Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Cardoza.
Chris, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
During my senior year at UMass Amherst I started a company with my best friend, Keith Weiner, where we developed a marketing video for a local law firm leading to a national lawyer marketing award and internships for both of us at the law firm. Following a year of work with the firm I was offered a temp job in the video production department at Reebok headquarters in Canton. While working for Reebok I was mostly editing internal videos and shooting behind the scenes of photoshoots but I was also given free range to experiment in their photo studio, which had been left empty at the time when their photographer changed roles. After countless hours learning to use the cameras via YouTube I began just shooting around campus and editing.
This eventually caught the eye of the Art Director and social media manager because I had changed the background of my laptop to an interesting and moody shoe image. They decided to use the image for the cover of the Reebok Google+ page and I decided then and there that I was going to pursue photography more seriously and develop my craft. After my temp contract ended I started my own photography and video production company called Doza Visuals which I still operate under today. Since I went on my own just over 5 years ago I have established a very strong relationship with Reebok and have shot countless professional athletes and celebrities for their social media channels and marketing including JJ Watt, Aly Raisman, Rich Froning, Justin Verlander and most recently Victoria Beckham. I have also now shot for Runner’s World Magazine, Rowing Magazine, Adidas Group, NIKE, the TD Garden, VICE and many more brands.
Alongside working with sport brands and magazines I partnered with a Boston based nonprofit, Shooting Touch, to tell their stories of using basketball as a tool for health education in Boston and Rwanda for the last 5 years. Through my work with Shooting Touch I published images with Boston sports writing legend, Jackie MacMullan, in her ESPN essay about traveling to Rwanda. My work with Shooting Touch has now been recognized by the United Nations and helped the organization raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. This has led me to helping other Boston organizations tell their stores such as the BASE in Roxbury, Harvard’s American Repertory Theater and the ICA Boston.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My passion is telling truthful stories through photography and short documentary films of people doing incredible things to overcome societal disadvantages, conquer personal battles and challenge the status quo. I find the greatest example of this in the sport and fitness world but have recently begun exploring these themes in art and entrepreneurship. I hope when someone views one of my images they can instantly feel the emotion of that subject for even just a split second, recognizing that those emotions are the same in all of us no matter what language we speak, how our bodies may look or where we were born.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I personally define success as freedom to do what I want every day when I wake up without depending too much on any one person, boss or company. To achieve this as an artist you have to also be business savvy, constantly educating yourself and a great communicator. I’m extremely lucky that I have a huge passion for both the art of photography/filmmaking and business. I’m simply one of those people who quickly loses any interest and typically fails if I lack the passion in something. I wouldn’t say I am 100% there in terms of success but I feel like I am getting there and loving the process along the way.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work can best be viewed on my website www.DozaVisuals.com and on Instagram @dozavisuals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DozaVisuals.com
- Email: Chris@DozaVisuals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dozavisuals/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DozaVisuals
Image Credit:
Chris Cardoza / Doza Visuals
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