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Javier Ospina. Art Director.

Directing Music Video Social Klash / Behind Scenes by @Aliona Zakharova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Javier Ospina.

Javier, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born in Venezuela in 1976, my passion for photography started at the early age of around eight years old.

My dad used to love taking pictures, always carrying his camera around. He wasn’t doing it professionally, rather for his own fulfillment and artistic discovery. It seemed like every day I was begging to try out his camera myself.

Back then, film was very expensive, and you sure didn’t want to waste it – my dad taught me resourceful photography so I would take my time choosing the right shot.

I wanted to surpass my dad’s pictures. I noticed that everyone took standing pictures, so I would always go down, take a different angle from a non-typical position. I would even climb to the top of trees to make my picture special. And I did. I was so excited every time to get to the darkroom to showcase the film and prove that my pictures surpassed my father’s.

However, though my pictures were good, they were lacking some technique. So, I started to experiment more with aperture and exposure. And that’s when I understood the beauty of light and how powerful a message a picture can tell.

I was so excited about photography that I wanted to get my own camera – I was ready to spend all my savings on it. But still, I needed a lot of film, which my father couldn’t afford. So, thinking I was turning out to be quite the expensive child, he decided to change my focus and sent me to the School of Arts where I studied painting. For a time, I left photography aside.

After art school, I got into music and decided to take guitar classes. My father couldn’t bear the noise, so he decided it would be better to have an expensive child than a loud one, and I returned to the art of photography.

My mother was into crafting and fashion design. Our house was always full of her crafts, pencils, and different materials which also played an essential part in my natural longing for art, developing my creativity, imagination, and sense of beauty.

At the age of 23, I started studying industrial design back in Venezuela. That’s the art of making something not only beautiful but also practical. This brought my creativity to a higher level of understanding the interaction between humans and objects.

However, I wanted to explore more of the world and different kinds of art – not static, but visual art. So, I moved to Spain and lived there for one year studying 3D animation.

Around this time, the political and economic situation in Venezuela grew increasingly unbearable, and I had to go to the USA to be closer to my family and continue my studies.

So, I studied graphic design for two years and then photography for another two years at Tulsa Technology Center.

One of the top companies in Oklahoma specializing in applications and website design had an agreement with my university to interview the best students. I was on that list, and this is how I ended up working for Straxis Technology as a senior designer, building a website for the City of Tulsa as well as designing a website interface for the U360 Mobile App. I was also working for a magazine as a senior graphic design director in charge of all publications.

Although I loved the opportunities it brought, I outgrew Oklahoma – a small place – and I wanted change and further growth. Since I grew up in a city by the ocean, my best decision was to move to Miami as I cannot live without the beach and sun. I partnered up with a friend to open a sales business which became successful very quickly. I was doing photography here and there but still was dreaming of becoming a photographer full-time. And regardless of all the money my business was bringing in, I finally decided to start from scratch.

My first client was a woman in real estate. I was recommended to her by my friend who suggested I start being more serious about my passion.

My first real estate pictures came out terrible – I had the wrong lens. In the beginning, I had a lot of funny stories while gaining professional experience. With time, I learned a lot; I was learning on the go.

I also opened a studio and started taking portraits which became a passion. Portraits for me are very personal. I sincerely enjoy interacting with people and I often take my time to chit-chat with the portraitee, have a cup of coffee together, et cetera, so I can find out more about my client. This helps me express their character better in my pictures. That also helps my models to relax in front of the camera and express their personality.

But I never stopped myself from trying out new styles.

Today, I own a company providing services that can resolve any task. I have my own production and editor team. I do weddings, portraits, product photography, and video production – which I love the most because it’s more challenging and I enjoy capturing motion and much more.

I’m looking forward to growing my company and I’m excited to have many more projects in the works.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Generally, my path was clear due to my creative background I had, and all the studies I completed shaped me into a multi functional professional.

Probably the hardest part for me is building my own team in order to grow my business. I’m very used to counting only on myself, knowing everything is under my control. I like to be a part of a big production team, but often I end up doing everything by myself, as it is important for me to see my client as happy as possible. Sometimes, I have to do three jobs at the same time, being unable to delegate. Yet, I enjoy pushing my limits to the maximum and seeing how I perform in a hectic environment.

I’m very demanding when it comes to those working for me – I always look for the highest quality, the highest standards, and excellent organization.

Otherwise, I love challenges and I don’t think anything is difficult if you love what you do.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When you say “photographer,” people often think it’s just a person who clicks a button. But I don’t specialize in one theme such as only fashion photography. I developed myself in different styles.

Apart from taking pictures, I do videography, as well as video editing, 360 tours, web design, cinematic weddings, music arrangements, working in the darkroom, studio work, portraits, and how to work best with lighting. I’m a deft hand at resolving technical issues too. And I’m known for being able to resolve any unexpected issues that might come up during work, and I always come up with a backup plan.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Few people know that in 2004, I won 2nd place in the national SkillsUSA Championship representing Oklahoma State in a competition. This competition didn’t include just photography but many other skills such as troubleshooting, darkroom management, studio portraits, interview, graphics design, and resume.

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