Interview | Miguel Limon — theVisualVoices.

Could you introduce yourself, your background, where you live, and where you’re from?

I’m Miguel Limon (he/him/they/them) and I was born and raised in the South Side of Chicago 18 years ago.

Describe your journey as a photographer.

My beginnings in photography were superficial, undeveloped and very selfish. I started taking photos with a Polaroid camera because I thought it would be “cool” and Tumblr, as any 14-year-old would want to be at the time. In the process, I realized that I actually was decent at taking photos, and from there on I bought a 35mm camera, taught myself photo, film, and darkroom basics until I finally interned at a darkroom when I was fifteen, where I developed a style alongside with a photo app called phhhoto where I caught a following. Now, three years later, I’m a published fashion and portrait photographer.

What camera(s) do you prefer to use?

I try to only shoot film so my faves are my Nikon FM10, Pentax ME Super, a thrifted point and shoot and now my beautiful Gertrude, who is a Mamiya RB67.

What inspired you to pursue photography? What is your biggest source of inspiration?

I was honestly a super pretentious and snarky teen and I wanted to be as “cool” as possible, and I thought an art based hobby would do the trick, but before any of that, I was and am an activist and I learned that photography can add the secondary layer of voice that I needed. More and more, I get to see the influence of my work and how its inclusivity adds to the homogeneous world of art and photography. For inspiration, I look towards the amazing POC who have to work twice as hard to get anything done and that includes what’s happened in the past as well. Much of my actual style is influenced by the work of contemporary artists and their abilities to produce new ideas with traditional techniques.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

My aesthetic is unprofessional, powerful, and nostalgic. All things that make work great, because it’s boring when you know what you’re doing.