We recently connected with Shelby Jaq and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shelby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

My late father is responsible for this one. When I was eighteen, we were at a marina outside of Los Angeles, admiring the boats. Unprompted, he pointed at one of the bigger sailboats and said, “If I ever buy a boat, I’ll name it Shelby Jaq.” Jacqueline is my middle name, but I had never been called that before. I chuckled at him, but the nickname stuck. Years later, after he passed, I started my photography career. When trying to come up with the name for myself and my business (my creative pursuits and myself are intrinsically linked), I was stuck for a while. After a few days of contemplation with no likable ideas, I remembered that afternoon on the marina. And suddenly, there was no other consideration. I’ve been Shelby Jaq since I was eighteen years old.

Shelby, 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?

I’ve been taking photos of the world around me for as long as I’ve had fine motor skills. One of the first things I learned was to find an importance in everything in front of me. Whether it’s one detail out of the ordinary, or a subject so lovely it deserves to have its picture taken, there is always a reason to click the shutter.

I primarily focus on music (concerts and album covers) and fine art photography (coordinated shoots that make a point). In every event or shoot I cover, I enjoy seeking out the angles and shots that are less obvious and more unusual. Anything that is going to catch the eye and hopefully make the viewer think a little bit. It began with just twisting my arms to capture a bizarre angle and turned into manipulating light and taking advantage of manual mode on my camera. And if I’ve done well, the photos will invoke emotion or even introspection in the viewer. Strange shots make great food for thought.

I know I’m on the right track when someone looks at one of my photos and says, “That’s weird… I like it.”

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

When I was first trying to figure out what equipment I needed, I referred to the Youtube channels of well-established music photographers for advice. Two of my favorite channels insisted that one does not need fancy or expensive equipment to do concert photography. One of them even said, “It doesn’t matter what equipment you have.”

That was not true. I should have been clued in by the fact that man who said that last bit was holding a camera worth well over two thousand dollars when he said it. The bummer of truth is that you do need certain cameras and lenses to work well in low-light environments, and those tend to be of the more expensive variety.

Photography is a business as well as a creative pursuit. And just like any other business, it requires investments.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Reaching out to people is so important. I’m a firm believer in “You’ll never get it if you never ask.” I’ve never been hesitant to reach out to artists who are doing shows near me to see if they’ve booked a photographer. If they haven’t, I offer my services, and let the photos speak for themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: shelbyjaqart.com
• Instagram: @shelbyjaqart
• Other: Contact: shelby@shelbyjaqart.com

Image Credits
All images by Shelby Jaq