Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Bogartz.
Hi Jake, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’d like to begin by thanking you for giving me the opportunity to do this interview. My name is Jake Bogartz and I’m a photographer. I’ve always had a passion for photography and film. I remember as a kid my grandfather would always be taking pictures. Every gathering, holiday, or occasion he was always snapping photos. He loved photography and art, he even was a very talented painter himself. I’m not sure if I inherited my creativity from him or just seeing him take photos gave me the idea, but something always drew me to photography.
I remember one day while packing for a family trip, I found a camera and decided to pack it. I spent time on that vacation taking photos everywhere we went and immediately was hooked. I had no idea what I was doing or even what all the buttons did on this old Cannon but I knew I wanted to learn.
While I did have more starting knowledge than most because of my time studying film at Arizona State University, I had no clue how much skill is involved to take amazing photos. I knew different compositional rules, framing, etc for film but I wasn’t sure how that translated to photos. Immediately, I started to read books, watch youtube videos, and digest everything that I could to learn how to take better pictures. My first photos were not good at all. I was constantly over-editing everything and couldn’t understand why the pictures I took didn’t look anything like the amazing things I was seeing on Instagram. I experimented with different styles and sort of figured out what I liked to do and what I wanted to shoot, just trying to focus on getting better.
After taking a variety of different photos, I began to reach out to models and other creators for collaborations. After my first model shoot, I was hooked. I loved the collaboration and communication that was involved much more than just going outside and shooting a landscape. Since then, I’ve continued to build my brand around portrait, fashion, and editorial photography while trying to become a better photographer every time I grab my camera. I’m nowhere close to where I believe I can go, but I get excited every day to try and make that a reality.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not. Professionally, the hardest thing for me had been figuring out how to make the images in my head translate to the photos that I take. Early on, my skills were minimal and I didn’t know what I was doing. I couldn’t figure out how to make the camera do what I wanted it to. That was more frustrating than anything. I’ve since upgraded my gear and my skills continue to grow. I still struggle sometimes and always will. I think the second you stop and think you have mastered something, that’s when you start to decline. I just try to look critically at every picture and figure out how to do better next shoot.
Personally, there have been struggles as well. From the first time, I posted a photo on my social media I felt like an imposter. You hear a lot of creatives talk about imposter syndrome but I really didn’t grasp that until I began to put myself out there. It’s something that I still feel quite often but I’m learning to put that behind me. I think that everyone has insecurities that come out when they put a piece of themselves out in the world for others to judge. When the main metric of success is likes and followers, it can really bring you down when things aren’t received as you’d hoped. I just continue to try and not let that dictate the types of things I shoot or how I go about what I do. I think the only way to get over those things is to admit you feel them. Since I’ve started to be open about my mental struggles, I’ve really been able to let a lot of those negative thoughts go.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a portrait, fashion, and editorial photographer based in Los Angeles and Ventura, CA.
I’m known for my honesty and authenticity. I have principles that govern the photos that I take and I believe that really resonates with my clients and the artists I work with. I’m not a photographer that shoots photos just because. I think there are a lot of people who are fine with putting a model in a bikini on the beach and call it a day. I need a story to tell. I need a “why” for every shoot. If that story or why doesn’t line up then I won’t shoot the photos. I am very open about this with the people I work with and I believe it fosters a level of respect that really comes out in the final images.
I’m most proud of the way I go about my business and how I conduct myself. I always strive to make everyone that shoots with me as comfortable as possible. I would never ask a model to do something I wouldn’t do myself. I never push anyone to do something they aren’t comfortable with. If I ask you to roll around in the sand, I’m gunna get sandy with you to get good shots. That’s just how I am. I want to be known as someone who is very serious about what they do but that doesn’t take themself too seriously.
What sets me apart is my style. I consider myself a seasonal photographer. I like to frame the content of my shoots around the current season. For example, in the summer I really lean toward the warmer tones and really bringing out that vibe. This fall, I’ll do a lot of spooky shoots and stuff like that. I just really like to explore different things and different editing styles. I think it really keeps everything fresh and exciting for me.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
To be confident in my work. I’ve always struggled with wanting to please everyone and I think that can be detrimental in this industry, especially because art is so subjective. I’ve learned that I’ll never be able to please everyone and I just have to love the pictures I put out and kind of just let the pieces fall where they may.
Early on, I spent a lot of time thinking about what people thought. I would always wonder if people were like, “why is he taking pictures all the sudden, whats the point”. That would make me second guess myself and those thoughts would creep in. I would think about quitting. Even now, people will tell me they really like one of my photos and my first thought sometimes is “oh, they are just trying to be nice, they don’t really think it’s good”.
I’ve learned to kind of quiet that noise and build more confidence. It’s really been a hard lesson to learn for me and something I’m still reminding myself of every day but super important for long-term growth.
Contact Info:
- Email: jakebphoto92@gmail.com
- Website: https://jakebphoto.myportfolio.com/work
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakebogartzphoto/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083356570743
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.
com/@jakebogartzphoto
Image Credits
Jake Bogartz Photography Connor Sipes
