We recently connected with Jeremy Pangilinan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeremy, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I started learning about my craft in High School. I was so very fortunate that my school had a black and white photography program. But by the time I had entered those years of my life, I was already carrying my camera everywhere. I simply loved re-telling the stories that came across my path when I was young, so my camera was always with me. It was not until later, college, that I learned how to tell my own stories. The stories of what interested me. The things that I found interesting; fashion, music, and the intricacies of the human story. I never knew how much I invested in what I loved until I looked at the body of work I created. What I had dedicated all those hours in the lab for. I really loved people. I loved people and the things we could do and create. If could do it differently to get better results? I would have gone to art school right after high school. And I would have moved to NY or LA quicker. But I’m not entirely sure if I would have been ready. One of the skills that I had acquired while I was living in NorCal was learning how to talk and understand people from all walks of life. Not to mention, those skills allowed me to create and understand how to shoot truly intimate portraits of people. And I think if you are going to work with people, having great interpersonal communication skills are essential. And for me, working at a dating company in NorCal helped me establish that. I’m not entirely sure if I could recognize the obstacles in my way. I know money was one of them. The other was that I was young, with a talent and skill set that set me apart from others, but I was also working in an older white male dominated industry. I’m sure there were others but my brain didn’t think of them as obstacles. I purely thought of them as facts in my current situation that I could handle.
Honestly, I consider myself lucky. I had an avenue to learn, mentors who guided my path, and opportunities to prove my worth.

Jeremy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi Everyone! I’m Jeremy and I am a traveling commercial photographer living in Los Angeles. You can typically find me at my local power yoga class, rock climbing gym, or hunting down the perfect plate of French Fries in LA. And if I am not doing those things, I am holding my camera, directing a music video/commercial, or pitching an idea to share stories with the world. And what does that look like? My favorite genres for me to create in are mostly portraits. But for me, most things are. I love shooting fashion and to me, a fashion image is a portrait of gorgeous clothing w/a model. And lifestyle photography? A portrait of a model doing fun and adventurous things. And my favorite of them all, celebrity portraiture. All that is, is a normal portrait but of a famous person. So most of my assignments come in some form of a portrait. But as artists, we naturally grow. And for me, a single image or a few images to tell a story was no longer enough. I wanted to tell longer stories. So this lead me to directing. A few music videos, a few commercial gigs, and now my brain is trying to wrap around a longer story. And that is where I’m at. Writing, pitching, and sharing my stories with everyone and anyone who wants to listen. But that’s pretty normal for me. I’ve been creating stories for as long as I could remember. When I was young I would create stories in my head while I was playing with my action figures. As I got older, I learned about the craft of photography, took all the art classes I could, and started to hone my storytelling skills. My first assignments were for local talent agencies and editorial magazines. And next came a wonderful in house position at a Dating Company that truly helped me build the life long skills I would use for the rest of my life. College, Art School, assignments for Guess?, Mentoring, and a nice stint as a rock climbing instructor all lead me to this fulfilling life of creativity and adventure.
The next adventure? The next challenge for me? My life as an artist will be life long. I have many things I have yet to accomplish. There are people who I still have not shot, magazines whom I would like to shoot for, and companies who I would still like to call my clients. Not to mention, scripts to be written, movies to direct, and French Fries yet to be eaten.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think for my reputation, there is nothing more that separated me than my business acumen. It’s fully my belief that after a certain level/proficiency, the majority of artists have the technical skill and talent to accomplish a job. After a certain point, art directors will hire someone purely on their style and esthetic and there is nothing we can do about that. Our style is our style. The way we see things, is the way we see things. But the thing we can control, is how we communicate, how well we work with others, and how we deliver our final product. So for the assignments that are not purely based on a specific talent or look/style, we as individual business owners, can use our savvy business ways to create and build our clientele. The thing that sounds boring but I’m very happy that business clients use when they think of me, is they describe me as reliable. Or another word, dependable. I’m in the firm belief that my clients, your clients, or most clients, want someone who can simply get the job done in a timely, reliable fashion w/ an aesthetic that suits their needs. After honing your craft and being business minded, there isn’t much more to building a solid art practice/business/career. ( there is more )

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think the thing that non creatives forget is that our job as professional artists, is that we are part artist and part business owner. And all the things that go with that, create challenges for each individual. Some artists may have an extraordinary talent to illustrate gorgeous scenes but may not be able to balance a checkbook. And some business owners may have an MBA and know how to run a Fortune 500 but couldn’t draw a straight-line if asked to. My Opinion? Being a professional artist is much harder than most people think. Not only do we have to be gifted and prolific artists but we also have to make a life for ourselves. Some balance that with another career while secretly and passionately working on their projects. Others like myself, choose to work professionally in our fields, and then combine our passions with commercial work to feed our bellies. And if we do that, if we choose to be artists that work within a commercial world, one other thing non-creatives forget, is the amount of courage that it takes to be that person. Don’t get me wrong, it takes courage to leave your hometown, to be an artist, to do something that isn’t normal, to be yourself, all those things. I don’t want to take that away from anyone but it is my experience that is an extra level, an extra thing to think about, when you decide to feed yourself with only your art. And doing that, in my opinion is courageous. And that courage could be forgotten by people who have never walked in these shoes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.akafotoboy.com
• Instagram: akafotoboy
• Twitter: akafotoboy
• Youtube: akafotoboy( coming soon!!!! )

Image Credits
My Portrait( Jeff Lawrence )
1st image: Blackbear ( Singer, Writer, and Musician )
2nd image: Adam Ambrizz ( Writer, Creative Director, and Model )
3rd image: Stateside clothing co.
4th image: Vince Staples ( Musician/Actor )
5th image:Buddy ( Musician )
6th image: Spirithoods clothing co.
7th image: Playboy inc
8th image: Ti ( Musician, Actor, and Producer )