Meet West LA Photographer: Joe Ward

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Ward.

Joe, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Truthfully, my story has included a plethora of different opportunities that have allowed me to grow deeper into the person that I am today. After earning my BA from Loyola Marymount University in 2013, I moved to the Florida Space Coast to work for a non-profit movement called To Write Love On Her Arms. TWLOHA presents hope and finds help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. They also exist to encourage, inform, inspire, and directly invest in treatment and recovery options. After a summer internship, I began working for the organization full time as their Operations and College Engagement Coordinator. It was in this role where I began to really explore the avenue of using music and the arts as a means to spark honest, genuine conversations that could change lives for the better.

After my time with TWLOHA, I briefly moved to Seattle to begin earning my MA in Transformational Leadership at Seattle University. However, just a few months after settling in I was offered an incredible job opportunity at my alma mater, Loyola Marymount University, to work directly with the First Year, Transfer, and Orientation Programs at the institution. So I ended up moving back to Los Angeles in the beginning of 2015, after carefully making arrangements to commute to Seattle once or twice a month to continue my Masters Program on weekends. Additionally, it was during my brief time in Seattle when I first picked up a DSLR and began to really consider delving into photography as an artist.

So fast forward to the present day: I am still working at Loyola Marymount University as the Chief Employment Administrator of Student Employment Services. I just finished my second year in my Masters Program at Seattle University (and have earned quite the number of frequent flyer miles). And I have spent a good portion of 2016 really building up my personal brand and photography business, realizing this is a passion of mine I want to really commit myself to for the rest of my life. I have always indulged in the arts growing up and photography has given me a unique opportunity to toy with perspective, celebrate beauty, and foster honest relationships.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all! Haha. I would definitely consider myself and my identity as an artist still a work in progress. I’ve always been a fan of the idea that we are “always becoming” and that there is grace in never quite feeling as if we have arrived. I would characterize the struggles along the way as simply opportunities for me to remember to expect the unexpected, and always remind myself that there is no clear cut path for anyone in this life. In this sense, I don’t have any specific incidents to share, but more so, surprises in how I have gotten to where I am today.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It’s actually very fascinating right now. The photography community has always been constantly evolving, as with most artistic fields, whether it’s for pure hobbyists or those working in commercial. Just think about how social media channels now serve as our instant “look books” into people’s lives – a majority of photographers today don’t even have printed look books.

With how quickly social media has evolved in just the last 5 years, who knows really where we’ll be in 5 more years?! I don’t think people expected Snapchat to get as big as it’s gotten in the past 2-3 years, but I’ve had a great conversation with artists friends that swear it’s THE next big advertising vehicle for photographers and videographers. (I personally haven’t jumped on Snapchat since I was locked out of my account for forgetting my password too many times 3 years ago before the platform was “cool!” Haha.) And even in just the past few weeks, Instagram Stories was launched, so who knows how quickly that’ll migrate more users back to Instagram simply for the ease of use and having all your content in one place.

I honestly believe we’ll continue to see advancements in social media and technology in general really swing the momentum for photographers and artists. Those that are willing to embrace the changes, rather than protest it, and learn how to better utilize it to showcase their art, their personal branding and overall artistic vision will be the ones that continue to succeed in the long term.

What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you over the course of your career?
Truthfully, the biggest challenge for me over the past few years as been trying best fashion a career for myself in which my own greatest passions and strengths, might meet the world’s greatest needs. I know it might sound a bit dramatic, but it’s an idea that has really stuck with me since my undergraduate tenure at LMU. I’ve always been a man of many strengths and my flexibility in the workplace has allowed me to succeed in a handful of different workplaces so far in my young career. However, I’ve also felt that being a sort of “Renaissance Man” has made it difficult to stick to one path for longer than a few years.

Immediately after graduating from LMU, I went to work for To Write Love On Her Arms, Inc., in Central Florida, presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide – work that I am very passionate about. And for the past two years, I’ve been working in Student Affairs back at LMU, helping students transform into real change agents and incredible young adult leaders our world desperately needs today. Oh, and while working at LMU, I’m also flying to Seattle on a monthly basis to work on my Masters Degree at Seattle University on weekends. So I definitely keep myself busy.

Yet, the artist in me feels like it’s been aching for a way really show itself. Photography has given me that outlet and I really think I can continue to use it to inspire people. While I haven’t been able to quite grasp yet where this current chapter will take me, I’m incredibly confident in its ability allow me to meet some incredible people, celebrate stories, and share my passion with the world the art I’m able to create.

What would you tell someone who is just starting out?
Some of the most influential photographers in my own work are Jeremy Cowart, Nick Onken, and Ben Sasso. I’ve spent countless hours learning from them online, studying their work, and learning how to apply the learning into my own work to really define a unique style that screams “Joe Ward!” Haha. So my biggest piece of advice for photographers just starting out in LA would be to learn as much as possible, find some incredible role models (even reach out to them!), and constantly be shooting!

I would genuinely attribute much of my success so far in this field to my unrelenting desire to constantly learn more about my craft, studying the work of photographers I admire, and overcoming the inevitable awkwardness of asking people “hey, can I take pictures of you?” Haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://joewarddd.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joewarddd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joewarddd/