I have a real passion for photography and would love to do it as a career, but I’m not sure how possible that is for me.
There is an over-saturation of people trying to make it as photographers right now and, from what I’ve seen, many of them aren’t very good.
I don’t really know how to get myself in there without taking a huge risk, so for the time being at least, I am on the fence.
But the same is not true of Jeff Jewiss. He’s a photographer and designer who has captured some pretty impressive artists (Jonas Brothers, IllScarlett, the Weakerthans, and Dallas Green) and organizations as a photographer.
Jewiss’ work focuses primarily on portraiture, promotional and concert photography, but he has also done some work in other areas, such as shooting sports events. In addition to working as a photographer, he attends McMaster University where he is completing a bachelor of economics degree, with the possibility of simultaneously finishing a physical sciences degree.
I interviewed Jeff recently about his work and education while we were people-watching on campus in between classes.
Q. Why did you decide to go to university for science?
A. At the high school I went to that’s what they pushed, mostly the sciences in general. Our school was known for sending kids off to Queen’s, U of T and [McMaster].
We were told to put our time in at high school, get one of these degrees, and get a good job at the end of it all. I applied to those kind of schools, but I have family here [in Hamilton] so here I am.
Q. How did you get started in photography?
A. I worked finance full-time for one and a half years. If you’ve ever worked a job like that, you’d understand there is a lot of downtime. It’s against the corporate culture to talk about it, but there is. So I’d look at photography websites and photos when I had the chance. One day I just walked into a Henry’s and bought a camera.
I’ve always had a love of music, so I’d go to shows and take pictures. I started making friends with people in bands who’d appreciate what I was doing. So I started doing promotional shots, parties, etc., for different bands.
Like anything artistic, you need to continue what you are doing no matter how discouraged you get. You’ll think your stuff sucks, but others will appreciate what you’re doing, and pushing forward and keeping your head up will give you access to bigger and better things. You also have to be realistic.
One of the hardest things – for me at least – was fighting [a] ceiling. I mean kind of like the glass ceiling that women face in the workplace. It’s years of experience, time and equipment that make you successful.
But let me debunk the equipment thing a little bit. Just because you have really good equipment doesn’t mean you will take a better picture; it can make your job easier, though. It’s knowledge that makes you a better photographer, a better everything, really.
The hard thing for me is I’ll soon mark two years of doing this and I’m basically using the same equipment I started with. I haven’t been doing it for very long in terms of freelancing – I’m an amateur at best. I’m thankful for what I have but I want to shoot better bands, take more interesting photos and continue to grow.
Q. How do you think your education has helped you and can help you in the future?
A. All degrees . . . serve a purpose. Still, the person who markets themselves better will make more money, even if they’re not the best. Sadly, incredible talent often goes unnoticed.
It’s frustrating because there seem to be two main types of photographer: those who are technical and those who are artistic. The ones who get paid aren’t necessarily the ones who have a high technical aptitude, since the buyer is often ignorant to these aspects of a photo.
For a lot of people it’s chance. They will take thousands of photos and hope their idea will happen. But I want to be able to make it happen every time.
My hope is that I’ll end up in graphic design or photography. It’ll give me a stable job where I can support myself and do freelance work. That’s the way I’ve chosen to do it and it’s worked [so far]. Degrees are taken seriously, like a diploma from Seneca or degrees from OCAD or Ryerson. I won’t have that, so I’ll have to work harder to get my foot in the door.
Q. What do you recommend to other students who want to pursue a career different that what they have gone to school for?
A. I don’t want to mislead anyone. I’ve made mistakes which have cost me a lot of money. The route I took is probably not [the best] one.
Students need to realize what they’re doing now should be what they want as a career. Take into account the money and effort you’ll invest. From my experience, if you don’t love you subject of study, either stick it out because you’ve committed, or don’t waste [more] time and money and take a step back.
Trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone may let you find your dream job, or let it find you. What it comes down to is if you can afford to make lots of mistakes: mentally, physically, socially, but mostly financially.
You don’t want to be in school forever, but you don’t want a degree you won’t use either.
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