New Orleans based photographer Carlos Sanchez has made waves in the creative world by utilizing his skills and unique visions to produce original concepts through his photoshoots, and he believes it all began by pure chance.
“I didn’t actually start doing artistic things until my early twenties and really started doing photography on a whim,” Sanchez explained. “I would take photos and videos of friends when we hung out and they said I should do photography.”
Most of Sanchez’s major life decisions have been made based on family and friends suggesting ideas to him. After many suggestions of starting photography, Sanchez decided that it felt right. When an opportunity arose to relocate for work, Sanchez picked New Orleans as his destination city.
“I decided to move to New Orleans, because it felt like the perfect atmosphere for growing as an artist,” Sanchez said. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
The photographer quickly became acclimated with South Louisiana creatives and began collaborating with them on an array of projects upon his arrival. From shooting music videos and photoshoots to creating social media content for local brands, Sanchez has gained artistic experience, had his fair share of adventures and established a platform along the way.
Sanchez’s unorthodox approach to his projects is one of the defining characteristics of them, with creative ideas arriving when he least expects them.
“I find that a lot of my ideas come to me right before I go to bed, and some even come to me when I’m in the process of shooting,” Sanchez shared. “From there, I just build upon the concepts and see what happens.”
A recent Valentine’s Day-themed photoshoot allowed Sanchez to experiment with set design. His friends even helped to assist with integral aspects such as makeup and creating the set. He came up with the central concept, built upon it over the course of a few days, recruited fellow creatives to help, then finally executed it.
The risk-taking nature of Sanchez is paying off in more ways than one, as he was also a part of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime show this year. One of Sanchez’s friends sent him the application, which consisted of submitting a video of yourself singing along to your favorite song of Lamar’s.
“I decided to reenact that one clip of Kendrick screaming,” Sanchez said. “The rehearsals were long and it was interesting to see the show develop piece-by-piece. It was also cool to be there when Kendrick and SZA were running through the show with us and doing sound checks.”
Sanchez is no stranger to dedication, often putting in many hours and long nights into editing the photos and videos he takes. Sanchez is living proof that anyone can accomplish anything, as long as they are willing to try new things and put in some effort.
“I pour so much of myself into my projects,” Sanchez said. “That makes everything that I do special in a way.”
To keep up with Carlos Sanchez, you can follow his Instagram: @carlossanchez.img.
