Meet Joe Montiel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Montiel.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Before having our son in 2013 I knew I wanted to get better quality photos and videos of him growing up. I made a point to do some research online and reach out to friends in the photography world to find out what they suggested. Little did I know this would be the start of a new life for me.

Growing up, I was always the camera guy in the family, but I didn’t know what I was doing and only captured “snapshots”. Taking trips around Kansas with my wife and son has given us some time together outside the day-to-day life and allowed me to capture photos at a slower pace to learn. Kansas trips became more common and visits The Keeper of the Plains in Wichita.

Once I began posting them online and sending them to news stations I started getting requests to purchase prints of my photos. Landscape photography turned into portrait, wedding, and real estate photography. Over the last few years, I have moved heavily into video and added this to my services.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The transition between running my business full time and working a full-time job was supposed to be slow and thought out, but for me, it was a struggle because my last full-time job turned out to be very negative.

I always had great jobs throughout my life and stayed for long periods because of the people I worked with. I forced myself into the photography world as a regular job because I was scared to go full-time on my own. I am happy I eventually got here, but I wish I would have skipped the last regular job.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a jack of all trades kind of person. I am a photographer and videographer in many genres.

I have photographed and filmed weddings. I have done portrait photography for seniors, families, kids, etc. I photograph landscapes in Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and hopefully many more in the future. I am a remote (drone) pilot. I love to film and photograph from different perspectives using my drone.

My whole life I have been good at things, but not great at anything. The position I am in now in my life allows me to take advantage of this fully. I write well enough to get by on social media and communicate with my realtor agents. I photograph and film well enough to make a living doing it and I am very proud of it.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have many landscape photos I have taken that get a lot of praise and love from people. What people might be surprised by are the many failed trips I have had and thousands of photos that have never been seen. Sometimes I am not feeling great and don’t get good photos or my predictions of weather/location don’t work out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.34thstatemedia.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/joemontielphotography
• Facebook: facebook.com/34thstatemedia
• Other: www.joemontiel.com