Joe Jasper, passionate street photographer, discusses capturing the unnoticed moments of everyday life. Topics include favorite shooting locations, photography tips for travel, capturing the essence of a place, exploring different lenses for street photography, and the influence of social media on urban exploring.
Research and preparation are crucial when traveling to capture the essence of a location in street photography.
Using manual focus lenses adds character and depth to street photography.
Finding unique and inspiring locations is key in street photography and can lead to captivating shots.
Deep dives
Photography journey and passion
The guest, Joe Jasper, shares his photography journey, starting with a high school photography class and discovering a passion for street photography. He discusses how Instagram and following other photographers inspired him to take more photos. He also highlights the transformative experience of traveling to new places and how it shaped his street photography style.
The significance of preparation in travel photography
Joe emphasizes the importance of researching and preparing for photography when traveling to new places. He discusses how he studies the work of other photographers, watches YouTube videos, and looks for local street photographers to get a sense of the visuals and stories that capture the essence of a location. He also suggests setting specific themes or ideas to focus on during the trip to tell a compelling story through photography.
The benefits and challenges of manual focus lenses
Joe shares his preference for using manual focus lenses, particularly older ones with a mechanical feel. He appreciates the aesthetic and character these lenses bring to his images and finds manual focusing to be a more involved and gratifying process. He explains how manual focusing helps him stay present and engaged in the photographic moment, and he has adapted well to memorizing distances and zones to ensure accurate focus.
Using the Lincoln Memorial for Street Photography
The podcast episode discusses the use of the Lincoln Memorial as a prime location for street photography. The speaker mentions that the memorial provides a perfect composition and background for capturing interesting shots. With its large size and various angles, the memorial attracts numerous tourists, making it an ideal place to photograph people's reactions and interactions. The speaker shares their personal experience of regularly visiting the memorial after work, utilizing the good lighting conditions and the absence of blocking objects. They emphasize the importance of practice and preparation in street photography and highlight the value of finding locations that inspire and capture the essence of a city.
Using Manual Focus Lenses and Leaving Instagram
Another topic discussed in the podcast episode is the speaker's use of manual focus lenses for street photography. They mention their preference for a Voigtländer 40mm lens, which provides sharpness and a distinct 'look' similar to Leica lenses. The speaker also expresses their love for camera gear and their passion for cameras as fascinating devices. In addition, they share their decision to leave Instagram as a platform for showcasing their work. They felt disillusioned with the focus on popularity and engagement rather than genuine artistic appreciation. Instead, they now share their photos on their website and value the deeper engagement and connection they get with fewer viewers who are genuinely interested in their art.
Joe Jasper is a passionate street photographer who resides in Washington DC. In addition to photography, he also works as an Events and Experience Producer for a DC-based company and has in the past worked as a Videographer and a Photography Instructor in the Washington area.
Joe’s photography revolves around his ability to capture moments, be it through Documentary, Events, or Street Photography. He seeks to capture the little idiosyncrasies of the world around us that go unnoticed every day, and his work is a testament to his skill. Joe’s work walks a fine line between a careful composition and the unpredictability of a candid scene, and he hopes that viewers will find hints of geometry and pattern intermixed with the chaos of humanity in his work. In non-pretentious terms, Joe likes to showcase things like emotion and character in an intentionally organized frame.
Joe’s passion for photography is not the only thing that defines him; he also has a keen interest in other hobbies such as hiking, soccer, and writing and designing materials for his music blog RapZebra. He is a proud Sproodle-Dad, which shows his love and compassion for animals.
