Rising Stars: Meet Raul Sojo Montes of Wilmington / Charleston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Raul Sojo Montes.

Hi Raul, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
One of the first memories I have of my childhood is me holding a camera. My dad, who is also a professional photographer, would take the film out and give the camera to me so I could play with it. Like parents do these days with an IPad, just the analog version. Since then, things just flowed. I studied Communication and Media Studies with the idea of becoming a Sports journalist, but suddenly I found myself working in production companies, editing videos and shooting commercials. Then I had my photography and video company for more than 10 years in my home country, Venezuela, until I was forced to move to the U.S. Here, I’ve had the opportunity of continuing my work, and I’m very grateful for that.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There’s no such thing as a smooth road when you work independently. There’s always the struggle of finding new work and clients and facing the constant challenge of developing a project. In my case, that has meant reinventing myself continuously. In Venezuela, I worked shooting everything, from weddings to corporate videos and even media training. I also started printing Venezuelan landscapes for our diaspora to display in their new homes. These prints became so popular that I even held an exhibition in Caracas. This line of work has been significant to me because I didn’t consider myself an immigrant until I put my photo of El Ávila (the mountain of Caracas) on my wall.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As part of this continuous reinvention, I published my first novel right when I moved to the United States. Unintentionally, that became my first move toward academic life. I decided to go for my Master’s at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and now I am also a Spanish professor. I teach at both College of Charleston and UNCW. Additionally, I have continued in the production field, mostly shooting corporate and lifestyle videos and photography. Plus, my schedule allows me to take road trips across the U.S. to take many nature photos, which I have always wanted to do! I enjoy what I am doing now and expect to keep it up for future years.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Be kind to others and let things flow.

Contact Info:

• Website: sojomontes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sojomontes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sojomontes
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sojon