Meet Noe De La Cruz

We recently connected with Noe De La Cruz and have shared our conversation below.

Noe, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism stems from the opportunities, the possibilities, and, overall, the breadth of the world and its inherent ambiguity. It always has been something that I wondered when I was younger to look into different paths and ways, and just have a vision of what could be possible. Why not go big? Reading a book from long ago, known as “The ONE Thing,” I have found something that has stuck.

“If you aim for the moon, you might miss and fall, but at least you will fall on the stars.”

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

I’m a photographer and videographer who loves creating memories and capturing moments to share with others. These things are always exciting to capture and deliver, as they hold either sentimental value or an emotional connection that can stem from love, memories, or motivation.

It excites me to be at a place where I can take in, socialize, interact, and most of all be in the moment during the shoot. This is always something that sticks to me everywhere I go. Whether it’s travel photography or portrait shoots, it’s really an opportunity to capture a moment and piece together a story to showcase to others. This is how it began for me. “The world is meant to be shared.” Why not share it with photos and videos that can help people make a connection?

FOTOS By NOE will be close to that—creating the experience that can be experienced in their hands. With social media being as big as it is, I can deliver content to people that motivates them, hooks them, and possibly inspires them to take action.

I potentially do have some projects coming up in September and October with brands in Houston and contests that I want to participate in for fun. So definetly follow my page for these upcoming things.

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

The most important qualities that I think really turned this whole journey into reality are the following:

1. Social Skills: People will never just be sold to the craft or art until they know who you are. Your energy, your being, is what really connects people to your own essence. This is what separates the average photographers from the unique ones. I think that’s one thing I’ve been truly blessed with: being a social person who can connect with almost everyone. I share warmth when I’m on set and try to replicate that on my social media. It’s natural to me for sure, but I do think this is what can be developed with others who are starting out to get themselves out there even more.

2. Marketing: Again, photos and videos are art, and you can have amazing art at your disposal. But how will people know? How will people find out you?

– Word of mouth? It does get exhausting.
– Social Media? Yeah, but do you have a strategy in play?
– Maybe website, business cards, etc? True, but you still need to know Marketing.

Marketing yourself is what I listed out, plus more. Nowadays, there are numerous avenues to market yourself, which is amazing. However, it’s essential to utilize every avenue that makes sense. I am a Digital Marketing Manager at my current job. This skill has helped me significantly in understanding how to increase conversions, improve user behavior, and effectively reach out through various online channels. I now know that call-to-actions, Specific Post times, good layouts, and many more things can help me get out there. That’s something I’ve done amazingly well over the past few months: sharing photo albums and encouraging people to tag me and share them on their social media. This has significantly increased my page’s reach and also established a digital footprint for me now.

I encourage people to learn the basics at the very least and apply them in their photography to ensure that it reaches the right audience.

3. Be A Giver First: In this industry, area, or whatever you want to call it, your first few “clients” will be volunteer work. It’s not a bad thing; it’s actually very good. Now, I didn’t truly think that my sense of offering help would open a door that I thought was never there to begin with, but here I am saying that anyone should always offer help in areas where they’re skilled, even if they’re unsure about it.

I was unsure about my skills and my art; I didn’t know what I had until people saw and complimented it over and over again. Once that started to happen, my confidence grew, and I truly now believe that I can take this photography business to a level that will be my main career. Always give to the world, and ensure that it is your genuine intention. Don’t try to give with a hidden agenda of waiting for the reward or expecting something in return. Just do it & be lost in the passion and creativity. That is what this is about, too, right? Being lost in the things you love doing the most. That right there is what made this possible, and I am certainly grateful for delivering those things because that’s what made all this real. The Social Skills and the Marketing came into play, all because I gave and did it genuinely.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

One of the books that has stuck with me in this creative journey has been “How To Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon.

With everything that is laid out there, I have learned that not everything is self-made. You need to piece things together from inspiration, from visions of other creatives and creators. Inspiration will come from other people’s work and styles, but it’s not until you craft everything and mesh it together that it becomes your own.

Of course, my color grading, my editing style, and my shooting style have been inspired by greats like Sam Kolder, Henbu, Gawks, and other artists who derive from YouTube.

People need to get this insight from this book and apply it before moving forward with their creative journey. Realize that the best artists are actually the ones who steal the best, one nugget at a time, to make the full meal.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://fotosbynoe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fotos_by_noe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/FOTOS-By-Noe/61575737282901/

Image Credits

Sexy Pace Running Club
Segundo Coffee Lab
Inaka Power
Yellowstone Marble & Granite
Quack Circle