Sherry, brightness and freedom – Introducing Kiko Jiménez

Over the past year, our Spanish community grew rapidly. We admire the input from the South, giving our portfolio even more versatility and diversity. Kiko Jiménez is one of those photographers whose work stands for joy of life and a distinct easiness. Almost all of his pictures are bright and overwhelmingly positive in their tonality. It was time for our Spanish Community Manager Alba Vitta to interview him, so our community gets to know him a little better.

Hi Kiko, it’s great to speak to you today. Tell me, who are you?

I am Kiko, a photographer from Andalusia, in the south of Spain. Fun fact about me: I like to drink Jerez wines more than taking photos.

When and why did you start taking photos?

As a child, I always wanted to be a photographer. I would say it started around the age of ten. After finishing some basic studies at school, I signed up for a professional formation in Image and Sound. I was at the age of 14, and that is also when I started.

Do you only do stock photography, or are there also other photography projects in your personal portfolio?

Right now, I only do stock photography, but I have done everything from weddings, press, and even paparazzi work following the celebrities in Seville. The Duchess of Alba was already greeting me.

 How did you discover stock photography and for how long have u been doing it?

The first contact was with Getty through the sharing platform Flickr. They asked me for some photos. I was surprised as I created the account, but I did not pay too much attention. In 2013 I started looking for ways to live from photography. As I said, I tried many things; one of them being stock photography. I found an excellent forum in Spanish called Mymicrostock, where my colleagues put in a lot of work and helped without asking for anything in return. It was all about the exchange of knowledge. Thanks to that forum and its members, I am now a stock photographer. My first sales at Shutter were in September 2013, when I sold 23 photos and earned $8.

What is your favorite theme to photograph?

Press photography is what I like the most. Unfortunately, it is hard to make a living off of it in Spain. Within stock photography, I admire travel photos. When I travel, I love the relaxed approach to taking pictures.

And the theme you dislike the most?

Nothing! I simply do not shoot what I don’t like. That’s one of the advantages of being a stock photographer. I can do what I like and when I want it.

What are highlights of your stock career?

I would say it was when I started paying the bills for my freelance life only with the help of stock photography.

What do you like the most as a stock photographer?

I appreciate the freedom. There are no real bosses or clients; nobody really needs to call me. I have time, which is the most valuable thing to me.

Looking into the future is a bit hard right now, but what are your plans and goals?

I am a humble person. I would love to keep being able to live off stock photography. That is enough for me. You have to be aware of the market changes. After seven years in it, you can see it coming and adapt your work to new times.

Is there something you would like to say to photographers that want to start doing stock? And to those who already have experience?

As Woody Allen said, take the money and run!

I want to tell them that stock is a complicated world to start in. It takes quite some time to see the financial results. If you work without haste, with perseverance, and always at high quality, you can get to living from this. If you are looking for a payday initially, it might not be the right field of work.

To those who have a lot of experience, could you give me some advice on becoming rich? Haha