Meet Angel Nieves | Photographer & 3D Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angel Nieves and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After working in the 3D animation industry for so long I was feeling burned out, my creative flame extinguished,. period here I was no longer producing work for myself to stay creative while strengthening my skills. It was actually a terrifying thought, “is this it for my creative career?” So, instead of just giving up I decided to take a trip. This trip landed me in London and Paris, by myself to decompress. I bought a camera to document my travel and without the pressure to produce work, by looking at things quite literally from a different lens, that flame reignited. I was consuming so much information about photography, posing, light and composition, which in turned complimented my VFX work. Then I thought if this new passion could compliment my life, not just creatively, but financially as well. So I invested in better equipment and dove right in.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am originally from Puerto Rico. I studied fine arts for a couple of years there, then I came to the realization that I wanted to seek a career in graphic design. At the time, there were no graphic design schools or curriculums in Puerto Rico so I applied for college here in Atlanta. I came here with $200, some clothes, my fine art portfolio and poorly spoken English. I graduated with the highest honor a couple of years later. My first professional job was creating Yellow Pages ads, then I moved on to work for Ad Agencies, I taught myself 3D graphics which opened opportunities in VFX and games. So while this journey hasn’t been easy, it has been extremely rewarding. My diverse background in so many different creative fields is what sets me apart. I’m able to provide my clients a large set of skills and I take pride that I personally create everything I provide my clients. I never outsource editing or design. I design the albums my clients purchase, I edit and retouch the photos my clients purchase and with my VFX skills I can fulfill special requests like adding a Death Star to a Star Wars themed wedding or swapping the head of someone that blinked.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta is wonderful because it has so many neighborhoods with their own unique personalities so you can always come up with a unique itinerary to cater to specific tastes but if I were to come up with a itinerary based on our favorite places we would take them Downtown, from relaxing at Centennial Olympic Park to catching a concert at The Tabernacle or State Farm arena to an Atlanta United or Hawks game, visit Sharks at the Georgia Aquarium and let’s not forget the moving exhibits at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights or The World of Coke Downtown has something for everyone. Piedmont Park and of course a visit to the High Museum one of my all-time favorite places. Now when it comes to restaurants, Eight Sushi in West midtown is one of our favorites, Pasta Da Pulcinella, Tabla, Poor Calvin’s are always excellent choices, Lucian and Atlas in Buckhead are amazing for fine dining experience. If we venture a bit to the east, Decatur has The Deer and The Dove, White Bull and Leon’s which will always have a special place in my heart, where I told my now wife that I loved her 🙂 There are so many great places all over the city, I just barely scratched the surface.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I truly believe that one of the most important decisions in one’s life is the person you choose to share your life with. My wife, Bry Ayers, is my muse, she inspires, challenges, and supports me. She advises and pushes me. Being a creative professional as well, she has a great eye and amazing ideas. She is my everything!

Website: https://www.angelnievesphoto.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelnievesphoto/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vertexangel/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelnievesphoto

Other: vertexangel.com