Photographers are behind the lens, capturing the energy and excitement of the moments that matter most. This week, we’re flipping that spotlight to showcase the creatives in front of the lens by diving deeper into their projects and process with insightful questions curated by their fellow creators.
Meet Jake Chamseddine – Portland, Oregon based photographer, director and all around creative. He pioneered a new era of touring concert and talent photography and has a lot of exciting things in store for 2024. We sat down with Jake to learn about what’s on the horizon for him with questions curated by fellow photographer Linus Johnson.
Linus: I think it’s every photographer’s dream to have a photo of theirs up in Times Square on a billboard – how does it feel to see a photo of yourself up there instead?
Jake: As a photographer you always dream about having a photo up in Times Square and even having had the opportunity to work with all of the amazing artists that I have, I haven’t had a photo I’ve taken up there yet. Having a photo of me up there as opposed to one I’ve taken is really one of those bucket list items so it’s pretty surreal.
Linus: We’re all thinking the same question – what’s your favorite camera at the moment?
Jake: My personal favorite camera right now is the Sony FX3. I’ve been doing a lot of video recently and I think this camera is a monster for its size and I’ve really been enjoying it. As for film, I really love shooting with my Leica, that’s my pride and joy.
Linus: If you had to choose one link in your Linktree for someone brand new to your work to click…which one would you want them to tap?
Jake: I would have to say either my YouTube channel or my website. My YouTube showcases all of my interests outside of concert and photography, from my gaming and travel interests and more. If you’re looking to hire me, my website is definitely more of the professional area of work.
Linus: What part of being a photographer do you think is slept on or often overlooked?
Jake: I think in today’s day and age, capturing those slower moments can definitely be overlooked. Finding ways to capture your own aesthetic and more of the day to day life and finding your creativity in that… It’s not always about capturing the most epic crazy photo or video clip, and if you take a second to reel it back to take a moment that is special to you, your photos come across a lot more organic and real.
Linus: How have your other passions, interests, and hobbies influenced your photography?
Jake: A lot of my creativity has come from video games and i’m a huge gaming nerd so I think that fantasy aspect of my brain has always helped influence my art and pushed me to create things out of this world or a bit more surreal.
Linus: What are doing with your time when you’re not taking photos?
Jake: A few things… drinking coffee! Huge coffee nerd, I have an espresso machine at home. Big into video games, so hanging out in Discord with friends often. I also love to draw, and spend a lot of time looking at art. I’m a huge book collector and just looking at art… The art of observing and looking at things.
Keep up with the latest in Jake’s world on his Linktree: linktr.ee/jakechams.
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