Meet Tony Aragon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Aragon.

Tony, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a landscape photographer and storm chasing photographer, born and raised here in Tucson, AZ. I grew up spending a lot of time wandering around the desert in the surrounding areas of Saguaro National Park West. I have always had a deep appreciation of the diverse landscape that Tucson offers, and of course our painted skies in the evenings. In my late teen years, an unexpected event happened and my life changed drastically. To clear my mind and sort out my thoughts and feelings, I used to drive the open roads all over the outskirts of Tucson, as well as spend a lot of time around Gates Pass or Mt. Lemmon.

In 2012 I started to take a lot of pictures of my outings, solely using my cellphone. I was seeing these landscapes with a different eye and a different mindset at this point, and I wanted to capture the beauty of it as best as I could. I began to pay more attention to the compositions and perspectives of my photos and began learning about post processing as well as other elements of photography. I always appreciated a captivating photograph that makes you feel something when you observe it, and I did believe I could teach myself how to become a photographer that captures those images.

In 2013 I started a separate Instagram account from my account, to share what I had been shooting for the past year. I wanted to get unbiased feedback on my photos, aside from friends and family “courtesy” complimenting what I was sharing, so I created the account under an anonymous name. The first and last name on my account simply read “ Some Guy”, and I chose “neatpicsitake” as my handle name, slightly influenced by a sarcastic catch phrase I used to say a lot. I didn’t tell anyone I knew about the account and after about half a year or so I had established several hundred followers and decided to link my name to “neatpicsitake” by sharing it with friends and family.

For Christmas in 2014, I have gifted my first camera, a Canon Rebel T5. I had no idea how to use an actual camera and started my journey through a lot of trial and error to learn as much as I could on my own. Even still, I haven’t relied much on a lot of YouTube or online tutorials along my journey. I know there is a lot of useful information at my disposal that I could have probably learned more quickly, but I’ve always been the type to want to get the camera in my hands and shoot and adjust until I get it right. I would be lying if I told you that I haven’t taken thousands of really bad shots and messed up some great opportunities to capture an amazing moment along the way. A couple of years back I upgraded to the Canon 6D and I primarily shoot with my 24-105mm Canon lens as my go to set up.

Over the last few years, I am fortunate to have my photos shared and featured across social media accounts showcasing landscapes and storm chasing photography. I have also won prizes in contests including Tucson Electric Power’s monsoon photo contest in 2017, Ridgemont Outfitters photo of the year contest in 2015, finished in the top 10 fan favorites for The Weather Channel’s 2018 photo contest, was contracted by HaveFunDoGood to travel and document their National Parks Tour in the summer of 2016, and I currently have a collection of my work displayed for sale in Tucson’s Hotel McCoy.

This year I have some bigger goals that include increasing print sales and exposure by getting my work in several more businesses, adding some additional lenses and another camera body to my arsenal, and I’d love to have at least one of my photos get featured on the cover of a magazine. This year I will be shooting more portrait sessions and weddings, as I have been more partial to that aspect of photography in the past years. For wedding bookings, I have teamed up with my girlfriend, Katie Wisdom (@katiewisdomphoto), and so far we already have a few on the books for this year. Eventually, I would like to get to the point where I can transition to focusing on my photography business as my primary source of income.

I do have to give a lot of thanks to my friends and family for always supporting me and believing in me, as well as to the Tucson photography community and all the extremely talented shooters that have inspired me, encouraged me, and have guided along the way. I’d also especially like to thank my lovely girlfriend for always giving me her honest and valuable opinion, as she is a photographer that I admire for her work and knowledge of the craft. I’m truly blessed to have her in my life and she enhances every part of it.

I am really at a point in my life where I am certain that I am doing what I am made to do. It has been a road that has surely seen some low points and some doubts, but it feels amazing to be here doing what I love and seeing the progress in my work. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to talk a little bit about myself. I really appreciate it.

Has it been a smooth road?
I wouldn’t say that it has been a smooth road by any means. For a few years, I was going through some personal things and life changes that were not easy for me to adjust to. Photography became my therapy, but I oftentimes questioned if it was something that I had the talent to pursue as a profession or if I should just resort to being a hobbyist. I tend to be overly critical of my work, and for a while, I was really in my head with doubts. It didn’t help my confidence that I was doing a lot of comparison between my work and that of other photographers who were already professionals. It is very easy to lose your confidence that way, and I had to break that mindset to allow myself to grow in my way on my path. When I first starting shooting with my first camera, I had no prior experience or knowledge on how to operate one and it was a very frustrating learning process, to say the least. I am glad I had those struggles because it did shape me and my style of photography.

Please tell us about your business.
I have specialized in capturing and focusing on moody landscapes and storm chasing photography over the last couple of years. I am adding more portraits and wedding photography to the mix now, with landscapes still being my primary focus. I am most proud of the progress I have made with the quality and consistency in my work and is almost completely self taught from the very beginning, I like to think that my eye for unique perspectives and dramatic shots with the intent to provoke a feeling in anyone looking at one of my shots, is what makes me stand out.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Tucson for its culture, food, and history, There was a time where I was very determined to move to Austin, TX but things didn’t pan out and I completely fell in love with Tucson all over again, as I got out and explored more and more. Within an hour, I could be at the bottom of my favorite seasonal flowing waterfall, deep in the endless desert just outside of the city, enjoying much cooler weather or winter snow on the beautiful Mt. Lemmon, or enjoying the sunset at Gates Pass. It’s really hard not to love to have so many options in my backyard.

We do have a significant amount of crime in Tucson, and that’s something I do not like about my city. Phoenix just isn’t for me. I couldn’t deal with the traffic and limited access for options outdoors without having to deal with crowds or traveling further out to get there.

Pricing:

• Pricing on my prints start at $20

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tonyaragonphotography.com
• Email: tonyaragonphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/neatpicsitake
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neatpicsitake

Image Credit:
Personal picture of me taken by Katie Wisdom (@katiewisdomphoto on IG)

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