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Episode 107 - Reggie Ballesteros

Mar 29, 2026
Reggie Ballesteros, a Filipino-American photographer and former mechanical engineer who teaches photography and works in computational photography at Google. He talks about personalizing gear, translating engineering into clear tutorials, balancing family with wedding work, exploring Leica and pocket cameras, and planning a portrait project on Filipino American creatives.
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ANECDOTE

How A Film Class Changed His Career

  • Reggie discovered photography by taking a college film course to spend time with his then-girlfriend, now wife.
  • He fell in love with the darkroom reveal and later transitioned from engineering to wedding photography to fund his family and quit engineering.
INSIGHT

Engineering Trains You To Teach Photography

  • Reggie uses his engineering background to translate complex technical photography concepts into approachable education.
  • Working with computational photography teams, he bridges engineers' algorithms and photographers' aesthetic requirements to shape product outcomes.
ADVICE

Control Your Cadence To Keep Creating

  • Structure your creative output so it’s sustainable: post one YouTube video a month and one or two Instagram posts unless sponsored.
  • Focus content on teachable composition and lighting concepts rather than constant reinvention.
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