Jorge Gomez
Gomez began his photography career with Tumblr, but he's continued to develop his craft since his selfie-posting days. The first step was saving up for his first real camera.
“I honestly started just doing photography at my church,” Gomez tells the Observer. “Then I began going out on the streets of Dallas and just shooting.”
Gomez has learned a lot about what it takes to be a good photographer. “You need to have the eye for it and a vision,” he says. “If you have that, then you're set."
Now his portraits are detailed and filled with light play, which he captures with his lens and enhances through editing. His concepts are always intriguing, and it's fun to identify the Dallas locales. His account, georgeofthejunglecx, has 14,800 followers.
Jorge Gomez has come a long way since his Tumblr days.
Jorge Gomez
Alacron started with street-style photography and rooftopping, taking photos on the ledges of tall buildings. His photos incorporating depth and the Dallas skyline are some of the most intense photographs you will find on Instagram.
As Alacron developed a reputation in the Dallas creative community, he began to partner with Instagram models for portrait work.
“I got into the practice of photography because it was a way to connect with others,” he says. “There is something special about those connections that fill me with happiness.”
His Instagram, Swayslife, has a follower count of 12,800.
Obidi Nzeribe
Nzeribe is a young talent whose popularity has shot up in the last six months.
“Being creative through my photography is the best form of self-expression I know,” he says.
His recent progress was inspired by a trip to California. His photos are bold, clean, emotional and high fashion.
“I think my biggest motivation to do photography is the passion and joy it gives me,” he says. “I’m my happiest when I have a model with me and we are just creating art.”
His Instagram account, obislens, has amassed 7,300 followers.
[image-12] Timothy Hoang
Hoang's background is in videography, but in the last year, he's delved into portrait photography that celebrates everyday people. After a summer trip to Vietnam, he came back with a new sense of purpose and rebranded his Instagram.
“I had the realization that I have been exposed to an environment that was outside of the modern world; I lived in a shack for a day and a half," Hoang says. "I had never embraced my own culture and never wanted to really spread meaning through my work and just show cool stuff. There is so much flash and no substance, but I wanted to bring value.”
Hoang is now working with some of the biggest influencers in Dallas, such as Brittany Dawn, Dani Austin and Jeanine Amapola. His technical skill shines through in his portraits. They're whimsical and filled with light, and they make frequent use of contrasting blue and orange tones. His Instagram account, storiesbytim, has 9,600 followers.
Jesus Martinez
Martinez's style of portrait photography is to capture the motion of the city. His portraits aren't just pretty girls looking into the camera. It's a mom and daughter sitting on the DART train or a young woman looking out the window, listening to the street sounds as she tries to read a novel.
“I love photography because it captures a moment in time which you can never get back,” Martinez says. “You’ll never get the same picture, no matter how many times you try to take the same shot.”
Martinez is on Instagram at Justmtz and has a following of 5,172.
Jesus Martinez
Khan began her career modeling for Dallas photographers but soon picked up a camera herself.
“I remember feeling really nervous and insecure until one of the photographers let me take a couple of shots with his camera.” Khan says. “After taking a few shots, he was surprised to see the photos came out nice and that I have an eye for photography.”
Today, photography and modeling are Khan's career.
“I’ve grown a lot as an artist since then. Photography definitely keeps me on my toes. There is always something to learn or improve on,” she says. “With every shoot I do now, there’s always a chance to express myself and my vision more creatively. I can’t imagine life without photography, and this is all thanks to a DM on Instagram.”
Khan’s Instagram account, VisualsbyMichelle, has 7,340 followers.
Michelle Khan
Nguyen started taking photos two years ago because his friends were doing it. What kept him taking images was the quality of what he was producing.
"In 2017, I had a resolution where I would start taking it seriously,” Nguyen says. “That is also the year I went from 2,000 to 13,000 followers in a year.”
Nguyen’s work is interesting because of its sci-fi and '80s aesthetic. “I perceive the world in such a different way,” he says. “The reason my Instagram name is nguyenlucid_ is because I lucid dream.”
Nguyen says he dreams many of his concepts, and others are inspired by his childhood.
“When I was little, I would watch a lot of sci-fi and technology. The fact that I can take that idea and put it in real life is so incredible," he says. "I really dig the '80s, tech, futuristic and Japanese vibes. I am just so humbled that is what is people are perceiving too.”
Nguyen has 13,200 Instagram followers.
Finny
Finny has been in the game for a while, but he didn't always like it. “At first, I hated photography because I didn’t have the right mindset for anything photography related,” he says. “I was extremely introverted and shy, especially trying to socialize in everyday life.”
It wasn’t until he became aware of the online photography community that he gave it a shot. "I decided I needed a change and followed their footsteps,” Finny says. “I went into downtown alone with an iPhone and started taking photos of everything.”
Finny has 10,600 followers on his account, instinctiveshot.
Allie Norado
Norado is a portrait photographer who began her journey in film and has shot some of the biggest names in K-pop, as well as local models such as Gabrielle Wisdom, Skylar Eissman and Michelle Khan.
“I began in film and loved it, but I began to meet digital photographers and wanted to grow and expand my craft,” Norado says. “Photography wasn’t ever a business for me; it was just something I really enjoyed. Then over the last six months, my brand and followers began to grow. I wasn’t expecting that.”
Norado also works for DTX Women, which empowers women in the creative business in the Dallas area.
"I had never thought about likes or followers; I never realized what it could lead to,” Norado says. “Then late 2016, I decided I wanted to start doing something more. I began to reach out to models and shooting test shoots.”
Norado, aka allienoradophotog, has a following of 2,866.
Daniel Tran
Tran began with landscape photography but is slowly integrating his love of nature into portraits. He's not a flashy photographer; instead, he uses light and shadow to bring out the natural beauty of his subjects.
"My dad was a photographer, so growing up, there would always be a camera around,” Tran says. “He'd bring it with him everywhere we went, whether it's the park or a trip to the convenience store.” Tran picked up the trade through what he calls “natural osmosis.”
“I choose photography as my medium because of its unique qualities. It enables me to capture things as they are at an instant or moment in time that may or may not ever happen again,” he says. “The textures, expressions and nuances of light allow me to translate ideas and emotions through the medium.”
His Instagram account, traniel, has more than 22,000 followers.
