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Meet Xavier

Get to know me

Technology has always fascinated me. As a child my family jokingly coined the nickname “Mr.Buttons” because I couldn’t stop tinkering with the electronics in my house. I found myself taking apart my toys and carefully piecing them back together then getting so excited when they still worked. This hobby carried over into photography and videography, pushing me to learn every little thing I could about the hardware side. As I grew older, my appreciation for the art form evolved. My grandmother bought me my first camera at the age of twelve. Ever since that day I’ve been creating photos and videos for my own joy. I followed my passion in high school by taking a darkroom/ photo composition class and a film videography course for several years. At that point, I was totally hooked. I snagged some skills there then used them to get started producing band promos, music play throughs/ videos, and photos of my close friends. When I first came to Milwaukee in 2015 I couldn’t wait to join the local music scene, attending as many shows as possible to take photos of the artists performing. As my work began to get exposure, I was given opportunities to take photos on tour. I did this for three years and gained a wealth of knowledge while shooting in different venues, with unique lighting every night. The experience I gained over those years has become invaluable to me when shooting weddings as I’d already become accustomed to shooting in every difficult lighting situation.

In early 2018, I received an offer to work with an incredible small photography business, SB Photography and Design, and my dream career as a photographer became MY reality! I obsess over my job and pride myself on delivering high-quality, artistic photos. Every time I pick my camera up is a chance for me to take my new favorite photo, every wedding is a unique work of art, and each couple I meet rekindles my passion for capturing true love.

Art has grounded me, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it, nor would I want to be any different. You can find many feelings through different forms of it: whether it be a film, a song, or a poem that touches your soul. The one thing about photography that stands out to me though is how powerful moments are when frozen in time. I almost feel like a superhero who makes time stand still for you, and you two alone, for just a moment. You get to take that moment, a precious second in time, home with you forever and revisit it whenever you’d like. I draw inspiration and strength from that and I eagerly await the amazing opportunity to share that with the two of you!

 

What brought you to the city of Milwaukee?
I have an undying passion for playing the drums. A band in the city found my work online and asked me to join them in February of 2015. I toured with them, playing and snapping images for our social media as well as offering pictures for other groups I shot each night. I ended up moving here mid 2015 to make writing easier and instantly fell in love with the city.

What’s one thing about you that surprises people?
Contrary to how I may look, I LOVE SAMBA MUSIC!

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Gwen Stefani, she a voice that melts my heart and her songs still get played to this day on my Spotify.

At what job would you be terrible?
EMT. I am far too empathic to watch, let alone work on, anyone in pain or distress. The people in this line of work produce miracles and I’m grateful for them, it truly takes a special kind of person to do this job!

Where’s the next place on your travel bucket list and why?
JAPAN! Tokyo looks so gorgeous and I know I’d have a blast exploring and getting to know the locals. The pop culture of Japan resonates with me and a lot of my favorite bands play/ come from there.

What is your definition of success?
Waking up each day inspired to do your best work then going to bed happy with what you achieved.

What do you regret not doing in the last year?
Not pursuing extra students, I give drum lessons and work with lots of younger kids ages six and up. The joy of teaching children and seeing something click in their mind as they’re able to play something we’ve been working on for a while is utterly inspiring for me.

What’s something very important to you about your family?
I’m the oldest of four kids so it’s extremely important to me to set a good example and be there when my siblings need advice or help of any kind.

What’s a relationship deal breaker for you?
Not loving animals, me and my girlfriend perhaps overdid it with 6. 😉

How would your 10-year-old self react to what you do?
He’d high five me then mention how I look like I’m from Star Wars now.

What is a dream you have that you’ve yet to achieve?
I want to go to space, and after that figure out how to take photos in pitch black zero gravity.

My Favorite Weddings
Kind words

“Kristina and I absolutely LOVE the photos! We’ve been slowly going through them on a slideshow on our TV, and the colors, details, and everything is amazing! We literally could not be happier with them! You and Xavier had such a smooth working relationship and worked together so well, yet both brought something so unique and imaginative to your shots (we actually, on some of the cool shots, were guessing which of you took it, or found the props, etc. 😊). You’ve already brought Kristina to tears on multiple occasions because she couldn’t believe you were there to catch certain moments when we weren’t even aware of your presence, and is just thrilled how beautiful she looks. We have no regrets whatsoever in selecting SB Photography to be with us that day. You all have been very professional, communicative, your editing is so great, and most importantly you just took so many wonderful photos. Being that we didn’t do much for video, you are responsible for the vast majority of the memories we will have for the rest of our lives! We have some big plans with a lot of the photos, as I’m sure mother-in-law does as well, so soon they will be disbursed, and I’ll be sure to let everyone know to upload in high resolution and tag you when possible. Again, we cannot thank you enough! Maybe we’ll be in touch soon for some maternity or newborn photos! :)”

-Kristina & Beau

“I can’t even express my utmost appreciation for all of your hard work. You guys did an incredible job, we’re so thankful. <3 THANK YOU!!!! We have beautiful photos that we’ll be able to look back on for the rest of our lives, and they’re gorgeous!! (All thanks to your hard work and dedication!) AGAIN, you guys are absolutely amazing and we can’t say thank you enough!!”

-Mel & Nick

My favorite blogged couple
My favorite sneak peeks
Check out my portfolio