Mike Fuentes is a freelance journalist specializing in wire-service photography. From beginning his career island hopping for a newspaper in the Caribbean, to shooting celebrity photos that appear in magazines around the world, Mike works for local, national and global clients by sending photography on deadline through digital means. He can travel anywhere at a moment's notice for assignments and is willing to relocate for work. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and is currently based in Miami. 

Mike is available for assignments in advertising, corporate, documentary, editorial, portraiture and travel photography. He can do still photography and/or digital video.  Samples of his work can be found at  http://www.mikefuentes.com.
 

Lily: Tell me how you got started with photography. What drew you to the art of taking pictures, and who were your role models? 

MF: A very great guy named Jeremy Valdez encouraged me to get a job at our school newspaper, The Battalion. So, I faked my way through the interview, acting like I knew something about photography and luckily for me they really needed people bad. I really like the photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt and try to take his style when shooting. 

Lily: What sort of training does one need to enter the field of wire service photography? Is it a competitive field? 

MF: You have to make good images first of all, and it is good to know AP Style. If you can do those two things, you probably can be a wire-service photographer. That is not to say it is easy or not competitive, because it is extremely competitive and there are not many holes that aren't covered, but if you can get a great shot, especially one that no one else can, a wire service is the best way to get it to the masses. Know that it is about timing and how fast you can get the photo out. There is a deadline every hour all around the world. 

Lily: Take me through a typical day in the life of a photojournalist. 

MF: I don’t think there is a typical day and that is what I love about my career, it is always different. It could be a press conference for breakfast, a baseball game for lunch and a house fire for dinner. You never know, it is always different. 

Lily: How much notice do you typically receive for assignments, and how much time "off" do you normally have between jobs? 

MF: Again, it is always different. Usually there is no typical day. One thing I always say about this business is ‘you never know.’  

There is the extreme where I get a call and I am on a plane an hour later and then there are times where I may have a week's notice. Time off does not usually exist. When I am not shooting photographs, I am trying to find someone to pay me to shoot photographs. 

Lily: What is the hardest part of being a photojournalist? 

MF: I would say the hardest part of being a photojournalist is the ups and downs of the jobs. You have to be prepared for the good and the bad. 

With the bad, sometimes you have to take photos of people who do not want their photo taken or other times you are in a situation where photography is the last thing you want to do. It is always hard when you see things that are horrible or horrific. It can weigh on you sometimes and affect your life when not working. 

Lily: What's the best part of your job? 

MF: This one is easy, the people. I meet so many different types of people from different walks of life and cultures. I really enjoy the people, that and getting paid to go to concerts and sporting events! 

Lily: What is one thing that you hope to accomplish with every picture you take? 

MF: I try to tell a story with my photos. I truly try to give more than they expect but at the same time I don’t want to alter any truthfulness of the situation. I try and show a new perspective but most of all I try and show the truth. 

Lily: What is, to you, the importance of photojournalism? 

MF: Paying the rent! They give cameras to journalists who can’t spell. No, really. 

Lily: What do you like to do outside of "work"? 

MF: I like bowling, I have an appreciation for art and love to paint but my favorite thing is fast women and fast cars (just kidding). I love to go to estate sales on the weekends and look for cool and cheap things. Some people call it antiquing but I don’t buy the antiques, I buy things like Pyrex and Fire King. Although, my most favorite thing in the world is my little Chihuahua named Casper. He gets most of my attention while outside “work.” 

Lily: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers? 

MF: I always tell young or new photographers to keep shooting, but some really hands-on advice would be to look at photos. I look at thousands of pictures a week, trying to get ideas and inspiration from what other people are doing. I look at everything I can find. Oh, and tell people to say cheese! 
 

About the Cover Photo... Mike Fuentes writes: "This is a shot of a horse race on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It was Easter Sunday and I just needed one shot for the sports section of the paper that I was working for. Normally, I was based on St. Croix, but they needed me to help cover Carnival there so they flew me in by seaplane. I shot for a whole week there and I especially liked this shot because I am a horse-racing fan and animal lover. The three horses with jockeys lined up almost perfect, along with the vivid color make this one of my favorites. It was shot on film with my Canon 1N and a 2X on a 70-200mm f2.8 lens."