Anthony Acosta Interview

So as I started to shoot skating one of the first photographers that caught my eye was Anthony. He was also one of the first photographers I went to with the idea of getting up on the blog. Never having done this before I was not sure what to expect, but Anthony came back with a real chill and positive vibe. I look forward to our paths crossing one day but until then...Thanks for all your feed back and willingness to help with this post. I know when and if I ever get posed the question, "who inspires you?" my answer will be first and foremost Mr. Acosta.

Christian

C: Name, age, location, occupation.
A: Anthony Acosta Jr, age 30, Norwalk, Ca, Photographer.

C: I saw your Mag minute on the skateboard mag site, you rip. How did photography find its way to you?
A: I've been skateboarding for a little over 20 years, I was sponsored for a while and was around a lot of skate photographers all the time. I always thought it was the raddest job one could have. I ended up assisting a good friend on photo shoots for a while, and he taught me the basics and gave me my first camera. That was the birth of my photo career.

C: Do you travel much and are you a fan of traveling?
A: I travel often and I love it! I've been blessed to have traveled the world through my job. My favorite spot traveled so far is Nicaragua

C: When you set out to get your work published was that difficult?
A: Fortunately I started out shooting my friends who happened to be top professional skateboarders like Danny Garcia and Daewon Song. Once I had decent photos of these guys, their sponsors always needed photos of them for ads, and that's how I got my first photos published.

C: Self taught, schooling, internships, or some blend?
A: My friend and photographer Joe Toreno taught me the basics, like how to work a camera and stuff like that. But everything else I kinda picked up on my own.

C: When you are not shooting skating what is your favorite thing to shoot?
A: When I'm not shooting skating, my favorite thing to shoot is my family. I have soo many photos of my wife and 17 month old mini me! I love taking their picture!

C: What is the worst, and the best thing about doing a shoot in your opinion?
A: The best thing is that every shoot is different, whether it be locations, subjects, or ideas, hardly any two shoots are the same. The worst part of a shoot could be getting kicked out by security, getting to a spot that's skate proofed, or someone getting injured trying to get a photo.

C: Film, digital or both?
A: Mostly digital, but I just got a Leica M6 that I've been super into for personal stuff!

C: Any photographers you look up to out there?
A: Seu Trinh, Mike O'Meally, Brian Gaberman, Jon Humphries, Atiba, Grant Brittain

C: Advice you might give to aspiring photographers?
A: Advice for someone trying to shoot skateboarding would be to know skateboarding first. You can tell by the photographs if someone really knows skateboarding or not, its very transparent. Same concept applies to a lot of photography.

C: If your not doing it now what would be a dream gig?
A: Working for a travel magazine of some sort. Or a gourmet food judge :)

C: Thanks a ton for your time and for fielding my questions. Any shout outs as the curtain falls on our little interview?
A: Thanks to all the people that have let me take their photo and to my family that puts up with my long hours in the streets. I Also thank Jesus for opening doors for me to be able to do what I love as a job, I am very very very very fortunate.