Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Curtin.
Hi Joe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Los Angeles, born to parents from Coronado. We’d come down to San Diego for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summers. At the start of high school, my mom pulled out her old Minolta analog SLR from the 80’s, taught me the basics, and sent me on my way. Film was cheap then, and I’d ride my bike to CVS to develop my photos onto CDs with my allowance money. I started uploading to Flickr and Tumblr, which were booming at the time, pre-Instagram. The internet was still a place you went to, not something that followed you around 24/7. I gained traction uploading photos of my friends doing typical California teenage things: running across the beach at sunset, biking to the abandoned train tracks, house parties.
Photography always formed a part of my life, but it wasn’t until after Covid that I really considered it as a job. Now I shoot everything from weddings to cultural & art events, portraits to documentary projects and photojournalism. For me, taking photographing is a way to capture the world around me and make it make sense.
In 2017, after graduating from Boston University with a degree in Film & TV and a minor in Spanish, I moved to Mallorca, Spain with an English teaching program. I thought I’d be here a year or two (spoiler: I’m currently answering these questions from my apartment in Palma, which I share with my partner David and our two cats). I don’t split my time 50/50, but I do spend a good chunk in California, and now that my parents are back in Coronado, coming home means being in San Diego, which I love – the people, the beaches, all of it. I’m hoping future trips let me connect more with San Diego for artistic and photographic projects. Every visit brings more friends, connections, and discoveries.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been anything but smooth. Believing in yourself enough to turn a hobby into a passion, and a passion into your life’s work, is daunting. I’ve advanced a lot and finally feel comfortable calling myself a working photographer/filmmaker, but there’s still a long journey ahead. Some struggles are external and logistical: How do you budget for a shoot, handle invoices and taxes properly, survive the off season when there’s no income and savings are running out? That’s when you have to get resourceful and inventive. Other struggles are internal: What if I fail? What if I’m not good enough? What am I even doing? Once you start really believing in yourself and your capabilities, however, things get easier. Everything flows and advances, sometimes slowly, but it happens.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a photographer and filmmaker, as well as working in production. Every week is a new adventure, one week doing photojournalism for local newspapers, the next working as hospitality coordinator at MajorDocs, Mallorca’s documentary film festival, the following week shooting a wedding in documentary style.
I’m most proud of deciding to go fully freelance, and six years later, still being able to do this work. I’m doing what I love, with the flexibility to take on different jobs and travel for work. When I get lost in the busyness, it’s easy to forget this is what I dreamed of 5, 10 years ago.
What sets me apart is hard to say, since I think everyone has their own unique contributions and perspective. What I do prioritize is a search for authenticity in everything: showing my subjects authentically, and always showing up as my true self so others feel they are safe to do so too.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
This was a big challenge for me. Networking and putting myself out there felt so difficult. People responded positively to my presence and energy, but I was stuck in negative thought loops in my own head. It’s important to find a way to talk to yourself, in the mirror, or just in your head, and say, “I am worthy of being in these spaces, my energy and opinions are valid, if I’m authentically myself I’ll connect better with those around me.” At the end of the day, you have to show up, meet people, ask questions, and share your story. It’ll be easier to look people in the eye and shake their hand if you’ve previously trained yourself a bit and gotten yourself out of your negative thoughts. With practice it gets easier, and you’ll naturally make connections with mentors who will guide you on your journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://joecurtin.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/joecurtin_
- Other: https://substack.com/@joecurtin
