Meet Abel Fassil | San Diego Portrait Photographer

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

Hi Abel, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
What do I want my legacy to be… I love this question because it is something I ask myself frequently. After all, the answer should be what drives me to pursue what I am passionate about. I am a firm believer in Christ, and my desire is to be remembered in the same way he was. Someone who was kind, compassionate, and impacted you so greatly that it changed how you view the world. The way society is set up now makes it seem as if we are not worth each other’s time unless we have something to offer. But deep down we all have that urge to feel wanted, to be seen as special by those around us. This is one of the main reasons I love portrait photography because it allows me to make people feel appreciated. It allows me to spend more time alone with others and know them more personally. Besides that I also want people to remember me as someone who was a great leader. Someone capable, masterful in their craft, and willing to take on any challenge in their way. Just qualities that would make people look up to you and feel inspired. I want to leave this world setting a higher standard encouraging those who come after me to do even better than they already are because the way I see it, we were made for so much more than what the world promises us.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
A lot of my photos recently have been getting a lot of compliments about the dreamy aesthetic they bring and their vibrant colors. One of the most popular would be the shot I took of my friend running at Torrey Pines State Beach. This was during my first session as a portrait photographer so I was very nervous and had no idea what I was doing. It went surprisingly well though, and I was honestly impressed with how the photos turned out. Some other work I’m proud of would be the self-portrait series I took in February of this year. What makes it so special to me, is that taking these photos it required me to be in my most vulnerable state, helping me to overcome some of my biggest insecurities with how I look. It was also very difficult to take due to the lighting conditions and the fact that I couldn’t see how I looked while taking the photos. This set boosted my confidence and made me want to pursue photography as a career. Since then I have been working on building up my portfolio, creating amazing photos with the most beautiful people. However, my biggest challenge now is being able to use everything I’ve done so far to help me land more clients. I haven’t had much luck recently, but I know this is usually the case when things are just starting out. A few things I need to work on are growing my online presence, and getting myself more exposure to the real world. I know my story is worth listening to, which is that there is still beauty and hope in the world despite the feeling that there is a lack thereof.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Even though I was born and raised in San Diego there is still so much I need to discover in this beautiful city. However if you gave me a week some of the key spots I would hit with them would be Torrey Pines State Reserve/Beach, Coronado Island, Scripps Pier, and SDSU. Torrey Pines is truly a sight to see, they have one of the best hikes in San Diego and after finishing the hike you get to enjoy the beach. Coronado island is one of the more recent spots I’ve been to and it’s full of so much fun stuff to explore. But if we went there the main things we would probably do is go to the beach with some pizza from Village Pizzeria, and probably walk down Orange Avenue with some ice cream from MooTime Creamery. Next, we’re hitting our 3rd beach of the week to go surf at Scripps Pier. But when we do it we’re going early in the morning before sunrise while it’s foggy. After that, we’ll probably eat some Korean BBQ in Convoy at a restaurant called Olleh. The meats are amazing and all you can eat. They also make great kimchi rice and have an overall great atmosphere. Finally, I’m taking them to the beautiful campus of SDSU. We’ll most likely be just walking around and seeing all the different events going on, we’ll play a couple of games of bowling at the Aztec Lanes, and lastly finish the day with some runs on their basketball court.

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?
There have been many people who were involved in molding who I am today. But the people who have recently had the most impact on me are from a Christian organization called CRU at San Diego State University. Without them, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to enjoy my college social life. Through CRU I have met some of the most genuine people, shared the greatest experiences, and was able to serve something bigger than me. Everything they have done has made me into a better person and I am forever grateful for the memories I made with them and will continue to make.

Website: https://www.abelfassil.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abel.fssil/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-iyjQE-WAPfpAs4rSOIVw