PEPPER AILOR: A Photographer at Los Sueños Resort & Marina
PEPPER LIVES IN COSTA RICA NEAR LOS SUEÑOS.
WHATSAPP: +506 6182-1784 (COSTA RICA)
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EMAIL: PEPPER.AILOR@GMAIL.COM
“I don’t really have a mullet.”
-Pepper
"THE FREEDOM ALLIANCE GUY"
Pepper works full-time for Freedom Alliance, a charity that supports the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Seeing the positive impact of recreational therapy on those affected by war, he has organized a structured program—The Freedom Alliance Offshore Experience—which is centered around offshore fishing and coordinating seminars. His time working tournaments as a photographer has allowed him to meet many patriotic and philanthropic people who want to support veterans and give to Freedom Alliance—a win-win scenario.
Pepper learned photography out of necessity, not realizing at first that he had a knack for it.
“Working at a charity, you try to save money where you can, and so you end up learning multiple skills. I picked up a camera to show our donors what we were doing with their money. I was also in charge of certain marketing aspects of our programs. In telling the story of our events, I had to shoot everything from the big picture to the small details.”
After years of shooting in automatic mode, he got serious about photography and took a three-day class on camera basics. That was in 2013—the same year he coordinated a vacation for wounded troops at Los Sueños Resort and Marina in Costa Rica, which became an annual event. He’s since sought as much photography experience and learning as he can.
The photos he takes for Freedom Alliance serve three purposes: (1) donors get to see the work, (2) the troops take home a gallery of memories, and (3) the organization builds its reputation through social media outlets.
In 2015, Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown Tournament Director Ashley Bretecher asked Pepper if he’d be interested in photographing a leg of their tournament. He was asked to return the following year to shoot all three legs of the tournament.
The tournament shoot was an amazing experience in itself, but it also benefited the organization he loves so much. Pepper realized the sport fishing community is deeply patriotic, and many donations and support came from meeting the participants of the tournament.
He now takes unpaid leave from his full-time position at Freedom Alliance for photography opportunities—an effort he hopes will fuel a brand-new veterans’ program: The Freedom Alliance Offshore Experience.
Pepper is a contributor to both Marlin Magazine and InTheBite Magazine and continues to be the Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown Tournament photographer.