I AM A PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIST, NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER

I am a Puerto Rican native and California-based photographer who, after surviving devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, relocated with my son in search of a new beginning. As I struggled to make a life for us, I had to make the difficult decision to part with two of my most cherished cameras in order to make ends meet. But with my newfound job in California, and in 2019, I was finally able to purchase a new high-end camera and pick up the hobby that I had so dearly missed.

And then the pandemic hit. Like much of the world, I was stuck in lockdown with no movement or action to capture. Nevertheless, I persevered and kept shooting as much as I could, even going as far as to photograph people in order to familiarize myself with my new gear. Little did I know that it would eventually lead me to creating some of my most memorable work thus far: my first street photography book, "79 Photographs by Sostre," and the launch of "Avenue," a street photography magazine. It’s a periodical and space for those fellow street photographers out there just like me.