We had the good fortune of connecting with Saúl Sandoval Navarrete and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Saúl, how do you think about risk?
Risk has meant everything to me. I was born in Mexico but raised in Houston. I came to the United States when I was young. I hardly remember the mother land. But when I arrived in Houston I started to build out community and learn English. I still remember words like “immigrant” and “illegal” being tossed around at school. As a kid, I remember coming home and asking my mom if I was I was “one of them”. Secretly, I wished I was. The idea of being different was so incredibly cool to me. And to my surprise my mom said yes. I asked if I was undocumented and she said, “we are”. I was over the moon thinking I was different. It wasn’t until years later, in high school, that I discovered the truth behind those words. They meant I couldn’t attend college with federal aid. It mean those study abroad or visit family in Mexico. It meant I had to deny opportunities to explore and experience the world. It meant that I was trapped.

It was in 2012 when DACA was instituted that I finally had a shot to attend college. My first risk was applying to college. I applied to a scholarship called Posse. I had to go through three rounds of intensive interviews. At the end of the selection process I was invited to attend the University of Virginia. At that point I had never been to the school or even had heard of it. But I said yes to attending. I graduated in 2018 and became the first in my immediate family to attend and graduate college. I had taken a risk my family never had the opportunity to take. After, I graduated I came back to Houston to work in the higher education space. I wanted to go back and contribute to something that gave me so much.

While in college and in post grad I got to work with different communities. I worked with organizations that prioritized people and stories. After college I continued to meet people and build relationships. I realized the weight of shared stories and how they can change lives. Over the years I’ve been able to connect with others by interchanging stories.

In that time after college I bought my first camera. Moments mean everything to me and discovering how to shoot on a “professional” camera allowed me to capture those moments. Photography has been a discovery for me. The joy I get by taking a second to stop and shoot is true happiness. I’ve taken risk after risk throughout my life to get where I am. And because of that I wanted to take another risk by starting my own business, one of stories. Chico Photos was the start. Over the past year I’ve tried to turn my hobby into something more. I’ve started to book graduation shoots and small events to begin building my portfolio. However, my goal is something else. I want to build a strong enough portfolio to share moments of small shops and local people and give them a platform. That’s the dream, one I’m working to build.

As a kid that never got to truly share his story, I want to be a catalyst for others.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Throughout my life everything everything always felt fast paced. . Life in a sense has been about survival. Whats the next step? How can you support your mom or sister? How can you get to college? How can you make more money? It’s never been about the moment. When I discovered photography I discovered what it felt like to finally breathe. How to take a moment. Taking a shot is a series of small decisions. Thinking about focal length, aperture, shutter speed, composition all of these little choices create a story. They create art. These decisions make me forget about the tomorrow and focus on the now. What is the story I am trying to tell. Snapping the shutter not only captures an exposure but also freezes time and space.

Photography has allowed me to tell stories. I started my business Chico Photos as a way to build a platform. I want to connect with the voiceless communities, and photograph/write about their journeys. So many people today get silenced by systems and never get a chance to tell their experiences. I want to be someone who can help champion a movement. The stories of undocumented folks, of the migrant workers, of the small mom and pop shops, of the neglected. Those are the stories I hope to tell in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Las Aguas Calientes has to be one of the best gorditas places in Houston. So many amazing memories have been spent sitting and eating some incredible Mexican cuisine here.

El Taconazo has to be one of the best places for Tacos in Houston. The line is typically long but that’s because it’s worth it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is my mom and little school.

My rock, my mom, is a woman who has fought hell and back and has continued to push forward despite life’s adversity. A woman’s who story has never been told. A woman who came from Mexico to Houston and did everything in her power to build a life for herself and her family. A series of unfortunate events led her to fighting for survival. But despite the hardships of life she always looked out for me and made sure I was okay. Till this day she continues to fight. I’m not here without her.

My mom pushed me to attend a school called Chinquapin, a boarding school on the outskirts of Houston. A school that taught me to be the man I am today. The Chinquapin School is a space where students stay Monday-Friday and teachers live on campus. The school mentors students coming from low socio economic environments and provides top tier education. This school introduced me to some incredible mentors, taught me to take ownership of my mistakes, and stand up for what I believe. The school had us mowing lawns, cleaning pots and pans, and building community in dorms. This school took me out of my home life, one that was beginning to weigh on me. This school protected and cared for me.

Without the fight of a woman and the protection of a school I would not be where I am today.

Website: https://www.chico-photos.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsandovalwebber/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saúl-sandoval-navarrete-37a007296/

Image Credits
All pictures are photographed by me

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.