Community Spotlight: Smile And Never Take Life For Granted

Community member Jarvis (JT - but also known as NSSP here on ViewBug) started with photography as a fourteen year old. Born and raised on the island of Cape Hatteras he quickly realized he has an eye for capturing the beautify of the island. Fast forward to today and JT has since been published in numerous magazines and worked with many big companies. JT is an down to earth guy who wants to give one simple tip to his fellow photographers, and that is to smile and never take life for granted. The team at ViewBug couldn’t agree more with that! Want to know more about JT and his photography techniques? Check out our interview below!

Can you tell us about yourself and your background?
I grew up on Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It’s a small island off the coast of NC, very beautiful and serene place with a chill atmosphere.

When did you first think about becoming a photographer?
When I was 14, we had just finished surfing and thought it would be cool to have photos of us. It kind of hit me that it might be fun to take the photos. I borrowed a 110 film Minolta underwater camera and started shooting photos with that. For Christmas that year my parents bought me a 35mm Canon Rebel. Thats where it all began, I started selling prints pretty soon after.

Where do you get your photographic inspiration from?
I think it comes from within.

Do you have any influencers?
I don’t think I have any influencers but there are some photographers out there who’s work I really like. Martin Schoeller is one of them, not really sure how I came across his work but he shoots portraits of homeless people in L.A. and tells their story on social media to raise money for the shelter. It is a beautiful project and he deserves credit for the work he is doing (@martinshcoeller on Instagram). Mark Gee shoots some amazing nighttime landscapes. I don’t have the patience for what he does but I do enjoy his work (@theartofnight on Instagram). I also really like Bryan Pezman’s work another really good landscape photographer (@braddahpezman on Instagram).

What is your favorite subject to shoot?
I love photographing people, I love shooting maternity photos and family portraits. Putting a smile on a clients face is why I do what I do.

What is your favorite gear to shoot with?
I’m a Nikon guy, I have shot with top of the line Canon gear but I always feel Nikon has better pixels… Personal preference! Favorite lens is hands down the Nikon 200mm f2.

When you go in one of your travels, what do you take with you? Why?
I always take a lot more than I need. My motto is “it’s better to have something and not need it, then to need something and not have it”. This does make traveling a pain as my camera bag is usually heavier than my luggage.

How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?
I look at a lot of photos online, find shots I like and I reconstruct how the photo was lit in my head and if the shot is that good sometimes I’ll recreate it.

What it is you want to say with your photographs?
Smile… Be happy and never take life for granted. We are blessed and should live that way.

How do you actually get your photographs to do that?
Interaction with my clients, very positive attitude and make them feel as comfortable as possible.

B&W or color, what do you prefer and why?
Over all B&W, if I’m shooting natural light it’s most definitely B&W, if I’m using artificial lighting then color. I just think B&W has more mood and feeling to it then color.

For more awesome photos taken by JT, visit his profile and website.