Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerardo Jimenez.
Hi Gerardo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Chompi Media is an automotive photography service that is derived from a passion for cars from an early age. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where car enthusiasts looked for the way to modify their cars to be show stoppers. Growing up, being a car enthusiast ran through my mother’s side of the family. My uncle, being a circuit racer himself, took me to one of his events and I absolutely fell in love with the sound, smell, environment, and everything about it. My uncle used to be accompanied by my grandfather. He kept communication with my uncle through his headphones as he raced, being his eyes and ears and ensuring my uncle and his vehicle were performing up to par. As I grew older, my passion for cars kept growing. My dad, knowing how much I enjoyed it, used to whine up the revolutions of his Honda Accord as he picked me up from school. Other kids would be embarrassed, for me it was the best part of my day. When I reached my teenage years, I went to these local events called “La Fiebre”. It was like taking a kid to Disneyland. The cars were loud, they were highly modified, and the owners showed how proud they were of what they had build. Once I turned 21, I decided to join the U.S. Navy in order to keep pursuing my college education and to somehow land in what I saw as paradise, San Diego, California. As it is one of the biggest cities in the nation were U.S. Navy members got stationed, my hopes were high. While in training in Virginia Beach, I bought what I always saw as my dream car, a 2007 Subaru WRX Hawkeye. I started taking pictures of my car with my iPhone and fell in love with it even more. After Virginia Beach, I went to Florida for three years.
In Florida, I bought a 2017 Mustang GT. At this point, I decided to buy the proper camera equipment in order to elevate the quality of my pictures which were for personal use at the moment. I never forgot about my dream of living in San Diego, so I kept requesting it as much as I could until my dream came true. San Diego is one of the biggest hubs for the car community in the nation. Therefore, I was not going to stop requesting it until I got it. Time passed and I got my wish granted. In 2019, I established myself in San Diego and instantly started going out to car events. Made lots of amazing friends and met who is now the mother of my son. I kept taking pictures of my car until friends started to notice and asked me to do the same with their cars. Here is where I discovered that I could potentially do this as my dream job. What’s better than not only being in San Diego but also being around cars for a living? Nothing. My passion for cars and photography grew immensely to where I started creating business cars, shirts, my photography page through Instagram and realized that I could do it as a service where I charge and make it a “side hustle”. I kept hustling to better my craft. Being self-taught, I was constantly looking at YouTube tutorials, did practice runs with my car, and edited the same pictures over and over just to see how it could affect my photography. After being hired for photoshoots by wheel manufacturing companies and a car community public figure, I decided to publish my website and keep pursuing the dream of giving my son the best life he can have through my photography.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just like anything, my journey has had its ups and downs. The biggest challenge is the amount of competition for automotive photography there is in San Diego. Knowing this, I strived, and still do, to get better at my craft on a daily basis. Having some amazing photographers in the city, getting clients was a very big challenge as they deviated to others for their pictures. I started offering my services for free, doing giveaways, promoting myself in any way I could just to have more content. I still have to do all of those things with how good my peers are. The thing is that we are all like family. We share scenic locations with each other, take pictures of each other’s cars, and go to car events where we spend time together. The automotive photography industry in San Diego is competitive, but we enjoy it so much that it’s all smiles when we see each other.
As you know, we’re big fans of Chompi Media. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Chompi Media specializes in optimizing the visuals any car deserves. From luxury to street style modified, our photography skills are put to the test to provide high-end quality photography of those well-deserved vehicles. From a complex process of getting the right angles to editing the images for the best scenery that compliments a car.
My services are provided to suit anyone’s schedule. I conduct photoshoots in any part of the city, at any time of the day. However, my strong suit lands during sunset or sunrise timeframe. During this time, the shiny orange-colored sky compliments the car in an amazing way. Every photoshoot session is different though. Some cars are better to be photographed at night as they portray a meaner look. Some are better during the daytime as it gives it a much more colorful and vibrant look. As a photographer, it is extremely important to understand the lighting and placement of the object that you are photographing. Through my years of experience, I’ve gained the proper knowledge to understand these factors and grow professionally on a daily basis.
What matters most to you? Why?
In a personal perspective, the most important aspects of my life are my family. I could not do any of this without them. My son gives me the motivation I need to ensure that I give him a life full of joy. I’ve always viewed life as a one time opportunity to create something that genuinely makes you happy. This is something that I want my son to understand. That while growing up, it doesn’t matter what anyone says regarding what he should do with his life. I want him to see me and understand that I am genuinely happy as my income derives from something that I’m passionate about and comes from my heart. A passion that I followed and crowned. Whatever it is that he will enjoy, he should enjoy it to the fullest, as his parents will always support him to reach his goals in whatever field that might be.
From a professional point of view, I prioritize room for growth. People are under the impression that age defines your room for growth. I live under the rule that every single day I have to do something to either get out of my comfort zone or something to be better than yesterday because tomorrow is never promised. Through Chompi Media, I’m always looking for ways to be better in every aspect that I could think of. My worse nightmare is to grow old and look back to realize that I didn’t give my family the life they deserved or that I never tried something because of fear to fail. Although it could of given me the best life I could of had. I prioritize growth over any luxury because that growth will give me luxury in the future. Being 27 years old, I see my future being one full of happiness and passion for my job. However, to keep that, I have to improve professionally and personally every day.
Contact Info:
- Email: cmsupport@chompimedia.com
- Website: www.chompimedia.com
- Instagram: @Chompi_Media
