I’ll just put it out there. I’ve been looking forward to Jesse’s contribution to this series for a long time. I had hoped to get it live last week but Jesse needed a little more time and I was happy to oblige. Jesse is a wonderful guy to know. It’s as simple as that. He has a strong character, can roll with the best of them in terms of my overly sarcastic humor, and has proven his chops in this industry time and time again.

I remember first following Jesse. His work was ok. It wasn’t necessarily bad and it wasn’t necessarily memorable either. But, he kept going out, putting himself into his work. And then something really wonderful started happening. Jesse started digressing from the norm of what people were typically posting. He went on a limb and started a process that I know all-to-well to be very difficult and nerve-racking. In a sense, Jesse started developing his own style. Over the days and weeks and months, his work started elevating in framing, composition, and style. It was something truly wonderful to see right in front of me. Jesse has really become his own photographer and it’s one of the greatest wishes I could ask for anyone with similar aspirations. Thank you for contributing here, my man. Keep rockin’ gibraltar.

You can follow Jesse on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and his Blog

More Than A Camera – Jesse Pafundi

Shortly after I picked up my DSLR, things changed dramatically for me. The world around me morphed before my eyes and they haven’t been the same since. I experienced what I called a visual renaissance of sorts and began to appreciate the things around me a whole lot more. I began to see the beauty in the little things, appreciate good light, and most importantly, I had a deep desire to experience as much of the world around me as possible. My urge to see the world, learn and experience reached new heights. I became a better person because of it and grew from someone who would sit in front of a TV to someone who would rather sit outside on a Vermont porch and watch the stars, appreciating the awesomeness that is the world.

The Visual Renaissance

Like most photographers starting out, I struggled with finding my vision. I spent hours upon hours searching Flickr and reading blogs of photographers I admired. I would come across an image and I knew I liked it, but I didn’t know why. Then another image and another style. I was a sponge, soaking up all of the knowledge I could in hopes of figuring out why a particular image jived with me. I bounced around from technique to technique looking for my niche all the while not realizing just how much I was learning. A fire began to burn inside me like nothing before. I spent most of my life picking up a hobby only to drop it a month later, but the more I took pictures, the more I wanted to take pictures.

I then began to explore the world of HDR photography, mostly because of the guy’s blog I’m writing on. He opened my eyes to a unique style and I learned an incalculable amount because of his generous sharing of knowledge. I remember thinking to myself one day last year that wow, I have this figured out. Foolish. I’d bracket, I’d import, I’d tone map, I’d process, I’d move on. This worked for me for a while until I realized that I stopped THINKING about light and exposure and began to rely on software to fix any mistakes I would make. I made the abrupt decision to change my focus from HDR to seeing what I could do with one exposure. With that, I found my true passion.

Storytelling

Once free from the constraints of always needing a tripod, I began to walk around with my camera more. Slung over my shoulder, I realized how much I enjoyed shooting the little details of life that make you feel the way you do but you don’t realize it. People also began to intrigue me more so I started to shoot them (with my camera). I became utterly engrossed with molding still images into a story. Whether it be a walk around my block or an excursion to Italy, I wanted other people to relive what I did and appreciate all the beauty that comes along with it. We all have a story and I want to tell mine. I often wonder how I will look back on my images in 30 years. Hopefully I’ll be thinking to myself, “I remember that day. I remember that trip. I remember what I felt on June 12th, 2011.” This is what makes this art so special to me.

 

Imperfections

The more I shot the more I realized how important it is for an image to make me FEEL. This has become a huge part of my vision and drive as a photographer. Off angles, over exposed portions of a frame, unrecoverable shadow detail. Rather than seeing such things as errors, I began to use them to my advantage in a way to add intrigue to a photograph. At the end of the day, all I’m doing is creating art and what is more subjective than art? Answer: not many things. To me, these imperfections struck a chord and I began utilizing them more and more, trying to make different kinds of images. I shot countless frames of the NYC Flatiron Building and each one seemed nice, but they were just like everyone else’s. I walked to the Flatiron during lunch one day and snapped a few frames and returned with my favorite image from the shoot. Purposely over exposed and purposely imperfect, but it made me FEEL something and that made me happy. My favorite picture of the Roman Colosseum isn’t your typical head on view of its awesomeness, but a frame filled with “too much” negative space. I still know what it is. You know what it is. We all know what it is so why not try something different? We are all imperfect and that makes these kind of shots jive with me even more. That’s me in the frame right there; goofy and off kilter.

Making it happen

Now to bring this full circle (I like when things come full circle). I began this post writing how much this art means to me day in and day out. I couldn’t live without a camera so I made the decision a few months ago that I wouldn’t. It’s not just about bringing it everywhere with me, but also turning it into a career. It may seem reckless and risky putting this out for the world to see, but I made the same promise to myself that I am making to everyone reading this article. I WILL make it happen. Whether it’s in 2 months or 2 years, I will do it. I love it too much not to. I am a self proclaimed “self doubter.” I’m not someone with the highest confidence in my daily pursuits, but I do know one thing: my burning desire to achieve greatness with a camera won’t allow me to fail. The bottom line: there are plenty of people out there doing it so why not me or you? You live once. Do something that you love while you’re here. I’m challenging myself and I’m challenging anyone out there who is allowing fear to stop them to go for it. Don’t be reckless and quit your job NOW, quit it when you’re ready. Be smart and never give up. Keep. Taking. Pictures.

I’d like to send a huge thanks to Brian for having me guest post on his blog and contribute to one of the best guest series on the web. As I said earlier, I have learned so much from you, my friend. Thank you.