Many people know you for your portrait photography. Have you always done portrait photography?
That’s a funny story, actually. I have a friend who is a B-boy (breakdancer) from Texas, his name is Palmer. He used to do a series called Create Daily, #createdaily. Essentially, if you do any kind of art form, you’re supposed to make something and post it every day. That’s a challenge, right? So I messaged him, “Hey, would you mind if I join you on this great daily hashtag adventure?” He’s said go for it.
I didn’t have a DSLR this time. I literally took everything on my iPhone 4S, and I bought a little mini tripod for it. I would take pictures where I combined breakdancing with photography. And this is me not knowing anything about photography, right? So I would have a timer, and I would do freezes, jumps, or some kind of motion. I would usually frame the shot on a blank wall or a patterned wall. From there on, I would just do that every day. On my lunch break or out and about, I find something cool and just do a freeze.
And then fast forward to a year later, and there’s a four-part B-boy competition in the Tri Cities. Each volume is another event, and I won Volume Two. I won some money, like five or six hundred dollars. I used that money to buy my first DSLR. I got a Canon T2i and a 50-millimeter lens. I shot everything under the sun. Later, I met with some dudes from Idaho and Montana, and they would like to go out every weekend and shoot landscapes. As I experimented more with photography, portraits really stuck because I think it’s just fun to kind of connect with so many different kinds of people and showcase their personalities.
How long have you been doing portraits specifically?
I started photography in 2014, and then I didn’t get into it heavily until 2017 or 2018. I think sometime around then.
One thing that is pervasive throughout your work and that I think sets you apart is your color. How did you develop your color style, and what are you trying to accomplish with your unique color?
When I first started doing portraits, I didn’t know anything about color grading. I just slapped on a filter of whatever looks good.
After a couple of years of just using VSCO I was introduced to Lightroom, and I started watching a lot of YouTube. My editing style now is just an amalgamation of a lot of things that I’ve learned. If you look through my Instagram timeline, you’ll see that my color grading goes through different phases. You’ll see the VSCO days if you go back far enough. Then there’s this period of time where there’s no color. Then I was really heavy on blues. Eventually, Fuji Colors started teaching me how to really look for certain colors. At one point, I learned that every photographer’s signature is in the HSL color wheel.
Speaking of Fuji, you have taken a journey into film photography. Have you noticed differences from switching to film?
Funny thing, we were sitting right where I purchased my first film camera. My friend John Patrick Miller introduced me to film casually, like, “Hey, man, why don’t you shoot film?” I had always wanted to shoot film, but I’ve just never really pushed myself to do it. He gave me this Kodak V 35-point shoot camera—nothing fancy.
In the last few years, film photography seems to have had a resurgence. How do you relate to film photography, and do you think it’s going to stick around?
In my experience, I love shooting film because it grounds me. I’ve enjoyed shooting digital for so long, but I feel like I found a new enjoyment in film. It’s more personal, you know? Nothing can really replicate the style of that medium; I don’t think it’s going anywhere, so long as the companies keep making the film.
Gen Z has been reviving a lot of old stuff. I think that people will keep it alive. Still, there are a lot of new film shooters. Every time I find new film cameras, people ask me, “Do you sell?”
What advice would you give a young creative?
My best advice is to pace yourself. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of people really be about the grind, you know? And it’s funny because I see myself in that. Back when I first started photography, I would do like four shoots a week. Now, as an adult, I think that’s crazy! I don’t know why I did that.
Don’t wear yourself out; just pace yourself. I think that’s an important aspect of really setting yourself up for your flow. Your style.
What’s the best way people can support you and your work?
Please feel free to reach me on my Instagram (@_zeroni_). That’s where you’ll find me.
Lastly, you’re known for having a ton of different nicknames, do you mind sharing some?
So Zeroni is the most prominent one, but it’s got some variations. Zamboni is one of them. Zero. Z. Zeeni is one of them too, I use that for my smash tag (Super Smash Brothers). There are also people who actually know my true name, which is Hector.
*This interview was originally featured in the winter/spring 2024 edition of Echo Chamber Magazine