How Cinematography Saved My Life

As someone who started out in the stills world, how did you move into cinematography? 

To be truthful, cinematography came to me because I did not know what I wanted to do in life. (Laughs). Yes, I discovered stills photography first. I started my career as a photographer with a Nikormat, a 50 mm lens, and a B&W lab at home. I was shooting stills for a while, but my real journey opened up because of a storm.

In many ways, cinematography saved my life. I tend to be a sensitive person. For a person like me who feels a lot, it is important to have a way to express those feelings.

I was taking photos in a frozen lake in Fraser Lake, B.C.  And all of a sudden, it started snowing. First it was light, and then it became heavier… It was a mild snow storm. And there I was, in the middle of this frozen lake, with my camera.This was the first time I was seeing a snowfall like it. Everything was a white flurry, moving with no sounds at all. All that I could hear were the snowflakes falling upon my jacket.  It was so overwhelming… tears actually came to my eyes. Back home in Mexico, we relate to snow in a very poetic way, because we do not see it. Naturally, I wanted to capture the moment on camera. That is when I realized, one needs a moving camera to capture this beauty. A stills camera would not capture the moment. And so, my journey into cinematography began.

That is how nature directed me to become a cinematographer. I often say that cinematography was given to me by a natural source.

In many ways, cinematography saved my life. I tend to be a sensitive person. For a person like me who feels a lot, it is important to have a way to express those feelings. If you do not have a place to share what you feel, it grows inside of you. You have very intense feelings, but they are trapped inside you. If they do not have an outlet, he or she can become a serial killer in a second! Intense emotions need to be channeled.

I once read an interesting poem. It said, if you do not express the ideas or imagination that come to you - they come back and kill you. (Laughs) So, I am very grateful that this art came into my life.