FRAMES Photography Podcast with Estevan Oriol

In today’s episode, W. Scott Olsen talks to Estevan Oriol, a photographer and director of Mexican-Italian descent from Los Angeles.

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Estevan Oriol is an internationally celebrated professional photographer, director, and urban lifestyle entrepreneur. Beginning his career as a hip-hop club bouncer turned tour manager for popular Los Angeles-based rap groups Cypress Hill and House of Pain, Estevan’s passion for photography developed while traveling the world. With an influential nudge and an old camera from his father, renowned photographer Eriberto Oriol, Estevan began documenting life on the road and established a name for himself amid the emerging hip-hop scene.

Nearly 20 years later, Oriol’s extensive portfolio juxtaposes the glamorous and gritty planes of LA culture, featuring portraits of famous athletes, artists, celebrities, and musicians as well as Latino, urban, gang, and tattoo culture lifestyles. He has photographed Al Pacino, Robert Dinero, Dennis Hopper, Ryan Gosling, Chloe Moretz, Marissa Miller, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Floyd Mayweather, and others. He has also produced shoots for internationally acclaimed photographers such as Ellen von Unwerth for Sang Bleu and Luca Babini for GQ Italy.

In addition to shooting campaigns for companies including Cadillac, Nike, and Rockford Fosgate and directing new media projects for My Cadillac Stories, MetroPCS, MTV, and Apple, Estevan has designed album covers and/or directed music videos for artists including Eminem, Cypress Hill, Blink 182, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit.

His work has been showcased in select galleries and institutions—such as Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives, Mesa Contemporary Art Center, Petersen Automotive Museum, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’ Art in the Streets exhibit—concluding with best-selling books of his work: LA Woman, L.A. Portraits, And This Is Los Angeles capturing the dangerous gangsters, Lowriders, Musicians, Celebrities, L.A. Lifestyle and alluring beauty of women shot in his uniquely provocative and raw style. His photography has been featured in Complex, FHM, Juxtapoz, GQ, Vibe, Rolling Stone, and other publications, with appearances on popular television shows such as CNN’s AnthonyBourdain-UnKnown Parts, CNN’s Street Food-Roy Choi, HBO’s Entourage and Last Call With Carson Daly.