On the last Sunday of April, Jake Tovar held a meetup outside of the Fox theater for photographers, models, and artists of all types. The event was open to anybody who wanted to go and learn more about digital photography and modeling. The meetup was held outside of the Fox Theater at 4 p.m. Many attended and began talking to one another about their work and plans for the future.

Jake Tovar has been into photography for about two years, focusing mostly on lifestyle portraits. When asked where he found inspiration from, he replied, “whether it was my friends and I on hikes or adventures, my food, my shoes or anything that caught my eye.”

Upon starting photography, Tovar used his phone and an app called VSCO.

“I used to love playing around with the filters and changing the exposure and other tools the app offers,” he said. The meetup allowed opportunities like this for anyone and everyone interested in photography.

Many people who attended either went off by themselves to take photos and ask questions or paired up with a model to photograph them in different lighting and scenery.

Amber Ross, one of the models that attended the event, said, “It is not just about looking good for the camera, it is about being able to connect to your photographer to get the best possible shoot.”

Just like her, there were many other people doing the same thing, posing for different photographers. Many of the people there were brushing up on their skills and talking to one another for tips and pointers on their work.

When asked about a long-term goal, Tovar said, “Right now, my goal for the next year is to move to Portland, Oregon. I would love to work with brands like Urban Outfitters, Raised By Wolves, Adidas, Patagonia, The North Face, and Supreme. I would love to work with publications like Hypebeast, Complex Magazine, and Fader Magazine.”

The meetup was a chance for artists with similar goals to talk and brainstorm about furthering their business in the future. Even for those artists that are not yet well known or have not yet gotten their foot in the door, they could get inspiration and ideas from those who have at the meetup.

Mikey Reyes, a photographer at the event, said, “Being a photographer is hard these days because it’s like everyone is either just as good or better than you. There is always somebody who goes to greater places or has better equipment. You just have to pray that you have damn good people skills or else nobody will hire you.” With the competition growing for photographers, it is important to get your foot in the door as quickly as you can.

“The thing I love about photography is I’m always growing and learning, I would love for more people to notice my photography and grow my social media accounts like Instagram and Twitter,” Tovar said.

This was Tovar’s first hosted meetup where anyone could attend for free. It was a way to get word out there to photographers and models where they could seek tips and help on their work. When asked as any more meetups would be hosted, Tovar said, “I’d love to have more events in the future, hopefully, but nothing is certain yet.”