Meet Ismael Garcia

We were lucky to catch up with Ismael Garcia recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ismael, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic was instilled in me at a very young age by my mother. She taught me the importance of responsibility and always giving 100% in everything I do. She would often tell me, ‘If you want to be successful in life, you have to work really hard because nothing comes easy.’ Growing up watching her work three jobs made me truly admire her resilience and drive. That example shaped the way I approach challenges today, I stay committed, work hard, and push forward no matter what.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My name is Ismael, I was born in El Salvador and moved to the U.S. when I was just 8 years old. Growing up here, I was fortunate to receive an amazing education that shaped me into the person I am today.

In 2019, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At that moment, it felt like my hopes and dreams had been taken away in an instant. I struggled for a while, searching for purpose, until one day I came across a YouTube video that changed my life, Peter McKinnon’s ‘The Bucket Shot.’ Watching it, I connected deeply with his words, and when he revealed the shot, I was in awe. The landscape looked like pure art, and that moment reignited a fire in me that I thought I had lost.

That video inspired me to pursue my own ‘bucket shot,’ and photography has since become my purpose. I primarily focus on landscapes, wildlife, and birds, but I’ve also explored photographing dogs, cars, cityscapes, portraits, and flowers. My goal is simple yet meaningful: to transform everyday scenes into works of art that will live on long after I’m gone.

This year, I’ve dedicated myself to a project very close to my heart, capturing Great Falls, a National park I’ve visited since childhood, throughout all 12 months of the year. My aim is to showcase the beauty of each season and the way the landscape evolves over time.

If you’d like to view or purchase my work, you can visit my website at capturemoment5.com, where you’ll find links to my shops. I’m also working toward securing a print supplier and plan to release a special collection at the end of the year to celebrate 12 Months of Great Falls.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’ve always been good at retaining information once I’m shown how to do something. When I first started photography, my instinct was to turn to YouTube tutorials and learn step by step. It took time, but with perseverance, things began to click.

One of the most important concepts in photography is the exposure triangle. Everything else can come later, but mastering this is the foundation. The exposure triangle controls everything in your photography, and once you understand it, you’ll have much more creative control. When I was learning, I always paid close attention to my settings. If a shot didn’t turn out the way I wanted, I’d research why and make the corrections the next time I went out.

Another key piece of advice coming from someone who started out trying to save money is to invest in high-quality lenses. Early on, I didn’t have much to spend and thought cheaper lenses would be good enough. But once I upgraded my lenses instead of my camera, my photography improved dramatically. The right equipment truly makes a difference.

Finally, the best way to grow is simple: keep going out and photographing. I still consider myself an amateur because there’s always more to learn, but I never let myself get complacent. Improvement only comes from practice, persistence, and the willingness to keep creating.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

In the past 12 months, I’ve started learning how to shoot and edit video while also working on improving my photo editing skills, which I’m still refining. My goal is to make sure I get the most out of all my work and continue to grow as a creative. At the same time, I’ve been learning how to better manage my work, my life, and myself because the only way to keep improving is by taking care of yourself first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://capturemoment5.com
• Instagram: capture_moment5
• Facebook: capture_moment5