Check Out Michael Gomez’ Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Gomez.

Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My photography career started when I was a bartender. Someone who was a customer suggested that I try acting. They paid for my headshot session so why not. I wasn’t sure about acting, but I did get my headshots done at a studio and It hit me that I would rather be on the other side of the camera working as a photographer. I immediately enrolled in the Nashville state community college photography program after a friend suggested it was a good school for this. I quit my bartending job and started working at the local photo store Dury’s. While working at the Dury’s Pro store, I met some professional photographers and eventually got the chance to become a photo assistant. Not long after becoming a busy assistant, I found a community studio to shoot out of and there was a modeling agency located in the same building. I began to build my portfolio and shot local bands and friends. During this time I was assisting a lot of different photographers and shooting at the same time.

I got the chance to work with the legendary photographer Slick Lawson. We hit it off and he became my mentor. I continued to shoot and assist and one day Slick told me to take all of his gear to my studio and use it and he would call me if he needed it. This was a huge help and my career really started to take off more after this. I was still assisting and shooting and began to work with music labels and independent artists and several other talent agencies. One day Slick called me and told me to meet him at the Grand Ole Opry for a photo shoot for a magazine. I packed up all the gear and met the art director and set up the backdrop and lights. Slick showed up and about 30 minutes later Wille Nelson and Waylon Jennings showed up and Slick told me to take a Polaroid. He showed it to the art director and said it looked good. He began to shoot and I changed out his film.

When he was done he asked me for my business card and gave it to the director and told him to call me next time and he did. I thanked Slick for all that he had done for me and he just told me to do him a favor and help the next guy when I had the chance. It’s been 31 years now and I have had so many opportunities to work with so many celebrities and other clients and all the time doing what Slick told me to do. Help the next guy. Now I have all of Slick’s archives and I started a nonprofit to help photographers and video producers get started in the business.

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?
Being a total right-brain person makes it easy to be creative and work with people but when it comes to organization and doing accounting books, I know I need to hire someone else for that part. A lot of artists have this issue but the trick is to be good enough so you can pay someone to handle this part of the business. Educating clients to understand image usage rights has also been a challenge but my mentor Slick and other photographers who I assisted over the years were a big help to learning this process.

This is why being a photo assistant or having a mentor is so important in this trade. There are always struggles in life no matter what one does but the most important part is understanding the why and my purpose so I can keep following my passion. It helps me stay grateful for all that I have been able to accomplish and look forward to doing much more of this while helping the next guy do the same.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When I first started my photography career I did a lot of acting headshots and models portfolio work and portrait work. I still do a lot of this today with the addition of music artists and celebrities. I have worked for magazines, shooting for their articles, and have worked for travel companies.

Working as an assistant, I was able to learn many different styles of photography and did them all well but when it really comes down to it I love to do portraits and headshots. This is what I’m known for the most. I like it when a customer comes in as a client and leaves as a friend because of the connection we make during the photo session.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
One of my favorite childhood memories is when my brother, Julian, and I sat next to the creek in our neighborhood. He sat down on an arrowhead and it poked him in the butt. He jumped up with a scream and looked for what it was that poked him pulling up an ancient beautiful Atlatl arrowhead.

I thought it was amazing and wondered how it was made. I tried most of my life to figure it out and a few years ago I found a group of Flintknappers who were marking them. With YouTube and working with this group I learned what I have been trying to learn all of my life. It is so rewarding and therapeutic to be able to fulfill this childhood dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gomezphotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/michaelgomezphotography?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Other: www.slicklawsonfoundation.org