This shoot was a role reversal for me. Instead of being behind the camera, I asked my friend Felix to come into the studio to help make photographs of me! I am not often the one in front of the camera, especially not my own camera. Felix knows about photography some, and we have known each other for a while, so it was easier for me to relax a little while he was making headshots and branding photos for me that I really needed. I set up the lighting and the background, described what I was looking for in terms of photos to Felix, and he helped out also with posing ideas, getting me to relax (not look so serious, ha ha), and just general reassurance — all the things I do for my clients normally!
Appearing on Monterey On Tonight for a Live Interview!
Recently, I had the opportunity to appear on Monterey On Tonight, hosted by Gary Morris, and talk about my photography and drone work, my path to Pacific Grove, and the role visual storytelling plays for local businesses and individuals on the Monterey Peninsula. I submitted a bio and was told the interview would be about 10 minutes long, but that is all so I did not know exactly what to expect. Gary was most curious about the drone portion of my business so one of his producers pulled up my recent drone video of a surprise engagement and played it! Gary loved it and I loved having the drone video itself play on the air. I really enjoyed the overall experience of being on Monterey On Tonight and hope to be on again some day. Thank you to Hannah (who I met doing a radio interview 5 days earlier) for asking if I wanted to be on the show and for Gary for having me on!
A Fun and Thoughtful Conversation on Photography with Don Brooklyn
I had a great time this week joining Don Brooklyn on his KMBY radio show for a lively and thoughtful conversation about photography, creativity, and a few unexpected personal connections. One of the biggest surprises of the interview was discovering that we are both originally from Rhode Island, which led to some laughs about how far from home we both ended up here in Pacific Grove. We talked about the ongoing question of phone cameras versus “real cameras,” and I shared my perspective that phone cameras are good for quick snapshots in ideal lighting, but there is still no substitute for professional photography when it comes to controlling light, freezing motion, and working in challenging conditions. Don also shared that he recently picked up a new camera himself, so we may be continuing the conversation soon with a photography lesson. I really appreciated the opportunity to speak directly to the local community through KMBY, share some practical insights, and enjoy a genuine moment of connection with a fellow Rhode Islander.
I had the opportunity to present the story of how I became a professional photographer at 1 Million Cups this week here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a chance for me to really think about what was the start of my path to becoming a professional photographer. I realized it began back in 2001, on a trip to Thailand and Cambodia. I invite you to watch the video below to hear the full story. I begin presenting just a couple minutes into the video.
Go Local Boom is a local Albuquerque, New Mexico radio show dedicated to showcasing local businesses. I was interviewed about my photography business (Jason Collin Photography) where I had the chance to talk about how I got started in photography, how working for something you are passionate about is great, and how I go about teaching photography to people of wide ranging experience levels.
Jason & Rick Sammon - I got to meet one of my biggest photography influences - thank you Kathy for the photoI was walking down the hallway in the Hilton Garden Inn looking to make a quick restroom stop before attending a photography seminar. I see a tall man at the end of the hallway who asks me, if I am looking for the photography seminar, that it is this way. I do not recognize him at first from a few feet away, but the voice was very familiar. As I get closer I realize it is the speaker for the seminar himself, Rick Sammon. In my mind I thought wow, shook his hand and asked if he would sign my copy of his book, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS. He did so gladly. This is how I got to meet Rick Sammon for the first time after listening to him for years on photography podcasts, which made his voice very familiar to me.
Rick (website) is a very famous photography traveling to dozens and dozens of countries making all kinds of photographs. His photography talent is evident in his images. What is perhaps even more amazing about him is his passion and enthusiasm for sharing what he knows and loves about photography with people, often for free. This particular evening he gave two hours of his time to talk to about a hundred local photographers of all levels. His photography podcasts I used to listen to were all for free. I really respect how much he gives to help others love photography as much as he does.
About thirty minutes into Rick's photography seminar I began to realize just exactly how much my own photography knowledge came from him. Things I now tell my own photography students are nearly verbatim tips Rick espouses as key things for making great photographs. This surprised me and made me smile. I guess, however, this should hardly be surprising given I have listend to dozens of hours of his podcasts and read his SECRETS book containing all those tips.
Depsite all that expsoure already to Rick's knowledge, here are things I learned during his 2-hour seminar:
speedlights keep pupils wide (bedroom eyes)
use layer masks for combining to very different DoF's
horse photographs ideally show all legs off the ground (I thought just curled under before, which is probably the same actually)
a photographer should practice (a lot)
cut a slotted hole in a piece of cardboard for movie lighting (like when peeping through window blinds)
include shadows on a wall to add depth
conversely put the flash high to hide shadows on walls
It was inspiring to meet Rick and feel his enthusiasm. This is my photography tip for your, go and hear (famous) professional photographers speak! I am sure you will always learn something. This will help your photography a lot. Each tip you can pick up adds to your skill set. Picking up a few key skills from other photographers and lots of practice was how I taught myself DSLR photography. I cannot emphasize enough how important it was to me randomly picking up a key piece of photography knowledge here and there because of being around other photographers via seminars like this one and even more through photography meetups.
Thank you very much to Kathy for organizing this seminar and for making the photo of me with Rick above and for giving so much of her own time to run The Tampa Bay Strobist & Photoshop Collective on Meetup.com. You should join her group!
So now I have had direct contact with my two favorite photographers and biggest influences, this meeting with Rick Sammon and a few years ago Scott Bournepersonally critiqued one of my photos on his website. Try and seek out and meet your own favorite photographers! It may be easier than you think.
