Meet Jake Bogartz

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jake Bogartz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jake with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Well, I’m not sure if I just have really good work ethics, or I just can’t sit still for very long. I guess from a very young age I watched my Dad and the way he went about his business. When he set his mind to something, he went 100% no matter what. So, for me, I guess thats what I’ve always seen and anything else seems unnatural.

But, I will say that this only applies to things that I’m interested in. If I don’t like doing something or it isn’t interesting to me, it’s hard to give even 50% effort sometimes. This can be where I run into issues though and I’m always trying to correct that when I can. Even if you love doing something, there are little bits and pieces of that thing that arent your favorite. When it comes to those, I really have to push because deep down I know the majority of my improvement is going to come from doing that.

For example, I hate going through photos and getting down to the final images I’m going to edit. It takes forever and it’s so boring. All i want to do is start editing. But, if I dont put the effort in here, then the final images may not be the best because I didn’t start with the best photos. This is where you need good work ethic.

My dad always said that effort is what counts. The results are going to be what they are, but you can control the effort and hopefully the results will end up how you want them. Just remember that everything always works out the way it’s supposed to. So to me, work ethic just simply comes down to how much effort you put into the things you don’t like, not the things you do like.

That’s why I credit him with giving me that work ethic. I know that I don’t always show up like i’m supposed to or like I want to, but i always try to remember to be like my dad and put 100% effort in no matter what. Especially the things that I hate.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Well, I’m a photographer, videographer, and content creator. I specialize in fashion, editorial, and portrait photography. I think the really special part about it is that I never intended for this to be anything other than a hobby. I started taking photos as a way to be able to express myself and hopefully help me mentally as well. At the time, I was going through alot in my head and was having a hard time dealing with my depression and anxiety. What has come from that has been absolutely amazing so far, and it seems to only be getting bigger and bigger right now. I’m getting more opportunities than I ever have, getting credentials to bigger and better events, and meeting even more amazing people and creatives along the way. I’m still nowhere close to where I want be be, but is going haha.

Recently, I’ve had the ability to do a bunch of fashion shows and that’s really cool. Although, I did bite off a little more than I could chew, it been amazing. I’ve gotten to do both LA and OC Fashion weeks and met a lot of really cool designers and models. From that i’ve gotten to do some brand deals and other things, so that’s been super cool. I also have a plan to get more into travel photography this year and hopefully break into that space.

Right now, my friend, Michael Fennell ( @itsfenlcakes on Instagram) and I are working on a lot of cool projects and events. Mike is also a published photographer and right now, we are working on building a community of models and photographers that collaborate on projects together, network, and a bunch of other cool stuff. Currently we are planning some networking and shooting events. I am also trying to get into the world of Youtube this year so we will be working on some projects together for that. I’ll have more details on that stuff very soon!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For me, I think the first thing would be my ability to have fun. I really try and make every photoshoot fun and get the subject out of their own way if that makes sense? I’ve always felt like giving people a fun shoot will always lead to good photos and good recommendations. Being good at this also helps when the subject is shy, or maybe overthinking and being too stiff. One thing I like to do is putting on music that the model likes. That seems to always put them in a better mood and makes them more comfortable. I also like to try and make them laugh or ask them questions about themselves to loosen the tension and make it more like friends hanging out but im also taking pictures. My advice would be to just find a way to get that person to be their authentic self. However you prefer to do it, the best pictures are authentic and not overly planned in my opinion. Your job is to capture a moment of them being their true self. That’s really the only thing that matters, I think.

After that, I would say my background in Film Studies has helped significantly. I originally graduated from Arizona State with the intention of going into film and making movies but that never really worked out for me. But the training that came with that has had a huge impact on my ability to grow and even evolve my style as a photographer. Not only do I try to have a film or cinematic style but I use a lot of the technical composition rules and other things i’ve learned to grow much faster than other photographers, I think. A Lot of the things you learn as a beginner, I already knew. That has definitely helped me alot. My advice to someone starting out is to find your style. This doesn’t mean you have to know what you’re doing or how to get there. You just need to identify what interests you and go for it. Am I the best cinematic photographer in the world? Not even close. But I try to get closer to that everytime I pick up the camera. That’s all you need to do, you just first have to figure out what direction you want to go in.

Lastly, I would have to say that my ability to improvise is crucial to what I do. Sometimes when a shoot or idea doesn’t work out, you have to pivot to something else and still make a good product. Recently, I had a studio cancel on me and had to find another location to shoot the same day. The pictures ended up amazing and even though we ended up shooting outside vs in studio, the same vision was executed. I think this really separates good photographers from bad ones. Anyone can shoot with a huge moodboard and a bunch of pose examples. In my opinion, good photographers will always find a way to get a good photo. A good way to practice this is book a shoot and have one photo for an example and find a location you think would be cool. Then just show up and shoot. You force yourself to come up with ideas and try things. Eventually, you’ll get good at it and ideas will pop into your head more often. You also tend to be less nervous and gain more confident as well.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes, I’m always looking for people to collaborate with! I’m always looking for new models, videographers, and photographers to either shoot with or work on projects together with.

Right now I’m working on building a community that includes the type of creatives I just mentioned. If people would like to get in on that they can send me an email at [email protected] and mention this article and ask about joining our community.

Also, I’d love to collaborate with some youtube content creators and maybe even be able to chat and pick some brains on how to break into that space. Those people can also send me an email as well.

But really, I prioritize getting back to everyone! I always welcome questions, suggestions, tips, anything! So shoot me an email and we can talk about whatever you want haha. I love chatting with new people and making connections so don’t be a stranger.

Contact Info:

 

Image Credits
Hunter Burgan Javier Oliva Hana Hope Ava Chicheportiche Cat Conner Jalleen Sayda Hartoonian Lexa Martin Ingrid Wittmann Couture Royal Lily Boutique Michael Fennell (Feature Photo Photographer) boohooMAN

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