Stefan Canchola

Can you tell us your name, age, hometown and passion?

My name is Stefan Abram Canchola. My hometown is Globe, AZ. I’m 24 years old,   and my passion is definitely photography, and the arts in general.

What dream are you currently living out?

I am actively pursuing my love of photography. I’ve been working steady now for months on a number of projects; everything from weddings, senior portraits, family and children’s portraits to fashion type photography, engagement portraits and outdoor photography and some experimental shoots. Not only do I do photography, but I have a very dear childhood friend who is engaged in the graphic arts and media world. We have a myspace page called “316 Digital Concepts” which allows both of us to work on projects for ourselves as opposed to only what our clients want. We draw upon so many influences that inspire us, for example- movies, books, science fiction, music and imagery. We really try to present our own stamp on our creativity while still paying homage to our influences.

Where were you before you decided it was possible to pursue your dream?

I had been living in Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. I had first moved there in the summer of 2005, and I really didn’t have any direction or plans, I just felt the need to spread my wings and see what was out there. I had gotten involved in construction work through a friend of mine and I was a drywall finisher. I did that for about 2.5 years and then the housing market started to decline. I went from making very good money, to not being sure if I was going to afford my rent or eat that week. I ended up getting a job in Costumer Service for Apple computers. The job itself I loved, as well as the company and the product. I spent 40 hours a week, on the phone for 10 hours a day, with people who were buying amazing computers and equipment for their endeavors- from musicians and artists to teachers and students. I found myself thinking that it was time that I actually take proactive steps towards my own wants and goals. It was during this time that I had a sudden moment of realization, and I put everything else down and pursued my photography.

So this was around October/November 2007 and my lease on my apartment was going to be up soon in the spring. I had already been making some strategic moves when I decided what I was going to do. I started to spend more time looking for on-line courses; I opened up a myspace page to showcase my work. I took a lot of basic steps to get the ball moving, so to speak. When my tax return check came back and all my bills could be covered for a few months, I quit my job one day and I was on a bus the next day to Florida. I spent a week there to get as far away from my world as possible. This was of symbolic importance because the alone time allowed me to find the determination to decide that photography was what I wanted to pursue. I found that clarity, came back to my hometown and really went forward with it.

When you committed yourself to that path, what changed for you?

What changed for me was the necessity of having to provide everything for everything. I am gratefully back home with my parents, and I work and provide for myself, but the little extra money that I bring can be devoted exclusively towards my projects.

Since I’ve been back I can actively pursue photography. Within a few weeks of me coming home, I did my first official wedding and I’ve had opportunities come up since. I am the only one really doing this in the town and I’m already being tapped for other events and things.

What kind of mental barriers and fears did you have to overcome?

Deep down I do think people want to see you happy, but sometimes when you jump off the deep end – which I think is necessary because you have to take a chance – you get a lot of mixed feelings from people. Sometimes that can be discouraging because you are excited about your work and what you do, and you want to show it to others. They may compliment you, but sometimes you think they could have more positive things to say.

I’ve taken several big steps. When I had moved back here I knew that I needed part time work, and I also knew that I would need to be available on weekends because that is primarily when events happen. I got a job at Wal-Mart in the photo lab. That had been going fine for a while. Then they couldn’t/wouldn’t work with my schedule needs, so I had to quit and that was at the end of August this year. The funny thing is that since I’ve walked away I have been paying my bills through the jobs that I’ve been getting. That has been for about 6 weeks now.

Did you have any internal fear though?

Self-preservation is always going to be a primary concern no matter what you are doing. I’m not looking for fame or money, all I want to do is actively do it and let my name be stamped to whatever I’m doing. Most of the people that I have admired are musicians. My admiration has always been towards those who are not “mainstream”, the ones who believed in their music, the ‘active working musicians’. That is what I want for myself, to simply be working at what I love, and what I’m good at doing. There’s really no better satisfaction at the end of the day than that.

I find that there are endless opportunities for what I do, but one still needs to be able to take care of the necessities; that is one thing that weighs heavily on my mind. Fortunately for me, I only have myself to worry about and I always seem to manage. I have confidence in my ability to network and I know if I need to make quick cash, I know a lot of people who do odd jobs.

What kind of feedback or advice were you given and how did you perceive it?

There are people whose opinion matter most and you lean towards those people who you trust. I have an uncle who is very multitalented, and one of the things he does is photography. He pointed out to me the things I could work on. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride a little and except constructive critics if you want to improve and get better. The encouragement is good to keep you going and not give up. but also helps you be realistic and realize what you have to do to keep your head above water, because really, the times are tough.

What would you say inspired you to reflect on your former circumstances and begin to define how you wanted to live your life?

The conditions were less than ideal working construction in the heat of the day in Phoenix. Basically what wore on me, was coming home at night and having to go to bed because I was so exhausted, not even having the time to watch a movie or do something I wanted. No matter what kind of job you have, you are going to be tired when you get home, but it is one hundred times worse when you work construction. I simply had it in mind that I want to work for something that I believed in and something that is gratifying. I may not be rich but I can stand by what I do and say that I am proud of it. That is what I wanted to have at the end of the day.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I draw upon a vast well of inspiration, and I think that sometimes it is both my strength and weakness. Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew, and try to accomplish some things that at the moment are out of my reach, in the way of skills per se. I had read that in photography you can have an endless amount of subcategories for what a person can sub specialize in. I enjoy it in general for what it is. I talk a lot about musicians because my father was a musician. At one time I would try to pick up all kinds of instruments and he said to me, “It’s all fine if you like what you like, but you have to learn to play what you may not like to.” For instance, I don’t like country music but to be a working musician I may have to play a country song. With photography, I would prefer to do very abstract and artsy things, but depending on who you are talking to, you can’t necessarily bring dark and moody to a wedding, children’s portraits or Valentines Day. You have to learn to fulfill what the client wants.

For example, the first wedding that I shot was in the middle of the day and that mid day sunlight is a nightmare to work with. A lot of the shots I was getting were very dark toned and shadowy. The person I did them for loved them because they loved black and white. When I took them to a mentor I got a lot of criticism for them because when I looked at the shots again from his perspective, I could see that they were very unflattering. The bride should always look angelic and glowing, and the last thing you want is a menacing presence, something dark and moody. I hadn’t really looked at it that way. You have to file that for yourself.

How has your perspective on life changed?

I don’t want to say it’s changed because I have always been optimistic. My stance is that the glass is not empty or full, you have to ask yourself where you want it to be and do something about it. I’m very pro-active. It is a fulfillment of everything that I have believed in to figure out what I want to do and not let anything stop me. It has improved my perspective and it is always reaffirming and testing whether or not I am sticking to my guns.

What have you learned about life from your journey?

You can look at examples of people who came from all the best situations that anybody could ever hope or ask for, and what they do with it is just a nightmare because they don’t live up to their true potential so to speak. And vice versa, someone who comes from the worst conditions can be a total success and do beyond anything you could ever imagine because of where they came from. So for me what I have learned from life, is that you have to make it happen. Ultimately, I believe that you have to make the best of your situation.

How do you perceive society?

As a whole I perceive it to be in a very sad state. I believe that a person can be influenced for good, but the way that the masses can be so easily swayed is depressing sometimes.

What would be your advice to other people who also want to pursue their dreams?

I think the idea that you have to make the time is very important. I had made the comment that what I wanted more than anything else was to be active in it. I had already embraced the idea that there might be periods where I may have to work other jobs, but my primary goal and emphasis is on photography. I have told people that I am very grateful that I made that concrete decision at 23 years-old. How sad it is for people who go through their lives and realize at 50 they are not doing what they want to be doing.

What I would say to people is, if you have an idea or a passion, don’t shelve it. Even if you can only give it 2 hours a week or every night for half an hour, don’t shelve it or bench it and then forgot about what you love to do. It is those things that we love to do that make us who we are. The second that you forget about it and put it away, is when you become a person who just goes through life not doing or being what you want to be. That is probably one of the saddest things that can be.

What is most important to you in life?

My faith. I am spiritually minded and fulfilling that is bottom line the most important thing. It goes hand in hand with what I am doing too. I believe that God created humans and he created humans to be happy. Whether you are religions or not, a sentiment that you can appreciate is that God is opening His hand and He wants to satisfy our desire. I believe that if you put Him first, or whatever your belief is, anything else can only be secondary but at the same time can be just as fulfilling because you feel complete.

What are most proud of?

It’s funny to say this out loud, ha! I think what I am most proud of in life is my overall demeanor and my attitude towards things. Like I’ve said before, it speaks volumes when people can come from the worst situations and be proud of making whatever is good in their life happen. We don’t always have it easy, but we can make it better by how we chose to be. That is probably what I am most proud of.

What is your next dream?

The next step for me is to be active with it, never give up doing what I love, and extend what I do to be constantly working. I live in a beautiful state and sometimes we don’t always appreciate it when we live here. I want to get out and appreciate that more. My dad has always had a garden and I have always enjoyed taking pictures of flowers. As much as I love the dark and abstract, I also love taking pictures of sunsets and flowers. The more I feed that the more opportunity I have to be diverse and accept different kinds of jobs.

Anything else you would like to say?

When you get to know people you get to see that people have gifts, we all have something. Whatever we do, and the fact that we can share that with other people, contributes to others being happy and joyful. I have a friend who is very multi-talented and we have pushed each other back and forth with our talents. Whatever it is that you like to do, do it to some degree. You can find other people who like to do what you do, and you can be involved in some sort of community who really appreciates and celebrates what you do. Just to feel that is worth it.

To learn more about Stefan and his work, click on the links below:

www.myspace.com/cancholastudiosphoto

www.myspace.com/316digitalconcepts