Meet Angélica Ponce | Photographer

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

Hi Angélica, why did you pursue a creative career?
I feel like art is in my blood. Whether or not he knew it, my dad had a huge influence on my career. Whether he was playing classical music on the radio, watching films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, or sitting me down to teach me draw with oil pastels, he passed on a true love for the arts as a tool of self expression. As I got older, art became a form of therapy during trying times, and provided a kind of meditation and focus in the midst of all the craziness.

Working a 9-5 job was never in the cards for me. Creating is my passion. To see the world through a camera lens or on the tip of a paint brush fuels my soul and inspires me to find the beauty in the small details of life. Choosing a creative career definitely hasn’t been the easiest journey, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In some ways my journey to becoming a photographer started as a young child taking my dad’s 35mm point-and-shoot camera to Costco to get developed. I thought the way that an image can be taken from a negative and turned into a print was so cool. I was determined that one day I would save enough money to buy my own fancy camera and learn to develop myself.

I wouldn’t actually get my hands on a decent camera until I was in my early 20’s. I enrolled in my the local community college’s Video Production program and learned how to operate cinema cameras. I proceeded to work as an assistant camera on film sets for the next five years, all the while learning how to be a decent photographer. I began taking photos for live charity events, as well as shooting professional headshots, but during my free time I would slip away to photograph nature.

During the pandemic, all film work was shut down. It was during this time that I realized how burnt out I was juggling various freelance jobs, all the while not showing any of my own work to the world. It was during this time that I realized that something needed to change, though I didn’t know how to do it. It’s taken several years of trial and error, but I’m finally at a place where I want to be in control of my career, and I’m ready to share my art with the world! If there’s anything I’ve learned from the process, it’s that no thing has been a failure–every struggle has provided a lession which has pushed me forward!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well my favorite activities involve the outdoors. On any given day, I would take them to some place like Papago Park, the Boyce Arboretum, or South Mountain for a hike. For lunch we’d go to one of my absolute favorite eateries in Phoenix, Goji Berry. In the afternoon I might show them around Oldtown Scottsdale or Roosevelt Row. Dinner would have to be Cauliflower Wings and Mac & Cheese from Hot Sauce and Pepper! We would definitely take a day to go down to Sedona and swim in the water at Crescent Moon Ranch (probably taking photos the whole time!)

We would definitely have to hit up First Friday on Roosevelt Row, and walk around Tempe Town Lake. On one special night, we might head over to the Nash to listen to some music!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All my gratitude first must go to my family–my sisters, mother and father. They have always been supportive of me being an artist, and continue to cheer me on constantly!

My dear friends who taught me everything I know about using a camera, Kevin Forrest and Caitlin Callahan, thank you!

A huge thank you to Katie, Emma, and Tina and Tempe Camera for being such great cheerleaders!

And finally, a huge shoutout to my supportive and loving partner, Daniel who constantly pushes me to keep trying!

Website: angelicaponceprints.com

Instagram: @angelicaponceprints

Image Credits
Katie Flaherty