Meet JOSE ASPILLERA | Travel Photographer

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

Hi JOSE, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After a pretty bad breakup, I randomly bought a plane ticket one morning to Thailand and boarded a plane that afternoon to get away from everything. As I was roaming Thailand, I took one island hopping tour where I ran into 2 women from Germany. We hit it off because I randomly saw this one shot where the sunlight was beaming in one location and I took their photo. From there, we roamed Thailand together for next few days! This started my adventures leaving the country and discovering the world…and myself! Armed with only a cell phone, I was taking photos all over the world, meeting amazing people, and loving life.

During the COVID period in 2o2o, I decided to listen to everyone around me and purchased a camera from my friend. I was already using the camera whenever we would do things for work so it helped ease the transition. From there, it was just me doing my best to re-brand myself and launch this new business. Since then, I have been traveling more, loving life, meeting more amazing people, and creating a life for myself with photography.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of the aspects I love about photography is the story within the photo. I love taking the time to create a frame to show different sides/angles of people and locations when I shoot. One of my largest focuses when I travel is placing people, either people I travel with or people I meet randomly, in a location then creating the feeling of “I can see myself there.” I always have that thought as I scroll social media or websites and it helps me plan upcoming trips (or just kicks me in the butt. to buy a ticket to leave the country).

I love the look people have when I show them their pictures when I travel (and of course the look of clients as well!). Most people don’t travel with a photographer so when I see people as I roam around, I snap a few, if I see something amazing, and then give them their photo. It’s just an amazing feeling to see their happiness as well as knowing that they now have an amazing, high quality, memory of their trip!

Growing this business wasn’t easy because I needed to market myself differently and grow a my clientele from scratch. The purchase of equipment and funding my own travels was nerve-racking because I didn’t know where this business was going to go.

One of the main things I learned, and still learning, is knowing your value. I have high standards for myself and my work, but that comes with doubt and “am I good enough to charge this much?”. So coming to terms to why people should pay a certain amount for my services is still a daily battle. But with the help of my friends and with them helping me constantly see my own value, I’ve found the confidence to speak to clients about that value.

Overall, the one thing about my brand that people should know is my mindset when it comes to people. I love showing confidence and empowerment in every photoshoot. I shoot and pose people in a way that gets them out of their regular comfort zone and into a mindset where they feel amazing about themselves while having fun! There’s something about having fun and making jokes during a photoshoot that helps creates a level of comfort that gets them to find a powerful version of themselves that they hide!

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?
My favorite spots in San Diego has to be the downtown area of Little Italy as well as the beaches around Encinitas. I am from Washington, DC so there aren’t many outdoor locations to eat compared to San Diego. Visiting Little Italy was beautiful at night because of all the lights and seating….is something I would love for my friends to experience!

I spent a lot of time in Encinitas because my cousin lived there so walking the beach during sunset is such an experience. I loved having all the choices on what to photograph from the surfers, the families, the landscape with all the people and the dogs! A dog during sunset around the ocean never fails to be beautiful!

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 want to take the time to celebrate my friends for pushing me then supporting me in launching my photography business. From letting me use them as models, referring me to others, and helping me in the business aspects so I can grow. But specifically, I want to recognize Sheriff Taiwo, @fitdad on Instagram, for letting me borrow his cameras and teaching me so many things about photography for years. It was his camera that I purchased from him which helped me launch my business. Even to this day, he has always taken the time to teach me new things and support me when I don’t even ask.

Website: https://www.flipsh0t.com

Instagram: @flipsh0t

Image Credits
Motorcycle – Mike Williamson
Smoke grenade photo – Miroslava Buzolic
W Hotel // Pillars – Rafaela Falcao // Lidija Astratenko