We recently connected with KevinB Jones and have shared our conversation below.

KevinB, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I think about the projects that have meant the most to me, my mind immediately goes to the work I do with young people—primarily through Color Compton, FICCA Kunta Kinte Festival and Corporación Cultural Camaleón de Urabá located in Colombia.
Both of these spaces remind me why I make photographs in the first place: to connect, to witness, and to pass something on.
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My volunteer work with Color Compton is deeply personal. I was born and raised in Compton. I created a scholarship through the organization in honor of my late wife, Patricia Ann Koblenz, who dedicated her life to education, creativity, and young people. Every time I work with students there—sharing ideas, participating in workshops, and simply listening to their ideas—I feel like I’m helping continue her legacy, and it’s a way of planting seeds of possibility in the same communities that shaped me.
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This past August, I had the chance to teach a two-day photography workshop at the FICCA Kunta Kinte Festival in Medellín. This was my fourth year doing so. I worked with high school students—many of whom were picking up a real camera for the first time. The class focus was on using photography to tell our own stories. What struck me wasn’t just their talent, but their openness. They created some incredible images. They photographed their neighborhoods, their families, their pride, and their challenges. I think they all walked away with the workshop’s focus and learned something. That their stories matter—that their everyday lives are worthy of being documented with care.
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Those moments reminded me of myself as a young man in Compton, carrying a camera but not yet knowing where it would take me.
So when I talk about meaningful projects, it’s not only about the photographs. It’s about building spaces where young people can see themselves differently—where they feel seen, supported, and creatively free.
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Those experiences shape me as much as I hope they shape them.

KevinB, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Here is the cliff notes version: I joined the Army in 1978, right (two days after High School graduation). I spent just over six years in Germany and almost two at Ft Lewis, Washington. I got out in 1986 to pursue a career in the Computer Field. My first job was in the computer room at McDonnal Douglas. Followed by working at Security Pacific Bank, BofA, and Sterling Software, then at Visa, where I retired after twenty-one years. I was never one to use my vacation time to sit on a Cruise Ship or some resort. I was always visiting those places off the beaten path. My early interest in watching the films of French oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau influenced me growing up.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being a “photographer.” I put that in quotes because we are all photographers with my volunteer work and interest in Caribbean, Central, and South American countries. Being able to experience firsthand the people who make up the African Diaspora has been a fantastic experience. I was just in Guatemala this year and saw a woman who, for a minute, I thought was my Grandmother. We are all connected.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

If I have any vices in life, they are running marathons, chocolate, and buying used photography books! I enjoy reading in general. But, I find inspiration in looking at documentary photography books from the past, particularly 1900 – 1970. I don’t look to replicate. But to see what they were recording. What is important to capture today and share for the future?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.KBJONESPHOTO.COM
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinbjonesphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KBJONESPHOTO/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-b-jones-237b212/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kevinb.jonesphotography4571

Image Credits

@Minnie Phan