About My Photographic Career

I have enjoyed a long career as a noted press photographer as well as a photo portrait artist. My career in photography began in High School as the Photo Editor of both the student newspaper and the yearbook and has sustained for over 45 years. During that time I also found time to publish two separate lines of greeting cards featuring my work, in addition to ,my widely heralded close-up flower posters.

After 20 years, I hung up my press pass to concentrate full time on both of my passions, creating exquisite works of photographic art and capturing the essence and character of my clients in their photographs. My fine art photographs can be seen at my on-line catalog. These prints are now available in limited editions with my personally preparing each print using state-of-the-art archival quality materials. My commercial photography website is http://jasonshots.com and my latest site for my Wedding Photography business is http://HollywoodWeddingPix.com

I am a member of the Press Photographers ' Association of Greater Los Angeles(PPAGLA), The Los Angeles Digital Imaging Group(LADIG),the American Society of Magazine Photographers (ASMP) and The Professional Digital Imaging Association (PDIA)

My Shooting Philosophy

Unlike going to the dentist, getting your pictures taken ought to be a fun experience. Taking your pictures is a fun experience for me and I will do everything I can to have my subject join in the fun. It seems like I was born with a camera in my hand. I literally see the world in stills. I once had a model say to me while we were relaxing after a shoot, “You are still framing me, aren’t you?” He was right. I was just thinking that I wished I had a camera because I was missing a great shot!

I believe that for a portrait to be great it needs to capture the character of the subject. The floors of casting directors all over Hollywood are cluttered with characterless headshots with blah expressions and vacant smiles. It is my job to capture my subject's personality in a single picture. If you want character shots, then I must capture the personality of that character in a single shot. It is a tall order, which I seem to have an innate ability to achieve. It is not uncommon for me to produce 75-80% usable pictures in a shoot.

I schedule lots of time for a shoot, so that my client and I have a chance before actually getting started to become comfortable with each other and still have plenty of time to get in all the poises and looks that we need. With the client's favorite upbeat music in the background, we will continue our conversation throughout our time together. I find that more great pictures happen during conversation, than do through conscious poising.

I have studied the dramatic lighting techniques of the great master photographers of the early Hollywood studios, most notably, George Hurrell. I love their use of high contrast between the shadows and the highlights. Although that influence can be seen throughout my work, it is in my bodyshots where this style predominates.

Taking pictures is a truly collaborative process. It involves a team of two; the person behind the camera and the one in front of the lens. Great pictures are the result of both members of the team playing their parts, taking and giving clues to each other. The more communication they have, the better the team functions. The result is great pictures and a wonderful, fun experience together. I am always looking forward to having the next wonderful, fun-filled picture taking experience.