Joel Ortiz is an honorary Coronado neighbor. If you don’t already know him by name, you’ll know him by his photos. His interest in photography developed later in life. “When I was a young lad, I was very interested in engineering and graphic design,” he said. “My parents bought me a camera for my master’s degree graduation, not even knowing that I was interested in photography, but secretly I was. It started off as a hobby. Eventually, people started complimenting me on my photos, and people started throwing money at me for doing my hobby. Then it became a business.”
Becoming Part of the Community
In 1994, Joel started treating his hobby as a profession. He took photography classes and began shooting weddings, landscapes, and even worked on beauty pageant photography — the winding path led him to Coronado. “I started joining some of those groups on Facebook for Coronado. Brad Willis interviewed me and made two different videos over the years about me.”
After Joel joined Coronado Facebook groups, the opportunities snowballed. “Emerald C Gallery was very interested in my work. They sold my photos for years in the form of greeting cards, blank cards, and a few other prints. Then, other people started introducing me to more people from Coronado. Next thing you know, I’m shooting the film festival! I was introduced to FOCUS by Juliane Morris. She does a lot of photography in Coronado, and graphic design too. FOCUS is an amazing charity.”
From Volunteering to Paid Projects
The introduction to FOCUS and the nonprofit world opened up more opportunities for Joel. “Safe Harbor called me, and they asked me to volunteer. Then, after volunteering at a few events, they started paying for photography, which is really fun. The Coronado Flower Show found me through Juliane. I volunteered for them a few times, and then eventually they started paying me. Now I’m hired every year to be their official photographer.”
Joel balances a mix of paid work with volunteering. He shares, “Brad [Willis] asked me to shoot the veterans rally, which I volunteered for. I do a lot of things that people ask of me for the amazing causes. It’s really enjoyable for me, especially in Coronado — it’s fun just to be here. If anybody asks me to volunteer my time, it’s not a problem for me. I enjoy it, and I get to meet great people too.”
Integrated into Coronado
Joel found himself in Coronado so often he started being treated as a local. “I was invited to display my work at the Coronado Library, even though I’m not from Coronado. They were featuring Coronado artists and they displayed my work.” Joel’s photography has also been featured in Crown City Magazine and another publication, Greet Coronado, in which Joel shot their covers every month.
Fireworks & Teaching
While there’s not much Joel won’t shoot, his choices may surprise readers. “[My favorite] I would say is portraits. Second would be landscapes. Third is events. I ended up shooting more events than anything else, like I mentioned, a lot of charities and weddings. I would say portraits are my main thing. I love photographing people and making them look their best. I enjoy landscape photography because I’m often in Coronado, and it’s irresistible. You can’t pass up an opportunity to capture a beautiful sunset or moonrise with the Del in the background.”
Joel’s niche is fireworks. “The Yacht Club hires me quite often,” he says. “I’ll be shooting there on the Fourth of July. I shot their opening day as well — Memorial weekend. The Fourth of July at the Yacht Club is my favorite because the fireworks are incredible.” When asked about the photos he’s most proud of, Joel says firework shots top the list. “The fireworks are so magical, especially with the Del in the background. Those are my favorite and also memorable.
“Most of the time when I go there, I bring students with me, whether they’re my ESL students (Joel’s been teaching English as Second Language for 30 years) or my photography students. It makes it extra memorable as I get to teach people how to capture fireworks, and not many people can do that if they’re beginners. It’s exciting for me to see them get excited about shooting fireworks for the first time. When they see their work, they’re really proud of it. That’s very satisfying.”
Joel Ortiz’s Dream Shot
As for his bucket list photo, Joel doubles down on his love for fireworks. “I’m still hoping to get a fireworks photo of the Del from the other angle. See, I always shoot it towards the ocean, but I want to be at Cabrillo [National Monument], zooming in to the Del with fireworks. I saw somebody who did it, and it inspired me. The problem is that it’s hard to get permission to be in Cabrillo at night because they close at 5, but sometimes they have events. That’s my goal. I just have to be there when they reopen at night, and it happens to coincide with fireworks.”
Today and Beyond
In his free time, Joel watches videos about photography and takes a lot of walks on the beach. “My goal is to eventually move to Coronado and be able to go to the beach every day. I enjoy walks on the beach, going to the movies, and even hanging out with my students. They’re pretty curious about San Diego, so I get to hang out with them and introduce them to a lot of the beauty of our town.”
Joel Ortiz, An Honorary Local
Joel speaks with as much genuineness as passion throughout the interview. He ends with a message to the community, “I want to thank the community for being so supportive, starting with Brad [Willis] and Penny [Rothschild], all the charities and non-profits: FOCUS, Safe Harbor, Merridee at Coronado Film Festival. They support me a lot, and they love my photography. The entire community has been incredibly supportive, and it’s been amazing. Also, Juliane [Morris], we’ve worked on many projects together. The community’s been amazing. They’re just wonderful.”
Follow Joel on Instagram and Facebook to enjoy more of his photography.
