We were lucky to catch up with Jacob Green recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jacob, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
“Trial by fire” is the best way I can describe my introduction to photojournalism. I did have some handy video production and journalism skills I had learned from college, however, it was the on-the-ground experience that helped to sharpen my wits.
I certainly could have sped up my learning process by utilizing the wisdom of seasoned photojournalists in the field. Skills are developed by the process of sharing lived experiences and I didn’t know that going into the field.
It wasn’t until other journalists approached me in the field early on in my career that I realized our skill sets can increase by communicating with one another about those experiences.
Essential skills I learned quickly were situational awareness and composure. The elements can sometimes be chaotic and uncertain. Focus in a situation filled with intense emotions and actions can affect the quality of our story and by managing those feelings the production will reflect the story more accurately.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was interested in photojournalism by its ability to tell a story through photos and video. The discipline I had to learn to put myself into high stakes situations covering extremism was necessary. More recently Press has been targeted by demonstrators at both left and right wing events and added with the Police responses during these demonstrations it can become overwhelming. Constantly having situational awareness and a professional demeanor when filming high octane events
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
One huge resource has always been equipment. I found myself lucky to be loaned and then sold a 4k Handycam that has internal stabilization and a gimbal. For years my primary method of story-telling through journalism was written-word because I lacked the equipment to empower those stories. Being loaned a camera for visual documentation opened the door for me to extend the exposure of my stories.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Several times I’ve had to change alter my career path to support my true passion: photojournalism. One case in point is taking on other types of photography within the industry such as formal and corporate events. In addition, I sought out jobs in A/V that helped to string me along month to month. I had to commute up to 4 hours sometimes for gigs. Going freelance in journalism is incredibly difficult to sustain and highly competitive. I have had to change my spending habits and really calculate what expenses I need and what I can reasonably spend.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aeonphoto.com
- Instagram: aeonphoto.co
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeleegreen/
- Twitter: AeonPhotoCo
- Youtube: aeonphotoco
Image Credits
Jake Lee Green