Esai Mendoza: His Way

Life and Art

INTERVIEW BY: EMILY ARAUZA

JULY 12th, 2025        

Esai Mendoza is 21 and already seeing the world in frames most people miss. Ten months with a camera and he is not chasing trends, he is chasing truth. It started with a point and shoot pulled from his mother’s old memorabilia box. It was broken, but it worked long enough to show him a way forward. That camera sat with him when he had almost nothing else, so now every photo he takes has weight. His work is not about perfect lighting or calculated poses. It is about friends laughing with graffiti behind them, about love that loops back on itself, about life exactly as it is

. He calls it photography, but it is really a way of holding on. Now he is stepping into set design, storyboarding, and directing, taking the same vision and building worlds around it. Some of the moments stay private. The rest are for anyone who knows what it feels like to live and not want to forget.

Esai Mendoza: “My name is Esai Mendoza, im a photographer, Videographer and working on becoming even more. Such as set design, storyboarding and directing.”

Emily Arauza: “I really respect how you’re expanding into every part of the process. Set design, storyboarding, directing—you’re not just capturing a moment, you’re creating the full vision. What kind of projects are you hoping to direct in the future?”

EM: “I'd like to start off simple with short films, skits and things of the sort. I want to learn how to grasp people's attention in a couple of minutes so that it can aid me with hopefully bigger projects in the future.”

EA: “That’s a smart approach—mastering short-form storytelling builds a strong foundation. Grabbing someone’s attention in just a few minutes is an art in itself. How old are you now, and how old were you when you first picked up a camera or got into this?”

EM: “I'm 21 currently and I only picked up the camera 10 months ago when I was 20. I found an old point and shoot film camera in my mom's box of memorabilia and just fell in love. It's broken now but I have it displayed by my bed. I didn't really intend on photography becoming a passion back then though, my mom kicked me out a few weeks later and that camera and another one I found at a garage sale, and a couple changes of clothes were all I had for a little while and I just dove into the lens and used it as a way to cope honestly.”

EA: “The fact that your whole journey started with a camera you stumbled on—and then turned into something you leaned on during such a raw time that’s real. That first camera being broken but still next to your bed says a lot. It’s more than just gear it’s a reminder of where you started and what kept you going. Have you ever thought about documenting that part of your story visually? Like turning that chapter into a photo series or short film?”

EM: “Yeah actually that's where I want to move creatively and not just with that period of my life but all throughout my life, I've already started with a photo shoot I did with Mindy Visuals and I really enjoyed it the process was very therapeutic, not only that I created something I feel invokes emotion which is really what I want to do with my work.”

EA: “I actually interviewed Mindy Visuals recently, so it’s cool to hear that you’ve already collaborated with her. That shoot sounds like the beginning of something meaningful. It’s rare to find that mix of therapy and creativity in one process. What was the concept behind it, and what kind of emotion were you hoping people would take away from it?”

EM: “I honestly don't really know what I was hoping people take away from it but I really wanted to express it if that makes sense, the name of the shoot was "going in circles" about a relationship that just goes in circles and you can't get out of  something I've watched my parents do and I've been through myself in a past relationship. Those are the type of topics I want to make my future projects about but not necessarily hard and negative topics, things that are also sweet, anything that life brings, or things I've experienced throughout my own life. I do really think it's important to love life and that's really what I want to push going forward, kinda wrapping back around to one of your first questions you brought to me. My favorite photographs are just moments in my own life with friends or family. A lot of it is unreleased cause I don't really think it's for anyone but me.” 

EA: ““Going in Circles” sounds personal but relatable. So many people have lived that cycle, whether through their parents or their own relationships. And the fact that you’re not limiting yourself to only the heavy stuff but also want to show the sweet, quiet moments—that balance is what gives your work depth. I really respect how you’re leaning into your own life for inspiration, even if a lot of it stays private. Not everything has to be shared to be valid. Sometimes the most meaningful art is the stuff we make for ourselves. Out of all those unreleased moments, is there one that sticks with you more than the rest? Something you look at and immediately feel something from?”

EM: “Yeah there's a picture I took of my best friends joking around with some graffiti behind them, none of it was planned but when I got it developed and got it back it made me cry, but anytime I get pictures of my friends developed and I look at them the first time I cry, I hope when I send it to them they also appreciate it the way I do. Sometimes it's not meant to be technical but its a true and genuine moment captured and nothing in life really compares to it for me. It's everything to me those little moments. It reminds me of a photo album I have of my family back when I was a baby that was shot on that point and shoot I found, raw, real, and nostalgic.”

EA: “That’s really special. The fact that it made you cry says a lot—those moments clearly mean everything to you. And I think that’s what makes your work different. It’s not about being perfect or super technical, it’s just real life. That photo of your friends just messing around sounds like one of those moments you couldn’t plan even if you tried. It’s cool how it reminds you of that photo album from when you were a baby, there’s something about those old photos that just hit different. You’re not just taking pictures, you’re holding on to the feeling of a time and place. Have you ever thought about turning some of those into a zine or a little gallery show? Not for the hype, just to celebrate what they mean to you.”

EM: “I've never thought about that honestly, its something I definitely want to do now that you brought it to my attention, I think itd be really cool and hopefully it could speak to people in some ways. I guess I've never thought abt that cause I’ve never really thought of my work like that but I'll definitely look into it, it'd probably be a really big step to push my work out there too.”

EA: “It’s easy to get caught up in just creating and not even realize the weight of what you’re building. But honestly, the fact that your work comes from such a personal place is exactly why it would speak to people. Sometimes the stuff we make just for ourselves ends up meaning the most to others too. Doing something like a zine or a small show doesn’t have to be about being “seen” in the loud sense. It can just be about putting it out there in a way that feels true to you. Even if only a few people connect with it, that connection hits different when it’s built on something real. Whenever you decide to do it, I think it’ll be one of those steps that helps you see your own work through new eyes. You’re already doing something special—you just haven’t packaged it up yet.”

EM: “I understand what you're saying I do think I genuinely struggle with voicing what my work actually is meant to be but at the same time I don't really mind because I like when people get it without me having to spell it out for them at times.”

EA: “That actually says a lot about your approach and honestly it is a strength. Not everything has to be explained. Sometimes the best art is the kind that people feel without needing to be told what it is about. It is okay not to have all the words for what your work means. You are letting the images speak, and when they come from a real place, they do. The fact that people can look at your photos and connect with something even if it is different from what you felt when you took it is powerful. You are not lost in it, you are just letting it breathe. And that is more intentional than you might realize. 

Before we wrap this up I’d like to ask if you have any advice to share?”

EM: “Yeah I mean as for advice take things at your own pace, in whatever you have going on, if fast feels right then its right, if slow feels right do that, hang on to whatever you can get your hands on but never settle for less if that makes any sense at all.”