personal Photo: Cole Tompkins (Baylor Athletics) Additional Photo (The one of me squatting next to the football helmet): Thomas Whitney (Baylor University)