We’re here with photographer, Jake Wyman. Jake is going to tell us a little bit about how he carved out his career in the challenging photo industry. Let’s get right to it!
ephotos: Where are you based?
JW: I am fortunate to live in a converted church in Guilford Connecticut, which is a great little town on the coast of Long Island, about halfway between NYC and Boston.
ephotos: When did you realize photography was your thing?
JW: One day, after High School and after working various jobs, I borrowed my brother's camera. I was hooked.
ephotos: Was there a photographer that inspired or influenced you?
JW: After graduating from college with a BFA in photography from Ohio University, I assisted some really good photographers in Boston and NYC, and from each I learned either how to do something right, or how to do something "wrong".
ephotos: What type or what style of photography do you shoot?
JW: As you can see from my website, I have a photojournalistic approach to my work, which tends to be corporate/stock/location work.
ephotos: What type of equipment do you use?
JW: My camera equipment includes Canon, Hasselblad and Mamiya cameras, and many different kinds of lighting gear.
ephotos: You don’t have any studio photography on your site, http://jakewyman.com . Has an editor ever asked to see studio work, or are you not interested in studio photography?
JW: I have often shot in rented studio spaces when necessary, but I prefer to shoot "on location".
ephotos: Your bio says that you took a “road trip” from Hoboken, New Jersey to Alaska. Tell us a little bit about that journey.
JW: Embarking on that road trip was a very, very important development in my career. A relationship with my girlfriend at the time had "gone sour", so I moved out of our apartment, put my things in storage and packed my VW Golf. My plan was to drive west, stopping in Chicago to visit a college friend and then to a friends wedding in Wyoming. Those were the only "appointments" on my calendar for the next 6 weeks. In the foot well on the passenger side of the Golf was a cooler full of film and some food and drinks. At night I'd pull off of the highway, find a place to park and I either slept in the car or in my tent. From Wyoming I went north to Banff, Jasper, The Alaskan Highway and then to Anchorage, where I left my car with a VW repair shop that I found in the Yellow Pages. The car ran perfectly the whole way-never even had a flat tire! I rented another car, drove to Denali National Park and backpacked for about a week. I then drove back to Anchorage, where the VW was now sold, and I flew home with hundreds of rolls of exposed film that had been shot along the way. My stock agent took many of those images at the time, Photonica, and to this day, they continue to sell as stock. Maersk licensed thirteen images for a calendar. That paid for the trip and income was generated from the royalties from Photonica. Every year for ten years I chose somewhere to go and photograph for the Maersk calendar.
ephotos: How do you present your images to Maersk? Did you know someone at Maersk?
JW: While living in Hoboken, I was fascinated by the ships that arrived and departed from the Port of Newark, and I would go there at sunrise and after sunset, sneaking through a hole in the fence, and shoot these incredible container ships, cranes and containers. One day I called Maersk USA, which was located in New Jersey and asked if I could show some of my pictures of their ships. The man I spoke with, whose name was Bob, said that they had a photographer they used already, but asked me to keep in touch. I did, while continually shooting and three years later I was hired given my first assignment. I have been shooting for them for over twenty years.
ephotos: Do you have a rep or agent?
JW: I do not have an agent for assignments, only my stock Agents.
ephotos: Where have you been recently?
JW: Most recently I have visited Acadia National Park in Maine during a blizzard, and beautiful Newfoundland Canada. My wife is from Germany, so we visit Europe often.
ephotos: Do you ever just shoot for fun?
JW: Yes. The trip to Acadia was mostly for fun.
ephotos: Do you deal with any stock agencies?
JW: My images are with Getty Images, Alamy, Jupiter Images and Veer. I also have images with The Photoshelter Collection and Digital Railroad.
ephotos: Do you feel like you’re being treated fairly by your agency?
JW: Hmm. No. Not always.
ephotos: What do you think will be the next big trend in the photo industry?
JW: I am not a very “trendy guy”, so I’m the wrong person to ask.
ephotos: Do you use a resource site or publication?
JW: I have used both sites and publications. The Black Book’s AR 100, blackbook.com and Photoserve.
ephotos: What are you working on next?
JW: A personal project, which involves extensive travel.
ephotos: What do you think about what we’re doing at ephotos?
JW: So far so good, but it’s a bit early to tell. Keep up the good work!
ephotos: Is there anything else you’d like to say about yourself or your work?
JW: No, but many thanks for asking me to tell you about myself.
ephotos: Thank you Jake for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. Good luck and as always, remember to keep the focus!