ABOUT US
The name "Yanez" belongs to my grandfather. He's still here, still sharp, still cheering me on as he watches me carry on his teachings.
He started shooting photography in Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the 1970s. Film cameras, darkrooms, the whole original process. By the 1980s, he had opened his own studio. He built something from nothing in a small city in southern Mexico, and he did it by capturing people. Weddings, portraits, moments that families would hang on their walls for decades. He passed that knowledge down to my mother, who picked up digital photography but never pursued it professionally. The cameras eventually sat untouched.
When I was about fifteen, I found my mom's old Nikon. I didn't know what I was doing. I just started shooting. Outings with friends, places I'd visit, whatever caught my eye. I was never formally trained. But people started noticing. They'd tell me my shots were amazing, and I couldn't really explain why. I think it was just in my blood. Three generations of the same instinct, passed down without a single lesson.
I eventually bought my own amateur camera off Amazon. Then I got into drones. I started with a DJI FPV just for fun. When people saw that footage, the compliments kept coming. By this point, I was entering my sophomore year at NYIT studying computer science, and I was also working a full-time warehouse job. Every day was a grind between Paramus and Manhattan. School, work, commute, repeat. I was restless, so in May 2023, I handed in my resignation and founded Yanez Studio.
I started this to pursue something I actually care about under my own name. A name that means something to me. I wanted to see what would happen if I just went for it. And because I was still in school, I kept things intentional. I didn't take every job that came my way. I took the ones that were creatively lucrative to me. The ones that made me want to show up.
Since then, I've shot a little bit of everything. DJ sets. Drift competitions. Birthdays. Wedding behind-the-scenes. Real estate. Portraits. Graduations. Anything you name, I've probably already done it. I wanted to dip my toe into every corner of the craft to figure out what I love most. Turns out, it's portraits, car culture, and real estate. And I do all of it. Photography, videography, drone work (both cinematic and FPV), and all the editing and post-processing that follows.
But here's the thing: behind every shot, there's intent.
I think of photography as a puzzle. A painter starts with a blank canvas and a full palette. They can put anything anywhere. A photographer doesn't have that luxury. You're constrained by environment, lighting, movement, equipment. You have to work with what's in front of you and find the frame that tells the story. That challenge is what I love. And my background in computer science only deepens it. I see visual storytelling and digital innovation as two sides of the same coin. Composition, lens choice, lighting. That's the art. Post-processing through Photoshop and Lightroom, expert delivery through Dropbox, building web experiences that actually function. That's the logic. I sit at the intersection of both, and I think that's where the best work happens.
The best part of making something is handing it off. Whether it's a photo, a video, or a website, I want people to feel good about themselves, their performance, their product. I capture moments and frame them into something lasting. Something they can share too.
I mentioned "everyday people" on this site because that's how I started. Just me and my friends, some high school kids having fun with a camera. That spirit hasn't left. There are still projects I take on purely for the love of it, no financial compensation involved. Friends' graduations. Friends of friends. Sometimes someone comes to me with so much creativity that I just want to be part of it. And if a small business is just getting started, or an older person who isn't tech-savvy just needs a simple landing page, I'll take care of it for nothing. It all comes down to genuine intention and connection.
When a client finishes a project with me, I want them to feel empowered, confident, and understood. My process is highly communicative. I want to make sure that what's in your head gets translated into something tangible. Something digital, something real. That means asking questions, checking in, making sure we're aligned every step of the way.
Yanez Studio is local by design. Rooted in NJ and NY, serving the businesses and people around me. Starting in 2025, after graduating from NYIT, I expanded the studio to offer website creation alongside photography and videography. Helping local businesses market themselves, build their online presence, and bridge the gap between desktop and mobile.
What's next? Short films, music videos, and civic tech that actually helps people.
But for now, I'm here. Camera in hand, code on screen, building something that carries my grandfather's name into the future. While he's still here to see it.
Juan P. Hernandez, Founder