We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antoinne Duane Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antoinne Duane below.

Alright, Antoinne Duane thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

At this point, technology is getting better and better thus people are starting to think that they can bypass professional photographers by simply using their smartphones. With that said, many photographers are losing opportunities based on cell phone usage.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Antoinne Duane Jones, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, is the CCO & Lead Photographer of ADJ Media & ADJM Sports plus Majority Greek Magazine. Over the past 17+ years, Duane has been widely recognized for his diverse works in photography. Outside of shooting countless fashion magazine covers and other various publications, in 2020 & 2021 Duane was voted PBFW Black Excellence Award-Best Photographer and 2017 voted TAHAA’s Atl’s Hottest Photographer, Duane is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., where he serves in the Nu Psi Sigma graduate chapter and has been recently appointed the International Chairman for the Sigma Fathers Committee.

Duane Jones graduated from Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, NC) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Management. Jones is also an author of an entrepreneur focused book called The Down Entrepreneur, runs a kid’s community program called FitKidFresh plus dabbles in his future career of cooking. Duane is a father of three that enjoys playing basketball, bowling, cooking fabulous meals, hanging with family and watching streaming platforms.

I have always been an entrepreneur since birth so once I tried photography as an adult, I dove all in feet first. I’m a fashion photographer by base so using lots of shadows and vivid colors gives me that distinction. With that said, I use my marketing degree to not only create images but help clients use that image to better their businesses. I’m proud that I get to show my children that being a person that works within their passion is highly obtainable.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

There are several stories that I had to unlearn. Having a good heart is not a great tool in business. If you are a heart person, you must learn to really use contracts and stick to them. Folks will find a way to get to your heart and many times that will persuade you to give things or do things to help others that may not always be in your best interests. When you operate outside of contracts, people can come back to you and change the terms, walk away or take your ideas and use them with others.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is another job within itself but the overall concept is easy. I gained my following mainly by word of month. The plan which may not be used by many is simple to me. It isn’t about the quantity, it is about the quality. So here is my marketing tip: I post in 3’s, meaning I post the same identical post three times in a row. I do this not only for the aesthetics but for the LOCATION. My main focus is Instagram so I use the location tag to post: where I’m at, where I’ve been and where I’m going. Meaning, I live in Atlanta, I’ve been in Charlotte and let’s say I want to go/work in Nashville. When you use those location tools, people in those areas actually see those posts and you can actually interact with people from your target areas. Just be consistent with your posts and your content.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adjmedia.co
• Instagram: instagram.com/antoineduanejones
• Facebook: Antoinne Duane Jones Media

Image Credits
ALL MY PHOTOGRAPHY WORK Horse Pics- Candice Smith Hugging- Brittany Passion Silk-Ephiphay Ajabe