Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Johnson.
Jamie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started taking photos as a young teenager, always had a camera everywhere I went. Never much thought about it as a job or a career, it was just something I did… constantly! Eventually, friends started hitting me up for headshots of baby photos, and I found my days full taking photos of other peoples lives. With a few cameras and a lot of passion it did eventually become my job and my career.
My client list quickly grew and the next thing I knew I was shooting at all the major studios, shooting A list celebrities and booked so far in advance that I had no time for a life of my own. More importantly, I was losing my passion for photography, so I began to work less for other people and find my passions through documentary work and fine art photography.
I started to travel through India, Thailand, Laos, Cuba, Amazon, Nepal, and photograph what I was passionate about. I also learned wet plate collodion and built a darkroom in my bathroom to make my own prints. Through my travels and my working with alternative photography, the focus of my work and my true passion for photography was always including children.
I have two current projects that have been doing very well-one is a fine art wet plate collodion project called Vices and the other is a four-year documentary project following the lives of Irish Traveller children.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My main struggle was not to lose my passion for photography that I have had my whole life with unreasonable workloads for other peoples visions, I needed to take back my passion for me.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I currently have a show of my Vices series hanging at the Sherman Oaks ArcLight til March 4th, and I will be showing some of my Irish Travellers work at Photo LA Jan 31st-Feb 3rd in the Focus LA booth.
I’m represented by the Duncan Miller Gallery in Santa Monica at Bergamot Station, and they always have a nice selection of my work on hand for print sales.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is loving what you do, and making a living at it sure is a fantastic bonus!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jamiejohnsonphotography.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @jamiejohnsonphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiejohnsonphotography
- Twitter: @jamiezjohnson
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
