Meet Candice Cantu | Photographer & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candice Cantu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candice, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Straight out of college I was hired as an admin for an energy company. As constant and steady as it was, the routine of communicating with the same people over the same issues and situations made the work days long and unexciting. I had spent my childhood dreaming of being a creative in some way. For a while I wanted to be a writer. Then I wanted to be a musician. Shortly after, as a young adult, I changed my mind and wanted to be a Graphic Designer. People would ask me what I wanted to really be and all I could say was “I just want to create things that make people happy, or make them feel like they can relate to me.” I’ve been doing photography since I graduated college in 2016 and in the last 2 years I have made it into a small business. From time to time I dabble in Design upon requests but photography has been my creative passion. As a creative career, it’s limitless and presents a plethora of opportunity from client to client and concept to concept. Leading life with a creative career reminds me that my world is not as small as it may feel sometimes, and that there is possibility in everything that can be captured through picture and motion. This path allows me to help bring voices to businesses, products, events, and most importantly, people.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel as though what sets me apart from others is my open mind and desire to connect with others through my work. I love challenges, new ideas, wild concepts and I love helping others feel confident in that curiosity to try something new, whether it’s with their portraits, products, or other. I am generally most proud of work that allows for more creative freedom in how it is presented and edited. Nothing is more satisfying than a client who has a vision but also trusts how you will interpret it with yours behind the lens and in post editing. Many experimental sessions, video tutorials, and inspirations from other artists I admire have gotten me to where I am today in how I carry myself and my work. It definitely wasn’t easy, especially in a current full time position with an inconsistent schedule. How do you find time to market? Network? Learn? However I used my position at work and my constant traffic of new customers and employees to gain practice and spread word of my small business, and I feel that is very valuable. I have learned that you can utilize where you are, even if it’s not where you want to be, to help you get to where you want to go. My position connects me with everyday people and I want my brand to reach across all ages, backgrounds, dreams, and people, and that is what is most important about my brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite spots in Houston are the ones I have stumbled upon for sessions, that have fun atmospheres. And I am definitely a sucker for outdoor spots, that seem tucked in small patch of nature aside from the bustling surrounding city, that offer some meditation and appreciation for art. Just to name a few, the James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace by Rice University is a beautiful structure with an LED light sequence. Another favorite is Smither Park that is entirely made of random pieces of art and glass, creating a beautiful mosaic park that several local artists had a hand in, with a gorgeous willow tree you can watch sway in the wind.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to my friend Franny! As passionate as I was about photography, I will admit there was a time I was stagnant in my work and my purpose in what I was working towards with my business. I met Franny through a friend at my full time job as a shopper, and heard she was grand opening a bar. Her and her husband own Franny’s Bartending business, and in the moment I felt I should reach out. I offered to come by and take photos for free, just to be in her presence and potentially network with others. Since then, she has opened my eyes to opportunities I had no idea were out there. I’ve met so many new people who are part of events that help others build their work up and offer advice. Franny is also an amazing example of a hard working woman who not only succeeds in everything she is a part of, but brings others up along with her, and donates her time and talent in tremendous ways that always multiply back to her and those around her, because of her incredible heart. Meeting Franny, talking to her, and working with her has been one of the best things that could have ever happened to me while I navigate where my business is going and I could not be more thankful.

Website: https://www.candidcantuphotography.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candidcantuphotography
Facebook: Candid Cantu Photography