We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jordan Booth a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jordan , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
The biggest thing my parents did right was encourage me to pursue my interests, even if they didn’t get it or understand it. They have been my biggest supporters; pushing me to find creative solutions and to reach as far as I could to achieve my goals. They have taught me numerous lessons that have guided me through my more recent years.
My parents have always done everything they could to support me. When at 15, I wanted to go on a mission trip to Romania without them, they made it happen. Or when I went to residential high school out of my home state to take more challenging classes they got me there, even if mom would have preferred that I stayed home.
When it came to photography, my parents were there to encourage me through it all They’ve been there through the thousands of pictures, and every awkward position, and even every time I would lay on the ground to get the shot. They gave me my first idea of a way to sell my pictures, which was by making calendars to raise money for my trip to Romania. They always said I could sell my work, but also understood, that for me, that wasn’t the goal. I enjoy photography for the ability to capture a moment and share that moment with people. From motocross races to beautiful travel pictures, weddings, nature and animals, and kids’ camps there is something amazing to be able to hold that feeling forever in a photograph. My parents did seem to understand that, even if they didn’t always get the process. They’re always encouraging me to look for opportunities wherever I am and explore new subjects.
My parents set guardrails for my life when I was younger, but never limited my ability to explore, learn, and create. This has led to me always seeking out new things and constantly exploring the world around me. They would remind me that failure was always an option. If something didn’t work, then that was okay because we can learn and adapt. We can always go back to the drawing board and come back with something better, but never give up.
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.
Photography has been a passion of mine for a very long time, ever since a family friend really took the time to introduce me to it. That passion followed me into school where I started taking photography classes in the 5th grade and continued to take classes throughout high school. During college is when I really started to try and establish Jordan’s Photo Booth.
Over the years, I found my main niches in candid photography, along with wildlife and nature photography. Capturing the truly unique, realistic, and honest beauty is what I strive to do. This can take me to the top of mountains, the middle of rivers, out to the woods or chilly winter beaches. My photography and desire to get certain shots does tend to get me into some interesting places or positions, but I don’t mind if I get the shot.
While I have my particular niches, I am most comfortable doing, I am always exploring and trying new things. I’ve had quite a number of experiences that I have absolutely enjoyed from a wedding in Boston, to BMX races, to capturing hummingbirds and rainforests in Costa Rica, to just photographing friends’ children out at the zoo or gardens.
When it comes to what I’m most proud of there are a couple things. The first is that pieces of my work have received awards. I have won gold and silver keys regionally through the Scholastic Arts Competition, and I was also fortunate enough to have one of my pieces as a finalist in an international competition called River of Words. It was some of this positive feedback that really helped to push me to continue. The second is that I do this to truly capture what I believe is beautiful or unique, and I feel as though I accomplish that through all of the pieces I have. It’s the adventure, joy, and passion that are the heart of Jordan’s Photo Booth.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being a creative for me, is having the ability to share what I find beautiful or unique in the world with others. With so much going on every day, I think that it is nice to come across or have something that captures what you can consider beautiful or calm or peaceful or whatever you are looking for in that moment. Being a creative allows for me to explore all of those things and share that with others.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The goal of my photography is to capture unique and special moments in time. Whether those moments are for others through a hired job or just something I have come across. I call myself a candid photographer because I like to capture the real emotions of the interactions that occur around me. To me there is something beautiful about being able to capture an image that invokes an emotion. It can be the awe of staring out at the Grand Canyon or the Alpes from atop a different mountain or the energy and excitement of a child at camp having the time of their life in that moment. I do this to truly capture what I believe is beautiful or special or unique.
Contact Info:
- Website: jordansphotobooth.com
- Instagram: @jordansphotobooth
- Facebook: Jordan’s Photo Booth