Who is this guy?
A mystery, an enigma, a maverick. Women want him, and men want to be him.
Just kidding. My name is James Brewster, and I am actually a pharmacist by education. Although as I discovered a few years ago, I’m a photographer at heart. I was born and raised in a suburb 20 minutes outside of Boston, and spent 6 years in college in the city obtaining my Doctorate of Pharmacy degree, but it was during this time that I fell in love with not just taking pictures, but capturing moments.
Where did “Blanco Photography” come from, why is your email “Suave Blanco”, and why photography?
Prepare to be disappointed by this rambling and ultimately dumb story that will leave you saying “that’s what he chose to name his business after?”
I pride myself on being the goofy friend. If something clever or even mildly funny pops into my head, I will say it if I think it will garner even a faint smile from someone. I’ll even take a smirk and an eye roll (it’s usually that). I’m also a pisces, to which I attribute my excessive emotionality and dramatic tendencies. This all plays into the story I promise.
So, one day years ago I’m looking for a lightbulb in my hall closet to replace the one in my bedroom that just blew. I find a box, grab it, and go about my task. As I’m putting the box back, I notice written in the corner of the box “suave blanco”, as the Spanish-language part of the box is facing me. I glance at the other side in English; “soft white” it says. These terms were referring to the type of light the bulb put off. Mildly amused, I take a Snapchat and send it to a few friends with the caption “If I was in a Cartel this would be my nickname”. After receiving numerous responses validating my little joke, James “Soft White” Brewster was born.
Years later, during college, in a semi-quarter-life crisis, I decided I wanted to do something new and interesting in my life. I had always been interested in fashion, and I hatched a plan to become an Instagram influencer (I know, sorry.) I racked my brain for a cool handle, and it finally hit me. @Suave__Blanco. I started off using my iPhone for pictures, but soon realized I needed some real gear to truly compete in the market. So I spent my entire tax return on a Sony A7iii and some prime lenses. I amassed a small following, but quickly realized I liked being behind the camera, rather than in front of it. I branched out from portrait photography to landscape, astro, and wildlife, and fell in love with each and every one.
And that, my friends, is the legend of Suave Blanco.