Marshall Park — Charlotte, NC
When you see images of Charlotte, you probably have noticed the incredible work of one of the city's most talented photographers, Krista Jasso. Growing up in El Paso, Krista was gracious enough to share her story on moving to Charlotte and all of the incredible experiences that have come her way from having the mindset of making her loved ones and family proud. "I grew up in El Paso, Texas, and it was a heavy Mexican-American city. My mom had gotten a job in North Carolina, and I was old enough to be excited and understand why we were moving. It was just different. This was our first time moving away from our comfort area in El Paso. Not having our whole family here was tough because family is everything for us. Since the move, we've stayed, and this city has been so good to my sister and me and our family. There is just so much opportunity here."
With Krista being such a talented and well-known photographer here in the city, I was curious where that passion came from. “I always had some sort of creative mindset. My sister and I are very similar and different; I always say she’s the smarter one — she’s an accountant, good with numbers, she’s so smart, and I’m on the other side of the brain — I have that creative energy and side of things. We were dancers, and I was a cheerleader, so I always wanted to do something fun and creative. I always loved taking pictures. My dad still keeps my Barbie film camera from when I was little. He still wants me to take it to games and use it. That was where I knew I had something. I was a dance teacher in high school, and a photography studio was attached to it. I would start to see how it works and thought it was really cool. My Uncles were into photography, so there was always a camera around. I had an internship in my sophomore year of college, and it was doing the Pope's social media for his visit to the United States. I was in Philadelphia for ten days while he was there, and this internship solidified what I am doing now. So many things are captured into one. I had my camera with me on the ground, capturing what was going on. I remember walking the streets of Philly, and I told myself that this was what I wanted to do and where I needed to be. Never in a million years would I have thought it would be to this scale doing it professionally.”
I always find it interesting how other photographers and creatives envision their work. Krista has such a unique way of telling a story through a photograph. How do you see what to capture? Do you look for things that other photographers would overlook? “I go in with somewhat of a game plan, but I let things naturally happen. I’ve always grown up with the mentality of thinking outside the box and looking at the bigger picture. My Dad will always say that to me a million times to look at the bigger picture. People can pick up a camera and do different things, but what can I bring differently, and what will stand out more?”
Are you a goal-driven person, or do you just roll with it? “It’s a little bit of a mix; there are things I would love to photograph. I would love to photograph a World Cup and Super Bowl, but my main goal is to truly always make my family, my grandparents before me and the people I love happy. Coming from an immigrant family, my sister and I found an old tax return from my Grandfather, and seeing his salary, I mean, it was pennies. Seeing that it was eye-opening, we’ve always known where we come from. My grandparents came here for this, so I always try to make them proud. Family is so important to me, and a lot of my family passed away in 2020/2021. When my Grandfather passed, he was just so proud and so excited to see us all grown up and doing things and accomplishing things. I remember showing my Uncle my baseball cards with the photos I took and seeing how happy he was — it’s things like this that tell me this is why I do it and why I want to see them happy. I want to make the sacrifices and all the hardships my grandparents and parents had to go through to show them that it was worth it. Honoring them and their memory is all I want to do. I have a ring that says ‘Vaga’ on it. it’s a nickname that my Grandfather used to call me, and it describes someone who is always on the go. I was always out and about, working and doing things. I keep them with me all the time.”
Do you have a favorite photograph you’ve taken so far? “From a personal standpoint, I took a photo of my grandfather. He has been sick for a while, and he got better, and there was a point he was standing in the kitchen down in El Paso during Christmas. I had my camera out for whatever reason, and I don’t know why I brought it. I saw him standing in the kitchen, just looking out the window, and I just took the photo. It’s my phone background. That is something; it was just the lighting, everything, and how he looked out the window — I’m gonna cry. It’s a very simple photo, but I have that forever, and it means so much to me, my mom, and my family. That’s why I’m so grateful to have this passion and skill. I captured a lot of these memories that will never happen again that I can take with me forever. Professionally, the Julius Peppers photo will always be my favorite Panther photo, and the team photo of Charlotte F.C. after their first win, you felt how happy all of those guys were together; it was incredible. I have it printed on my desk at work.”
Are there any proud moments for you that have shaped you into the person you are today? “There’s a few. Going back to Philadelphia, there was a point and time at this location in this church when people could write down a prayer request and put it on this fabric, and you would tie it, and it created this beautiful dome-like structure, and they were blowing in the wind — it was beautiful. I remember being there, and my boss pulled us aside, and she said keep this a secret, but the Pope is coming here and making an unscheduled stop. I was so excited and had to tell my parents too I called my mom and I remember covering my mouth and telling her that the Pope was coming to where we were and she started crying and everyone was so excited, and they were so proud and happy for me, and it was one of those moments where I thought a girl from a small town in El Paso, Texas who’s family came from nothing who worked for everything was going to be in the presence of one of the most historical figures. It was just crazy. Another moment was when I got asked to be interviewed by one of the Telemundo stations in Charlotte, and it was my first Spanish interview. Growing up here, it’s a bit broken, but we are working on it. I did the full interview in Spanish, it was difficult, and I was nervous. I remember my family watched it, and they cried and it made them happy and proud that people like us can do big things. Many of these opportunities are not in El Paso, so moving over here was just a blessing. That’s what I do this for. I don’t go on social media and post regularly because that’s not what’s fulfilling for me. What’s fulfilling to me is seeing my family and friends happy and proud. All the gratitude goes to them who support me and believe I can do this.”
What important lessons do you take with you? “A lot of the lessons I’ve learned have come from my family but also being a short, statured girl and a lot of the times I’ve seen people believe that I can do the things I can do. I’m not just a photographer; I also do analytics. I don’t dull any part of me down or keep any part of me away to fit into someone else’s idea of who I am. My family, especially all of them, have told me to embrace who I am, always be myself, and never let anyone else's opinions about me bring me down. Choosing male-dominated sports and a career is just hard, but my family told me never to give up. There’s a saying in Spanish, and it’s ‘Echale ganas’ meaning “give it your all” if it’s hard, if it's easy, and at the end of the day, if that’s all you can do, then that’s all you can do. I hope that I can make it a little easier for the next person. It will still be hard, but you can’t give it up. Things truly do work out the way it’s supposed to.”