About Me
“I didn't start FOTOS By NOE to build a business. I started it so people could tag the right account. What happened after that changed everything.”
I'm Noe — a Houston-based photographer, drone pilot, and content creator.
Eight years ago, I picked up a camera in college, inspired by travel filmmakers like Sam Kolder, and a dream to document the world.
Today, I shoot personal sessions, create brand content, and showcase real community stories — including work that took me to El Salvador recently and will be showcased in a gallery exhibition of beautiful communities I captured and saw in person.
This is my story of how it all began. Learn more about my story & explore my why for what I do & what I want to do today!
How It Started
A rental camera, a college dorm in College Station, and a YouTube rabbit hole. That's where it began. Watching creators like Sam Kolder convinced me that a camera could show the world the way I saw it — so I filed that away as a future plan. Something I'd do when I had the freedom to travel & the finances to carry it, since camera gear is so expensive.
That moment came in waves from 2019 to 2024. I invested in camera gear, a drone, and a MacBook, and started documenting everything I experienced. I posted to my personal Instagram account. People liked it. But it still felt like a hobby — not a calling. Never did I think it would reach that point, as it wasn’t on my roadmap for my goals at the time.
The Running Club That Changed Everything
At the beginning of 2025, I started showing up to running clubs in Houston, mostly to push myself out of a comfort zone that had gotten too small. One of those clubs was Sexy Pace Running Club — a large, energetic Houston community that pulled me in immediately.
I volunteered to fly my drone for them. Shot people on the move. Posted the footage. And something clicked — not just with the content, but with me. People constantly reshared. Tags, reposts, kudos. The confidence I gained from those Saturdays built a portfolio I hadn't planned for and a brand I hadn't named yet.
That's when FOTOS By NOE became real. I created the Instagram page so people had somewhere to tag the work. It became the home for everything I made — and it caught the attention of INAKA Power, a well-known Houston clothing brand, along the way.
The Falling Out That Refocused Everything
In the summer of 2025, I spent three weeks in Spain. I came back energized. Then came a meeting with the running club that didn't go as I'd hoped. We didn't see eye to eye, and I had to walk away to save my creativity and passion.
What followed was a period of real clarity. I shot for other Houston running clubs. I explored other directions. And I kept asking myself what kind of photographer I actually wanted to be — not just what I'd fallen into and even out of due to the disagreement that left me without a “purpose” at the time.
The answer found me at sMiles, another Houston running club, on a Wednesday night.
Friends of El Salvador — My Calling
There was a table at every sMiles meet that always caught my eye. A non-profit called Friends of El Salvador — an organization connected to the country my mother is from, a place I carry with me everywhere.
I introduced myself to the director. We got coffee. I told him my story and said I wanted to help — the same way I'd helped Sexy Pace, but this time for something that felt personal on a different level. He told me he didn't have anything for me to shoot right now.
That changed quickly.
He invited me to their annual Gala at Post Houston. I met their sponsors, their volunteers, and their community. From there, he called me right after and said, "We have Salvadoran Heritage Night coming up. We want you to shoot at the Dynamo game."
From that night forward, things moved fast. I shot the event, edited a feature video of one of their board members, and found my footing again — this time with a purpose behind the lens that went deeper than any client brief.
Where It's Led
Most recently, Friends of El Salvador sent me to El Salvador to photograph the launch of the first-ever mini libraries built in partnership with two Houston high school students behind Cuentos y Sueños. I spent a week there — documenting the communities they support, the people behind the mission, and a moment that mattered.
I came home with photos that meant something. And a clearer picture than ever of why I do this.
Let’s Create Something Together!
Whether you're booking a graduation session, a personal shoot, or a brand campaign, you're working with someone who got here by showing up, saying yes, and figuring it out along the way. That's what I bring to every shoot.
Let's make something worth keeping.