VOLUNTEERING FOR LOCAL UTAH
VOLUNTEERING FOR LOCAL UTAH
Buzzards & Bees
HAVING PASSION FOR SOMETHING
Family will always be my #1 thing that I am most passionate about. With that out of the way, there are two other things that just bring lots of joy into my life. What are they? Photography and music.
Now that you know, well then it was a total no brainer when I was asked to help on the local Halloween concert series Buzzards and Bees. Being able to combine both photography and music into one awesome night, well, I couldn’t ask for better ways to spend my nights! This is why this has been my third year straight volunteering to help photography local bands at this event.
THE TALENT
I’ve worked with bands in the past outside the venue and studio, but there is something about putting these bands back into the environment in which they thrive and unleashing them to go wild, and then being there to experience it and photograph it! There is no better feeling than a night of good music, fun people, and my favorite season and holiday all put into one.
Every artist and band brings their own style and energy. This allows for photos that speak their own stories of each performance. Some quirky, some serious, some full of history, but one thing is for certain, every one of them unique in their own way.
THE TEAM
Each year there seems to be new photographers joining the already amazing team of photographers and videographers led by Ryan and Jennifer Carter. It’s thanks to this amazing hubby and wify duo that I go all year wishing it was October again and that Buzzards & Bees was back on. Lots of talent and just the most amazing set of people. Friendly, fun, energetic and supportive. I can 100% honestly say that I cannot wait for next October to be here!
THE INSPIRED OPPORTUNITY
One of the best things about these nights are the relationships I am able to develop with many of these bands. I’ve made it my mission to try and help as many of these bands as possible year after year. Don’t believe me? Go check out my MUSIC page and check out the bands and artists I’ve been able to work with thanks to this festival.
By being able to provide the bands with their own page where they can advertise their music, albums, merch, and showcase their photos and video, I wanted to proved them with something better than just a link page. I want to give them their own space where people can come and listen to their music and support them in all channels, all in one place.
But that is not all, I’ve also been able to help with fliers, business cards, digital cards, banners, stickers, and more! I also offer website services, and as everyone knows, photography and videography services. A true one-stop-fits-all approach to truly be there for all local Utah talent that wants that extra edge.
Photos and band pages are now viewable at MUSIC page! Go check them out and show your support to these amazing performers.
Performers I worked with in this year’s festival:
* I am constantly looking for new talent. If you know of a local band/artist that would be interested in joining my local music collection, send them my way! CONTACT ME
PHOTOGRAPHY MODE ON
PHOTOGRAPHY MODE ON
Introvert off. Inspired on.
FLIPPING THE SWITCH
Many believe photographers to be extroverts, and seeing many of us in action, you’d believe that’s just how all of us are all day long. In the case of many, I am sure that is the case, but believe it or not I am the notebook description of what an introvert is. So how do I flip the switch?
Photography is my passion, it’s what I love to do, and aside from my kids, photography is simply what brings life to me. Seeing me out in public on my own, or with friends, you can completely spot the quiet one in the group, often the shy one that doesn’t talk much. But, put a camera on my hands, and suddenly you get a completely different person. I start seeing the world not for what it is, but what it could be. This is where the switch happens.
PHOTOGRAPHY MODE ON
So what is it like to be an introvert? Easiest way to describe it is by the picture above. I tend to be content on my own and find peace and comfort in quiet places where my thoughts don’t have to be too loud to overpower the chaos the world brings. True story, I once showed this collection of photos I did of myself over the weened to some friends of mine and they ended up feeling sorry for me for being by myself over the weekend, little did they know it was just the perfect weekend! A little fact about myself, I am a pretty good cook and can keep a good conversation going in my head all day long. So hey, I am pretty good company!
My brain goes full speed all day, so having an outlet to let my mind express itself is just how I am able to get out of my shell and become that photographer that we all picture in our minds. Once this switch happens, well, my focus switches from the million different topics that run through my head all day, to seeing exactly what I want to capture.
ON/OFF. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
As I mentioned before, it’s just how we as photographers see the world. We look at the possibilities, the different compositions, the possible editing styles, lighting, camera settings, lenses, angles, and simply just think of how we can make that current scene our very own. Mentally flipping the switch into photography mode is a challenge and I have to be careful about when I decide to make that switch. Do it too soon and my brain cannot stop thinking about the shoot, do it too late and I’ll be stressing endlessly and lose sleep over the shoot. So when does the switch happen?
For me, this usually happens between 5-7 days before any shoot. I start thinking of the location, weather, equipment, atmosphere, and many other things which literally won’t leave my head until the shoot is done. But then just as I think it is time to relax, the real challenge begins. Editing!
Photography mode is still on at this point, and going picture by picture, my brain starts collecting the emotions and remembering exactly what I wanted to capture right at that very moment. This is a lengthy and mentally exhausting process, since my OCD kicks in and makes me go through every picture individually to determine whether or not the picture is edit worthy. This is why my clients usually end up with many more pictures than what I initially agree to. To put it into numbers, I usually end up delivering about 20% of pictures taken. You can thank my OCD for that!
TURNING IT OFF…
Once I deliver the digital gallery, then it’s time to decompress. I’ve mentioned this before, but I DO NOT do bulk editing. I want each image to have its own personality, so to do this I have to go one by one. This is the main reason I do not book many appointments on the same week, and depending on the size job, at times I might only do 1 or 2 a month. This allows me to give every shoot my 100% and deliver the best possible gallery of photos to my clients.
Photography has Inspired me to be and do better, to be more creative, to look outside the box, and truly bring me out of my introvert shell to bring light into my life and others through my photography. So now what? This Fall and holiday season try my services out and see if I don’t delver just that! Cause you know what? That’s Inspired Photography.
MY STYLE, MY PHOTOGRAPHY
MY STYLE, MY PHOTOGRAPHY
Being Unique
I DARED MYSELF TO BE ME
Have you ever just endlessly scrolled through Instagram or Facebook and thought to yourself, “huh… All these images look the same.” With everyone having a phone camera and social media at out fingertips, everyone with an account can post their pics and call themselves a photographer, and what do you end up with at that point? Endless social media feeds of essentially the same edits, settings, and photos that you forget about almost instantly after scrolling passed them.
Don’t get me wrong, we all have to start somewhere, and I used to be that person many years ago essentially posting the same thing. So what changed? Exactly that. I wanted to stand out from the rest, I wanted to be different, I wanted to create memorable photos, and right there and then, I became Inspired.
Just as the photo above shows, I took a gamble and decided to be me, and just me. Not try and copy other’s works, but literally go one picture at the time while editing and edit as the photos made me feel Inspired. I do not do bulk editing! I made a promise to myself many years ago that I would never do that. It would sure make things hell of a lot easier and faster to edit an entire gallery all at once by copy and pasting the same edit, but guess what? At the end of the project, I would end up with that exact same photo over an over again. That’s not who I am as an artist and as a photographer, and because of this, I will continue to gamble on that promise I made myself to deliver one-of-a-kind photos with every gallery.
MY STYLE, MY PHOTOGRAPHY
As I mentioned already, this is my style, my photography. Anyone looking for a photographer to deliver the same thing that thousands of other photographers can deliver, well then I am not your photographer. When I edit a photoshoot, I like to bring unique emotions to every picture. If I can make you feel, make you even ask yourself, “Is that really me?!” Then I know I’ve done my job.
Everyone has a phone camera nowadays, which takes me to the same argument of everyone posting the same picture. It is my job to capture a different perspective, composition, and literally see things others don’t, then put it all together with unique personalized editing to make the photos stand out from the rest.
A gamble? Yes. And just as in gambling, you might lose some, but then you can definitely win big on others. These are the wins where the client wants something different, something unique and personal. Although a tiring and overwhelming process at times since most of my photoshoots I end up with thousands of pictures to go through, at the end this is a very rewarding experience not just for me, but my clients. This I am able to achieve by going image by image, which allows me to deliver my best work and put my personalized attention to each and every image just for you.
CREATING SELF-WORTH
This is why I don’t charge $20 to do a shoot anymore. Yes I used to do that when I was first starting. But do you know what I realized? After doing an hour long shoot, then spending upwards of 10 hours editing the images, I was literally paying myself under $2 an hour. Is that how much I am worth? How much am I worth then? definitely not $2 an hour. This is when I decided to rebrand myself. Many believe that photographers have it easy, but what they fail to recognize is the many hours spent after the shoot, the equipment that was purchased/rented, the many hours of continuous studying and training in photography, the software, and many other factors that go into being a photographer.
So no, I do not charge $20 an hour anymore, I do charge quite a bit more now. But with that comes experience, knowledge, and as my OCD kicks in, individual time with every single image that I edit. This is also another reason why I don’t book lots of appointments every week. I limit myself to only 1 to 3 bookings a week. This allows me to ensure that I give each one of my clients my 100%, and don’t become so busy with other shoots that it starts affecting my promised performance to my clients.
THE GAMBLE
There are 4 me’s in the picture. As I keep gambling on my art, my style, my services, and my photography, as you can tell I have gone through every emotion. Sometimes I can’t believe I am doing what I am doing. Other times it gets frustrating and put myself down from time to time. But then, other times I am just amazed of what Inspired Photography has become and how far I’ve gotten with what once was only a hobby. This is when I feel I’ve won big. THE JACKPOT! And then, there is the fourth me in the background, capturing every moment from every perspective, and not missing a single shot of this exciting adventure I’ve found myself in.
With all of that said, I dare you to be you just as I’ve dared myself to stay true to myself and who I am. I dare you to take that gamble and embark on your own unique adventure. I dare you to stand out from the crowd.
Welcome to Inspired Photography.
LETS TALK SERVICES
LETS TALK SERVICES
What Do I Offer?
SERVICES FOR DAYS
Now that we have spent a little bit learning about who I am on my first blog, lets now talk about the services that I can offer you. Buckle up, cause you’ll quickly learn that Inspired Photography is more than just photography and I can offer much more than everyone else out there.
Lets start with the obvious, photography. Although I’ve been doing photography as a hobby for over 20 years, I went professional and started offering my services to others about 5 years ago. It all started with dance competitions while photographing my daughter and her team, from there on I started getting approached by others and history wrote itself.
Dance photography has a special spot in my heart for sure, but since then I started working on many other projects and styles of photography and now I photography anything from portraits, weddings, corporate events, night life, fashion, editorial, and more. So no-matter what you are looking for, you sure as hell know that Inspired Photography is here for you. Click here to view my portfolio.
INSPIRED MAGAZINE
I have a Bachelor’s in Marketing and Master’s in Operations Management, so my brain is constantly trying to find better, new, and innovative services and ways to better service my clients. So what else can I provide? I am glad you asked.
One of the first things I came up with was my Inspired Magazine. I wanted to provide a tool for models, venues, vendors, and other artists to promote themselves, and with that Inspired Magazine was born. Since then I’ve published 6 Magazines which started as only print copies, then later on I took it a step further. My first digital magazine was a PDF styled magazine which I knew could be lots more than that, and what I have created here is still unmatched.
After my 2nd publication I started noticing other photography businesses coming up with their own, and you know what? That’s great, but I wanted to stay ahead of the innovative curve. Which is why I came up with the digital magazine. Pretty Soon after that I saw others doing a PDF styled digital magazine. What I mean with that is that is a static PDF. I wanted more. The next publication changed my magazine and hasn’t been topped yet. I am talking not only photos and text, but links, videos, music, sliding animations, and just a whole lot more! Don’t believe me? Click here and watch.
DIGITAL BUSINESS CARDS
Inspired Innovations should have been the name of my business. I am always trying to come up with new innovative ideas to help you network yourself better. One of those Ideas are Digital Business Cards. If you are a model, photographer, venue, artist, business, or literally anyone else out there networking, you know what business cards are and know the importance of them.
But you know what? There are many issues that come up with having a printed business cards. For starts, you can run out pretty quick. Second, if you need any type of change to it, well, you have to print a completely new batch. Third, they can be boring. So… What’s the alternative? Click here and check this out!
Now you can have more than just text and a logo! see it as your very own mini website. Through a QR code, networking is easy, you’ll never run out, and I make it really easy for you to change information when needed. Want to learn more? Click here.
VIDEOS
Videos are just a lot of fun! I’ve been able to discover a new way to promote Inspired, and also help others through promo videos and more. Been doing Videos now for 3 years, and no matter the project, it’s always lots of fun! Follow my YouTube channel.
One of my most memorable projects has been Inspired Live which was born because of the need for local music artists to promote themselves during the beginning of the COVID pandemic. I saw many of my friends struggling for work and staying connected with their fan base during that time, and I decided to do something about it. I took on all costs including the equipments and studio, and donated an hour of my time to them to create live concert feel videos for them to use to stay in touch with their audiences. Check out the videos here.
You still with me? Or, have I bored you to death…?! Well I am not done. I told you, Services for days!
PLANNERS PRINTING SERVICES
Having access to a full print shop I knew I could not only help boost sales there, but also help my customers with all their printing needs. So what can I offer? Business cards, comp cards, fliers, brochures, catalogs, posters, banners, canvas prints, and even embroidery services. And you know what? In most cases I can provide these services much cheaper than the competitors! Don’t believe me? Try me. Contact me and lets get you something printed.
You can see just how much I can offer, and I am not done yet. At times it became hard keeping track of everything around my life, so I spent hours and hours creating a set of planners to help you on your every day life tasks. Guess what? I am giving you those for free just for being here in my site! Click here to download.
WEBSITE SERVICES
To put the cherry on top of the ice cream, I design websites. So whether you are needing a personal portfolio, business website, or whatever else, Inspired is your one and only stop for everything!
I have helped many models and music artists create their own portfolios within my website which you can check out here. Click here for models. Click here for music artists.
My goal is to provide you with the tools to succeed. My goal is to provide you with the best service as possible. My goal is to inspire you to be Inspired.
Welcome
Me, Myself, and Inspired
Welcome To My Blog
WHO IS INSPIRED?
Welcome to my very own blog and newly redesigned website! My name is Jay, and I am a Utah based photographer, father, web designer, and marketing specialist. Yes, really.
While my main job is working as a Marketing Specialist for the State of Utah, I have always loved photography and the creative side of it. I’ve been doing photography since high school, so roughly about 20 years give or take… But mostly give. Yes, that is a long time! But photography is the only thing that does not feel like a job when I am working, so it feels as if I started just last week and the honeymoon period hasn’t worn off yet.
SO I AM GOING TO BLOG, HUH…?
I am excited to take you on my journey with these blogs. From time to time I’ll be posting a video instead of writing, as well as creating challenges for myself to brush up on my skills. Yes, writing this blog is definitely my first challenge! But don’t worry, I’ll be doing some photography challenges that will be fun and a good learning experience for all of us.
I have a busy life, so I will be challenging myself to do a minimum of 1 blog/vlog per week. This way I am not spamming you, whoever you are, and boring you to death. Sounds good? Good.
I tend to ramble from time to time, so I apologize in advance. Writing has never been my strongest suit, and although I can talk to myself for hours and hours, putting all of that into words is at times difficult. So hey, if I ramble on and on and go in circles, I am sorry! See, I did it again!
THE WHEELS IN MY BRAIN GO ROUND AND ROUND
Today is Wednesday October 5th and I just finished work. Only 2 more days and I’ll be able to go pick up my kids for the weekend. This is always the highlight of my week. Spending time with my kids is the most important thing in my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. So between work for the state, my photography business, managing websites, and spending time with my family, when I say my life can get a bit chaotic, I mean just that.
Even when I have time to just chill, my brain does not tend to allow me that luxury. The image in this blog is a perfect example of what I am talking about. I worked on this image during a weekend that I did not have my kids, I had no photoshoots, and all my other work was complete. I tried to relax for the weekend, and well, that lasted about an hour before I decided to do something creative.
During this same time time I had recently published my 6th Inspired Magazine and figured why not create a fun image to promote it. This was the result. After many hours of correctly placing myself and then editing the photo, I was able to make the best out of my weekend alone. The pic made it feel like I was not really alone though… And you know what? I had a blast with me, myself, and Inspired! See what I did there?! 😉