Meet Tony Marinella | Photographer

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

Hi Tony, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It was always my dream to become a freelance photographer and shoot for National Geographic. But I had to earn my wings so to speak first and therefore worked for various companies over the years. I always had my own side business doing photography but also always had the bread and butter jobs to pay bills and have consistent income with health insurance. But after getting laid off for the fourth time, I decided I had enough and went freelance full time. So I guess I was pushed into it to sink or swim and have never turned back. My boss can be a pain sometimes but it sure beats cubicle life in corporate America.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a freelance commercial photographer who loves to document the world around me. I love the creative process and collaborating with clients to produce the best results possible. A lot of my work is architectural with luxury real estate as well. But I photograph anything from food and product to diamonds and gems. I also have been heavy into video production for clients.I find video is just an extension of creative photography.

I became a freelancer about 8 years ago after getting laid off for the fourth time. The economy was not good as the housing market had crashed. But I found a niche in the market shooting real estate. No matter how bad things are financially, houses still have to sell. Even the bank owned homes. This work led to networking with builders, designers, and architects. While I still shoot real estate these days it is more of the high end luxury market.

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?
I like to take friends on an adventure across Arizona. We usually start in Phoenix then head up to Payson then up the rim. Then we head down the 260 over to the Verde Valley and up to Jerome. From there the back way, all dirt towards, towards Perkinsville. The road from Jerome is a bit scary as the exposure is extreme and it becomes a one way with no guard rails. I have some favorite Indian ruins we explore next and camp. From there it is up to Williams with a Flagstaff visit. We then head to Lees ferry to kayak up river for the day and fish and hike. The next day off to lake Powell and the dam. After that we head back to Cameron and head to the Grand Canyon, and camp outside the park. The whole time we are taking pictures and doing night time astro photography. I also give them tons of historical knowledge as well as info on the land they see. If time allows we hit more secluded Indian ruins with petroglyphs. Then off to Wupatki to see stabilized ruins by the park service. After all that its usually time to head south and get them back to the airport for their return home.

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?
Charley Martin gave me my first 35mm camera. I think I was in 6th grade. It was a Canonflex he had purchased while in Korea and yes even in 1979 it was vintage! But I was hooked right away. Charlie truly opened the gates for me to explore creativity with a camera.

Website: www.tonymarinella.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonymarinellaphotography

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymarinellaphotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.marinella

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/amarinella/videos