Jay B. Sauceda is a Photographer
Jay B Sauceda is an Austin-based lifestyle and portrait photographer who loves the Lone Star state. When he is not capturing refreshingly powerful portraits of unique characters, he enjoys driving to new places, meeting new people and hearing their stories. We at Popular Hispanics love new stories too, especially Jay B's. We recently sat down with the busy photographer to find out what he's all about.
Tell us a little about your background, your Hispanic heritage, your past work experiences, how you chose your path as a freelance photographer, etc.
I was born in Chicago, raised in La Porte, Texas and now work in Austin. I grew up in a working class Mexican family with a lot of roots in South Texas. I moved to Austin to go to school at the University of Texas and after finishing started working as a freelance creative. I studied government in college but all of my internships were in commercial advertising/filmmaking so I had to some extent made up my mind that I wanted to work in this industry early on.
What are your biggest inspirations, photography or otherwise?
I love to tell stories. I get it from my Dad. I've always been in to learning about history, and without people there really isn't much to history. I'm generally just inspired by the people I meet and the stories I hear from them. I take little bits from them here and there and they give me ideas for projects and work along the way.
Describe your perfect day.
I really enjoy driving, so I'd say my perfect day would revolve around being on the road. When I have free time, I like to drive to really remote parts of the state. Small towns around Texas are really pretty, and some of my most memorable experiences have happened while on these little trips I take. My perfect day would probably be along those lines and involve stopping at a good cafe that served great sweet tea somewhere along the way.
Your work has appeared in everything from Austin Monthly to The London Times. What has been your most illuminating experience?
Honestly the work that has been the most fun thus far has been the work I've done as personal projects. I went to West Texas last year to photograph people at the Tolbert Chili Cook-off in Terlingua. I met a big group of cowboys and photographed a bunch of them. I ended up camping and going horseback riding with them. It was one of my favorite trips and personal projects I've worked on.
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