Jacob James : Young Advice
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'My eyes are an ocean in which my dreams are reflected'
I ran into Jacob James while browsing through Google+. I've always been inspired by people who knew exactly what they wanted to do from a young age. My passion for photography didn't develop until I was 24. Even then I didn't really see the importance of it until much later. Jacob left me in awe for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost is he's a great photographer, especially being so young. Secondly, he already understands the importance of photography and is doing things with it to change peoples lives. Last but certainly not least, he knows how to stay inspired. So I thought I would share an article he wrote for you guys and gals called:
Young Advice
About Me:
I am a young photographer based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. I took up photography seriously about two and a half years ago. From a young age I have always admired the work of documentary and travel photographers working for companies such as National Geographic and Magnum. So I feel that it is a natural for me to find my work progress into that sector. At the age of 16 I managed to get my hands on my first DSLR, a Nikon D40, this was a major turning point for me and I have never really looked back since. Spending as much time photographing anything and everything, I taught myself the basics of exposure and composition. Through trial and error my pictures have improved continuously to the point they are today. Along with travel and documentary photography, I also have a passion for black and white photography, I feel that black and white photography allows me more creative freedom and enables me to portray much more emotion and atmosphere in each shot to give the viewer a feeling of what I saw, touched and heard wherever the photograph was taken. I have recently joined the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers and it is my personal ambition to use my photography in a good way by helping people to improve their lives and live in peace. In the next few years I aim to really push this. Here is a mantra that I try and live my life by: "Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Apple Inc.
'Little Umbrella Boy'
My Advice
Take your time!
When I first started I was like any other beginner, I probably shot 600-700 shots everytime I went out, not only did this fill my PC up extremely fast but I wasn't focussing on what I was actually shooting. By taking that extra few seconds to set up the compostion of your landscape on a tripod or building some rapport with the subject of a portrait, the effect will become visible in the photographs you take. Attention to detail in photography is what changes a good shot to an excellent shot, even if that is only squeezing a smile out of your shy neice or moving a Coca Cola can from the foreground of your landscape.
Find something you are passionate about!
Like every amateur, I started by dabbling in every concievable genre of photography. Lanscape, portrait, sports, still life, studio, location, macro etc. 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' or in photography 'Too many genres spoils the portfolio'. Concentrating on a small aspect of your photography will see you improve at a much faster rate. When I first started concentrating on just travel and landscape photography I noticed that my shots improved ten fold. Reducing the type of photography you do allows you to focus more of your time on what you are passionate about.
Give yourself a goal!
Giving yourself a goal or target allows you to focus your learning.I feel this is what pushed my photography to the next level. This summer I spent 5 weeks working as a labourer helping to construct a permanent school building for a small school on the western Thai border with Burma. The school, Lasalle Learning Centre in Sangkhlaburi, provides over 300 Burmese, Karen and Mon children with an education and a meal a day that they otherwise wouldn’t get. With the average wage of a plantation worker only 60baht (approx. £1.20) a day, many of these children live a real tough life. Before going I planned to make my photography of use whilst I was there. I contacted a lot of major photography manufacturers and distributors with the offer of sponsoring my project. Many of these companies offered to sponsor my project which would finish with an E-book to sell in order to raise money for the project. The project page can be found here: http://jacobjamesphotography.co.uk/forgottenborders.html . Focussing on producing something I would be proud of forced me to spend the months leading up to the project honing my skills in documentary portraiture. If I'm honest it was the weakest part of my travel photography repetoire, however by spending time focussed on one of my weaknesses has improved it to the point where I would now say it is my strongest skill.
Never stop pushing yourself!
Regardless of if you are a professional photographer or amateur photographer, every single one of us has their strengths and weaknesses. This means that none of us has a real excuse to stop improving and learning. Striving to produce the best work possible and having the drive to do this is what makes many photographers brilliant. If you are planning a 365 project or just planning to improve your keep rate at the local football match continual personal goal setting will reap rewards very fast. I am currently on a gap year this year before I take up university full time next year. This has given me the perfect oppurtunity to set up a huge goal. As long as I can earn enough money by 1st April, I will be embarking on a life changing trip. Starting off in Myanmar (Burma) for the first month I will then spend time working with Local schools, villages, NGOs and refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border before leaving for Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and South West China. Taking in places such as Bagan, Khone Falls, Angkor, Ha Long Bay, Sapa, Guilin, Longsheng this is a trip that many people could only dream of. I feel extremely lucky to have the time to spend travelling around some of the greatest places in the world. However this is not the main aim of my trip. The most important part of my trip will be the time spent in the Thai border towns of Sangkhlaburi and Mae Sot. I will be once again working on expanding what was produced this year. I am planning to document, photograph and film the work and lives of the border people. Pushing my self into a new terrority with the film aspect of the project I once again feel like a beginner and the process starts all of over again. If you want to find out more about the project I have set up a crowdfunder page with the aim of raising money for the project. Crowdfunding is a very exciting concept that I believe could be the future of photographic and documentary project funding. http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/forgotten-borders-photo-video-short-documentary-470
'Hope and Freedom'
Inspiration
Anthony Spencer Crowned ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010’, Antony Spencer is another talented British photographer who is now deservedly making a name for himself.
Russ Barnes A master of minimalist black and white photography, Russ Barnes is one of the most exciting photographers in the UK at the moment. His images portray so much atmosphere in a scene its no wonder his shot ‘Sunday morning bay’ was commended at the Sony World Photography Awards.
For more stuff from Jacob James you can check him out here:
http://jacobjamesphotography.co.uk
http://blog.jacobjamesphotography.co.uk
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