When i was 16, my father handed me a Minolta SRT-101. He gave it to me so I could document a trip to India I was about to take. This is what sparked my initial interest in photography. I eventually purchased a Nikon F3 and a 35-105 zoom with my own money from my first job when I was in college.

In 1999, I bought a Canon XL-1 and started making films. As a result, the still image lost its interest with me for a time. I had fallen in love with using the moving image to tell a story. Until 2007, when I got a small digital camera (a Fuji Finepix E-900), primarily to document behind the scenes moments from my films for marketing purposes. However, it was enough to rekindle the dormant fire I still had raging inside me for the single image.

In 2009, filmmaking and photography merged in a new way when I was swept off my feet by the Canon 7D. The 7D has been my muse since I first laid eyes on her. Although, recently several analog cameras have caught my eye, the Lomography Sprocket Rocket, and the Lomokino. Presently, I anticipate the arrival of my iPhone4S.

It is truly an exciting time for creating images whether they be a single frame, 24 frames per second, or anything else in between.

If you would like to view my photography books go here:

www.blurb.com/user/JoaquinMonta?profile_preview=true

If you would like to view my films go here:

vimeo.com/joaquinmontalvan

If you want to see more photos go to my "official" site:

www.joaquinmontalvan.com/