I wrote this Feature Profile for the Journalism Practices (J317) course at the University of Texas at Austin
From Louisiana to Texas, Alex Street’s world was a never-ending parade of moving vans and new schools.
As the only child of divorced parents, Street quickly learned to observe from an early age. After a rocky childhood and the early death of his mother, he retreated inward and began to look critically at the world around him in an effort to cope with the unexpected loss.
His father’s constant movement from city to city also left Street unable to set down any meaningful roots. Uncomfortable with socialization, visuals became Street’s escape.
“My rough background during childhood made me a very observant person visually rather than socially,” Street explains. “It all made me very reserved.”
Those same reserved observations would soon become his lifeline to the world outside his windows and his life after graduation.
While seemingly tragic, Street’s isolation fostered both an individual sense of style and a unique creativity for the everyday. That careful attention to small moments is what would eventually encourage him to embrace life behind the lens and find a photographic passion that he could share with the world.
Education
Choosing to major in Biomedical Engineering at UT Austin, Street soon found that the medical profession didn’t suit his creative drive. After pivoting away from medicine, Street worked at a modest AI startup where he received an eventual job offer.
Seemingly secure in his future career, Street was blindsided when his employment opportunity was rescinded the day before graduation. Left discouraged, broke and ultimately homeless, Street moved back with his father to try and rediscover a direction for his life.
With his initial prospect gone and the tech market in shambles, Street felt reinspired to pursue his interest in visual design.
Channeling his observation skills, he began documenting his world through photography. Street found solace in the images he was able to create from everyday life. Unlike the chaos of his past, photography created a safe personal space for true artistic expression.
Inspiration
Drawing on inspiration from photographers like Rankin White and Carter Blackwell, Street credits much of his own inspiration to their niche photography accounts. Their creative approaches to photography and freedom of expression helped reshape how Street understood the media form.
Traditional artists, such as the painter Edward Hopper, have also played a pivotal role in Street’s own understanding of photographic compositions.
“Photography is such a beautiful thing for me. A perspective of how I view my life” says Street. “A photograph captures a very specific moment and freezes it right there.”
Beginning with a portfolio of his personal photographic work, Street began to slowly accumulate an eye for capturing the beauty of everyday life.
Capitalizing on his ability to freeze unique moments in time, Street’s love for the camera began to evolve. Alongside his love of Austin’s growing music scene, Street recalls past memories of his grandfather’s extensive vinyl collection as a significant inspiration for his eventual collaboration with musical artists.
Street’s Fraternity brother, Noah Young, points out that “from what started as a side hobby of taking photos, Alex’s determination and love for what he does set himself up for the opportunity to do media full time.” In Young’s view, “Alex is a living testament to what it means to do what you love, as it has been the fuel that has put him in the position he is today.”
Career
His consistent draw to music led Street to work with large studios like Warner Brothers. Additional photography contracts with bands like the Backseat Lovers have further cemented Street’s credibility as a talented professional photographer within the rapidly expanding social media space.
Rankin White commented on Street’s professionalism by saying “Alex has a gifted eye for photography. His composition and coloring have always set him apart.” White went on to highlight how Street “Has an incredible work ethic. While at Poncho he was doing the jobs of probably 3-4 people on his own, working way more hours than anyone else because he wanted to put out a good product.”
Although White focuses on Street’s talent and relentless drive to create, when asked what he finds the most fulfillment in, Street replied that he was proud to have “Taken a hobby and turned it into something of a profession.”
Although humble in its beginnings, that profession has taken Street all the way to his current full-time job as the Head of Creative and Digital Marketing for Poncho Outdoors.
Although Street’s current accolades in photography and marketing have made him a success, he was also more than willing to share advice on the difficulties he faced along the way.
He reminisced on his own perceived failures after graduation and encouraged UT students to “Not let their failures hinder growth. View them more as learning opportunities and use them to build maturity.”
Apart from a growth-centered mindset, Street’s own work ethic is another clear factor in his professional success. His own path, while not linear, took him through many hours of work that he described as “not glamorous.”
The importance, he stressed, was to “Make work, even if it’s bad.” That commitment to the artistic process underscores Street’s vision for his own journey. Relentlessly pursuing art means making mistakes or failing, but also provides the most opportunity for substantial growth.
Just as his own setbacks fueled his growth into the professional world of photography and digital marketing, Street understands that Poncho Outdoors is only the beginning. With increasing attention from larger studios, who knows where Street’s camera will take him next.