Rangefinder Magazine
April 2006

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Tom Muñoz Lorraine A. DarConte
From Cuba With Love

Tom Muñoz comes from a long line of photographers who immigrated to this country from Cuba. “My father came over in 1961,” states 22-year-old Muñoz. “My great grandfather, who recently passed, was a second-generation photographer. His father and uncle started the photo business, which was very seasonal because at the time Cuba was a big tourist area. They booked a lot of destination weddings,” he says. “[The business] was pretty similar to what we do now, which is mainly weddings and portraiture.”

As a toddler, Muñoz spent his days at the studio in a playpen. By age seven, he was accompanying his father to weddings each weekend. By the time he was 12, he was photographing weddings on his own… well, one wedding, to be exact. The family that hired him wanted his dad, but he was booked. “My grandfather had actually photographed the grandmother’s wedding in Cuba,” explains Muñoz.

Since his father was unavailable, they requested young Muñoz for the job. Apparently, they’d seen him in action at several other family events and felt he was qualified. On the day of the wedding, since he was too young to drive, Muñoz’s grandmother dropped him off, and he was chauffeured around from location to location with the bridal party.

By the time Muñoz was 15, he was photographing weddings on a regular basis with his father, who mostly sat back and let his son work (and learn). At 16, Muñoz was a full-fledged photographer working independently. But it’s still a family affair with Muñoz’s father, mother, uncle and three brothers—Mario (20), Marceliano (16) and Armando (14)—all running the studio.“My mother runs the office and takes the baby and family portraits, plus real estate and corporate/business headshots.

I do the majority of location portraits. And my father, well, at this point, he fishes as much as possible and photographs weddings on the weekend.” There are six Muñoz studios that are individually owned by family members. “It’s not a franchise,” says Muñoz, “it’s more of a blessing. My grandfather’s brothers have their studios too, which are run by their sons.”

Changing Styles Like many photographers, Muñoz now shoots strictly digital, which not only changed how the studio outputs images, but also transformed its photographic style. “The biggest transformation from film to digital changed the way we photographed; it enabled us to shoot a little bit more on the edge, to push the envelope a little farther.”

For instance, with film Muñoz shot everything at f/8 using a flash to ensure he got the shots. Today, he uses available light for the first 300 to 400 pictures he takes. “With film, we used more flash because we were afraid of movement and lack of focus. Now I’m photographing with an f/1.2 lens and shooting portraits at f/1.6, where before that was unheard of.” In the past, Muñoz’s style was also more posed; with digital he made a strong push toward photojournalism. “Now,” he says, “there’s been a shift back toward the more traditional.” Muñoz’s work blends classic wedding poses with spontaneity.

Muñoz never photographs a wedding “as is.” “I don’t believe in being a fly on the wall and capturing events just as they happen,” he says. “Because sometimes things are a little too boring the way they happen.” Muñoz usually sets multiple lights in the room because he wants the same quality of light for his candid shots as his more formal portraits. “Just because it’s a candid moment is not an excuse for the image to be flat. I want dimensional lighting—I make sure the light is crossing the bride’s dress, and I’m mindful of the composition. I simultaneously try to add quality light while capturing the emotion in our candids.”

Muñoz strives to fill his portraits with emotion. For example, when photographing a bride with her father, he tries to accentuate the feelings between the two of them—the father gazing lovingly at his daughter, perhaps with tears in his eyes. “We want to capture those moments during the portrait session.

“When we’re photographing the bride, we treat her like she’s a princess. There are no unattractive brides,” Muñoz confides, “some merely reflect light differently than others. Besides knowing how to pose a woman, one of the biggest things that change her posture and expression is what you tell her. We’re not dealing with models,” Muñoz stresses, “and as stupid as it sounds, telling a bride how beautiful she looks changes how she photographs and how she perceives being photographed. It becomes a positive experience rather than a time-consuming, annoying one. Same thing goes for the groom,” he states. “His chest pumps up, he arches his back, they fall right into it.

“When I’m shooting portraits, I really try to pick up the energy level and I almost become an entertainer. If you’re not noticed,” he warns, “you’re not going to get a referral. I want everyone in the bridal party to feel I wanted them to have more fun than they did that day, and create beautiful images. The bridal party—the bridesmaids—are the people we’re marketing to next.

“The wedding industry also drives our portrait business,” admits Muñoz. “Most of our client base is made up of past brides. Currently, we spend very little money on marketing. Since we’ve been in the area for so long—and the business is close to 100 years old—we have a very large client base. Business is pretty much word of mouth, and we take care of our catering managers, not with money, but by making sure every location gets current displays, etc. We will do anything and everything for people who recommend us for weddings, but we do not believe in paying for referrals.

“We have stopped working at certain hotels that have asked for kickbacks. We feel our money is much better spent making a $500 display. However, I’d be very reluctant to put $500 to $1000 into a magazine or handout.” Muñoz’s studio has a wide range of customers, which from the beginning, had a very large Latin base. “The Miami studios still have a very strong Latin base,” he says, “though we probably have a more versatile mix since we’re a little further north, in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Digital Imaging Improves Sales

Muñoz’s studio has been completely digital for more than four years. They started with a Kodak ProBack on a medium format Mamiya film camera and now work with several Canon EOS 1Ds Mark IIs and 20Ds. Clients may view images in both digital and print formats. “All our weddings receive three types of viewings,” explains Muñoz, “a contact sheet proof album, images online, and CDs with an executable file that allows them to view, zoom in, and compare side-by-side; but they cannot copy the images.”

Muñoz has found that posting images online has increased print sales to friends and non-family members. Before, when wedding guests asked for a shot of themselves, it was often a wasted frame and a lost dollar. But that’s no longer true.

“Now we’re more than happy to take the picture because more of those people are ordering,” states Muñoz. “In the past, that picture was never going to have the opportunity to be viewed by guests. Now images are online three to four days after the wedding, and guests can order photos too.” And all prints are digitally mastered. “We have a completely RAW workflow,” notes Muñoz, “so every picture is corrected and processed before it goes online, and every image is also retouched as well (once ordered).”

Muñoz has also started setting up a slideshow for the happy couple during the reception. “I pick my favorite 50 images and set up my 17-inch PowerBook at the head table so they can view their wedding pictures right away. Then I set the laptop up in a corner on a stand and run it automatically.” The reaction has been extremely positive.

“So many guests go up during the event and take a look at the slideshow,” he says. “I’ve never had more compliments and more referrals.”

However, the biggest compliment Muñoz can receive from someone is “We had such a great time and the pictures are amazing.” He says, “Not only did I make the experience enjoyable, but I was able to capture beautiful images too.” To see more of Muñoz’s work, visit www.munozstudiophotography.com.

Lorraine A. DarConte is a freelance writer and photographer living in Tucson, Arizona. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Rangefinder, Studio Photography & Design, Newsday and Tucson Visitors Guide.