Improvisation in Street Photography with Xiomaro

In this episode, Bob and I had the chance to talk with photographer Xiomaro about a creative path that definitely didn’t start with photography.

Before he ever picked up a camera, Xiomaro’s world revolved around music and law. He performed, managed artists, and built a legal career working with musicians. Photography really only entered the picture after a prostate cancer diagnosis forced him to slow down and rethink what he wanted his life to look like moving forward.

What followed wasn’t some dramatic overnight pivot. It started quietly, with travel and time spent photographing national parks during his recovery. That period led to something pretty remarkable: acceptance into a National Park artist residency. Living and working in that environment gave him space to think, to create without pressure, and to reconnect with curiosity in a way that hadn’t been possible in his previous professional life. His park work grew into exhibitions and commissions, but more importantly, it helped him rediscover the joy of making something simply because he wanted to.

Street photography came later, almost accidentally.

While commuting to a legal job he had taken for financial stability, he began photographing daily life in New York City. Not with a grand vision or a long-term plan. Just as practice. Just to stay engaged creatively.

In our conversation, Xiomaro talks about how his background in music still shapes the way he works today. There’s a strong sense of improvisation in his approach, learning the craft, putting in the reps, and then letting instinct take over. Whether he’s photographing sweeping landscapes in a national park or fleeting moments on a city sidewalk, that same mindset carries through.

We also talk about how surviving cancer changed his relationship to time and to creative work itself. Photography became less about achievement and more about presence. Less about structure and more about play.

It’s a really thoughtful conversation about reinvention, creativity, and how sometimes the things that start as small personal practices end up reshaping your life in ways you never expected.

Links from the show

Xiomaro’s Website

Instagram

“Street Photography of New York City: Street Haunting in the Big Apple” by Xiomaro

“Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art” by Stephen Nachmanovitch