January 30, 2017

Meet Jonny Marlow of Marlow Photography in Silverlake

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonny Marlow.

Jonny, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was introduced to photography at a very young age by my dad, David Marlow, who was a staff photographer for Architectural Digest for 30 years. Some of my first memories are of the chemical smell of a freshly peeled polaroid from his 4×5. I began assisting for him – badly, I should note – when I was around 10. I really had no interested in being a professional photographer until I came to Los Angeles in my 20’s, graduated from an acting conservatory and decided I needed a job that didn’t involve sitting behind a desk. Not long after graduation I renounced theater and began photography full time. I told my dad I just fell in love with the other woman. I shot headshots for friends and acquaintances guerilla-style for a year or two and then opened up my studio in Silverlake with my girlfriend – I couldn’t have done it without her. A big turning point came when actress Felicity Huffman entrusted me to do a shoot for her website. Needless to say, I was scared to death, but it was an incredible experience and really inspired me to step up my game. Ever since then the reaction to the work in and out of the studio has been amazing. I’m lucky and humbled to be recommended by some of the top talent agencies in LA as their go-to headshot photographer and have shot celebrities such as William H. Macy, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Ramirez, Jenna Elfman, Deborah Ann Woll, Melanie Griffith and many others.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’d say any struggles have been mostly getting started with the tools I needed to compete in the business and pushing myself to be better than I was the last time I picked up a camera. It’s not easy making a career out of your passion and keeping the fires burning for it takes patience and looking for creative ways to keep it interesting and challenging.

Please tell us about Marlow Photography.
My little natural light studio in Silverlake is dedicated to shooting headshots for industry professionals. Every week I have actors and models looking to get something clean and fun to send out into the casting world. I use controlled natural light because you look most like you in the natural light and it gives the impression that this is who is going to show up to the audition. I also know that 9 times out of 10 actors despise the headshot process. It’s like going to the dentist and honestly, what kind of monster likes going to the dentist? I try to work around that and get something really genuine out of everybody that walks through my door. I’m incredibly proud of the quality I’ve been able to offer while still keeping the price reasonable. Its a little bit of a one man operation which keeps the cost low for the actors that come in. I think what sets me and the studio apart from others is the clean look focusing on a well lit and genuine look into my actors without any distraction. My idols are people like Peter Lindbergh and Herb Ritts. Their portraits have so much life to them and I try to bring that to every actor I shoot.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start again I wish I would have learned earlier that to make great food you must eat great food. Finding and appreciating great photographers and what made them so amazing has been such valuable part of becoming a working photographer for me. I wish I would have began taking lessons from them much earlier.

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