TICO MENDOZA
TMN LEARNING
Atmosphere Over Assignment: Tico Mendoza’s Approach to Story-Driven Event Photography
Hit “Play” to watch the full interview with Photographer Tico Mendoza at SXSW Music Festival 2025. Photo cover Tico Mendoza Studios.
At SXSW, not every great photograph is tied to a schedule. For Tico Mendoza, a longtime member of the festival’s photo operations, the real magic often lives between the assignments. That sensibility led him to the selective Atmosphere Team, a three-person unit focused on the experience of the festival. “They noticed I kept submitting images from my personal time,” Tico recalls. “I was capturing how people were actually enjoying the festival.”
AUSTIN, TX. Interview by Dylan Gutierrez and Pablo Herrera | TMN® Learning
Tico frames his practice with a clear mental model: organic, crafted, and hybrid. “There are three scenarios,” he explains. “You capture something happening organically, you craft the moment when you need to, and there’s the hybrid—when you miss a beat and ask, ‘Do it again’ so the story reads.” What determines which path he takes? Light, context, and the clock. If the scene is strong but the background fails, he’ll move people five steps into better light and let them keep talking—“I’ll just take the photo—more natural.”
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Gear, for Tico, serves proximity and presence. He favors primes—20/35/50/85—because they keep him physically engaged. “Engagement is key,” he says. “I barely use a long lens because I need eye contact.” The 35mm is his workhorse: “I call it being the fourth person in the group.” The 20mm lets the environment breathe; the 50mm 1.2 adds depth and character; the 85mm tightens the frame without losing connection. He’ll even swap back to a 24–70 mid-week just to shake up his eye: “I have a formula that works; I have to avoid repeating it to keep evolving.”
Before photography, Tico studied graphic design—a foundation that shapes how he composes. “My brain works on visuals. In design you craft on a screen; in photography you do it in real life with 3D objects—framing and light,” he says. That crossover trained him to merge subject, environment, and light until the frame reads cleanly, even in chaotic festival settings.
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Craft is only half the story; attitude finishes the image. “When you’re taking a photo, you’re creating a moment and your energy affects it,” Tico notes. He approaches subjects by reading their vibe first—if the energy’s off, he won’t force it. When it clicks, he leans in with presence and clarity: small adjustments, simple direction, and then stepping back so the conversation flows and the camera can “just make the photo.”
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Sustainability matters. Tico is candid about the freelancer’s balance: corporate events to pay the bills, portraits/headshots to hone the person-forward skill set, and passion projects (bands, experiments, effects) to keep the creative muscle alive. “You have to satisfy your need to create—and you also need work that pays,” he says. That includes pricing with integrity: “Put value on yourself. If you undercharge, you devalue your peers—and people will take advantage.”
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Community accelerates growth. A pivotal shift came through peer learning and mentorship at SXSW—like trading views with Aaron Rogerson and studying techniques from photographers such as Nick Fancher. “Let me look at your camera—how do you see?” became a ritual. The first time he did, he hit a wall: “I had a mental breakdown—how could we be in the same place and I never thought of that angle?” The lesson stuck: don’t spiral into comparison; absorb, merge, and evolve.
For emerging photographers, his guidance is disarmingly practical: start with what you have, chase stories not settings, and keep experimenting. “Don’t compare too much to others—compare to yourself and how you’re growing,” he says. Build a mix of paid and passion work, keep learning from peers, and protect your value. The photograph, in the end, is a collaboration—between your eye, your subject, your light, and your energy in the moment.
Credits: Interview conducted by Dylan Gutierrez, filmed by Pablo Herrera at SXSW Austin, TX (2025) for TMN® Learning. Photographer: Tico Mendoza.
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