Today we’d like to introduce you to Marco Ruiz and Jossue Dejesus.
Hi Marco and Jossue, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Our passion for photography and videography started at Strong Tower Community Church, where we were asked to be part of the media team. As time went on and we dedicated more time to the ministry, we both fell in love with taking pictures and creating videos. Doing what you love is never a waste of time, so there were times where even if we weren’t doing media for church, we would go out just to take pictures. Our devotion was so great that we started doing photoshoots for friends and got to do a product shoot for a local baking business. At the time, we just did it for fun and to gain more experience outside of a church setting, but once we posted our work, multiple people were impressed and felt we had potential. That’s when the conversation about starting our own business came up. After several conversations, we decided to take this passion of ours to a whole new level, and in February of 2023, we created our business, JTproductions. Since then, we have had plenty of photo shoots, and we are starting to see our hard work pay off. We want to be able to create an image or video that not only tells a story but also fills our clients with emotions, all while giving them a return ticket to a moment in their lives. With our determination and commitment to JTproductions, we hope that one day we will be able to make this hobby our full-time job.
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?
Thus far, we feel we have made a good amount of growth in a short amount of time, but as with any other business, it has its struggles. As of now, we feel building clientele has been a bit challenging. Although we have had several clients, as a small business, you constantly have to promote yourself, and finding the time to execute that on top of working 9 to 5 jobs has made it harder. Since starting JTproductions, finding and investing in the right gear has also been an obstacle. As we grow, we want to make sure we have reliable equipment in our efforts to continue to improve the quality of our work, so when thinking of investing in better equipment, we spend countless hours doing our research. Although there have been some struggles, the smoothest part by far has been networking. Speaking to people comes fairly easily to us both, and through our business, we have had the chance to meet clients who also have small businesses themselves and want to give us the opportunity to work with them in the future! At each session, we make it a priority to get to know our clients just as much as we would like them to learn about us.
We’ve been impressed with JTproductions, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
JTproductions is a photography and videography business based in San Diego. We photograph and make films on a variety of topics, such as couple’s shoots, graduations, engagements, etc. One thing we would like people to know about our business is its affordability. We believe everyone should have the chance of getting their photos professionally taken at least once, which is why we decided to price our sessions reasonably. Additionally, another attribute we are known for is our great personalities. Anyone who knows us will tell you we are “the life of the party,” and we are most certain that plays a part in the kind of experience our clients have with us. We recently heard from one of our customers how pleased he was with not only our work but also our capability to be interactive throughout his session. Moreover, what sets us apart from others is our vision, our willingness to learn more, and our creativity. We have a clear vision of what we want JTproductions to become. Behind the scenes, there is a plan of action and motivation for the kind of lifestyle we want to create for ourselves. However, this line of work certainly demands that we constantly learn new information about photography and videography. On a daily basis, we invest time in learning about new trends and the latest equipment. When it comes to creativity, we affirm that it is something that has to be worked like a muscle. There have been occasions where we have been assigned to make a church video with clips that are not always to our liking, and yet we make it work. It is in those situations that new creativity is uncovered because it forces us to think outside the box and leave our inner critic behind. Brand-wise, what makes us most proud overall is just starting the business. There are lots of people who start businesses, but not many are determined to see their dream come to fruition. It takes courage to start a business and get out of your shell, especially as young men. Nevertheless, we are committed to JTproductions and we are confident that if we continue our momentum, our hard work will open doors and put us on the map. That being said, we are always looking to shoot different types of content and collaborate with or bring exposure to other local businesses around San Diego!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
As we mentioned, we are continuously learning more about this field of work, and without a doubt, there are creators who inspire us. One of them is Josue Quinones, who is a local photographer, graphic designer, and founder of Sway Designs on Instagram. He’s someone we look up to because of the way he has built a platform for himself and extends his knowledge to young people at Faith Tabernacle Church, where he leads the media team. Besides Josue, we admire Jordan Verdin and Australian photographer Mike. These two men have inspired the way we edit our pictures. Not only that, but they make us want to go out and make content. Whether it’s taking pictures of random buildings, people, or animals, they motivate us to put in the work and continue pursuing our passion. Aside from these photographs, there are also videographers we are influenced by. Two of them are Danny Gervirtz and Matti Haapoja. What we enjoy about Danny is his ability to produce anything from movies to commercials and YouTube videos. One thing we love about his work is that it always has amazing color grading and sound design, which are two things we are currently trying to get better at. While Danny has taught us more cinematography, Matti is our YouTube guy who educates us on gear and helps us get out of our comfort zone. We can definitely mention others, but these men have stood out to us above the rest.
Pricing:
- $130 for a 30-minute session at one location. Will include 15 or more edited images
- $220 for a full-hour session at one location. Will include 20 or more edited images
- Brands who want to work with us will be given a quote based on their needs and the amount of hours they are hiring us for.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
JTproductions
Carlos Andrade
