Jason Liu

It isn’t all about the particular gear or processing style. It’s about the photo itself – pure and simple. And I truly dig that. I have shared many, many conversations with Jason about photography. Some have been smooth and others have been pretty polarizing but they have always shared the baseline of two photographers talking about a common love for the art.

If Jason has a particular opinion, he will present it calmly and with his facts. His aim is never to dissuade, simply to share. And that is why it is my pleasure to be able to share Jason’s story with you here.

You can follow Jason on Flickr, Twitter and Facebook and SmugMug

In Focus – Jason Liu

“If a day goes by without me doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.” -Richard Avedon

In lieu of Ansel Adams trilogy: ‘the camera, the negative, and the print’, I will structure this blog in three parts, the past, the present, and the future.

Part I. The Past

I still remember that day when photography got into my head and I just had this sudden urge to get into photography. At the time, something significant had just happened in my life (another story) and my mind was occupied somewhere else reflecting back on all the things that took place in my life. I began to think and reflect back on memories, accomplishments, friends, and family. What have I accomplished? Where have I been? What memories will I remember 25 years from now? That is when it hit me.

I recalled my grade school years and how I always wanted to try photography but never got around to it. It was one of those strong gut feelings of regret that was so profound that I decided to commute to the local Boston public library after work to begin my research. I spent many hours that evening reading all of the ‘introduction to photography’ books and checked out as many as my hands could carry. The hunt was on; I was officially hooked and looking to buy my first camera. I didn’t have much money to spend at the time and I knew I wanted to start with the basics so I could learn everything from the ground up. I didn’t have the resources or time to take an official class so this was going to be a personal endeavor. After a couple of weeks, extremely antsy to start taking photographs, I eventually settled for a manual Nikon FM-2 film SLR (single lens reflex) camera. Many thanks to all of those books and to the people on the photo.net forums for helping me pick out my first camera.

The Nikon FM-2 is a fine camera (still have it today) but I was already starting to see its limitations and wanted to explore things further. I was so intrigued by the mechanics and physics of cameras that I was constantly researching various bodies, formats, and lenses both online and offline. It wasn’t long before I built quite the camera collection. I have over 40 cameras in my collection today. For those interested in getting into film photography, some of my favorite cameras that I would recommend (albeit dependent on your needs but with a budget mindset) are:

Canonet (cheap beginner rangefinder)
Nikon manual SLR (FM-2 or FE-2)
Canon AE-1 (SLR)
Olympus OM-2 (SLR)
Yashica MAT/Rolleiflex (TLR)
Mamiya RB67/Hasselblad 500c/Bronica ETR (medium format)

Part 2. The Present

Film photography has really given me the knowledge and the ‘eye’ to see an image, but in many regards, I have shifted into digital photography out of necessity and practicality. I still love film and use it on a regular basis but when it comes to speed, re-usability, and reliability when creating photographs, I have put my trust in my digital cameras (Leica M8 & Canon 5D Mark II). Even though I use manual and old film lenses on both of my digital bodies, the pictures are, in and of themselves, 0′s and 1′s… from binary code to the image.

At first I was drawn to cameras and the mechanics because I found it challenging to incorporate all the knowledge I was acquiring to master the art of photography. Today I feel sufficient enough (although I am always still pushing myself to learn) that I can create the photographs that I want with far less difficulty. Now, and seemingly forever going forward, the difficult part is conjuring up the ideas, fascinations, and putting the energy into executing images I see in my mind.

Where there was once intrigue, there is now a passion and love for photography as an art form. Photography comes and goes as a hobby for many but those photographers who have been shooting for 40 years truly love what they do. Sure, some professional photographers shoot because it payes the bills and puts food on the table, but don’t most occupations provide that sort of security? The point is that there is a separation from those who love it and those who just pick up a camera as a past time. In most cases, the photograph (at least in my opinion) reveals the truth about a photographer.

Part 3. The Future

I am uncertain where my photography is headed but I do know that I continue to take it seriously while still having fun with it. In the foreseeable future I see myself still rigorously studying photography and exploring new limits in my abilities to be creative. And although it is rewarding to do creative things, I am finding as much joy talking to other photographers about their works. In many ways, I am living a life that I would like to think of as ‘camera life’. A way of living where I always have a camera and document everything around me through pictures. I do this for many reasons, but mostly the pictures help me to explore and understand myself as well as others and how they have an impact on my existence. And on this note, I want to say ‘Thanks!’ to all my online and photographer friends for all of the support, especially Jonathan Irwin (for always bouncing ideas off of me). Finally, a special thanks to Brian for having me on his blog.