Mark Twain said it best - "Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." When we met Jada and David, they embodied a sense of fun, inspired creativity that many artists strive to express through their work. And as fine art photographers who have chosen their favorite fine art surface (from our 19-paper selection)? We had to get the scoop. Enjoy this special interview, and tell us what's inspiring YOU below in the comments!
You both radiate creativity! How'd you get started in photography, and how do you stay inspired?
David and I were wedding and portrait photographers for almost a decade, covering everything from photography and videography to photo booth rentals. Weekends were all about weddings until 2020 hit. COVID threw a wrench in our plans—every wedding either got postponed or canceled. It was a tough time, and we definitely felt sorry for ourselves for a while. But then we decided to take action. With our studio sitting idle and all those canceled bookings freeing up our schedule, we dove into studio photography. We started with basic seamless paper backdrops and kept evolving. David's theater background inspired us to build small sets, for us to photograph on.
We started a project called " The 100 Set Project" in January 2021, aiming to do 100 shoots with 100 unique sets by the end of the year. It was all about exploring our creativity without limits, just having fun. We fell in love with the process and eventually decided to shift away from weddings and focus full-time on our new creative work.
Inspiration-wise, it's everywhere for us. We watch a lot of movies. We find a lot of inspiration in cartoons as well. We also find architecture incredibly inspiring.
How did you envision your exhibition, before going to print?
We wanted this show to be filled with color, so we selected images from all different color
palettes. We wanted it to feel like you were walking into a surreal space because of how colorful everything was.
When it came to framing our photos, we wanted them to feel like an extension of the art itself.
Even though our end product is a photograph, our process involves building sets, which makes us feel more like mixed media artists. So, we wanted to make sure we brought some aspect of that into the framing of our photos. The frames are designed and built in the same style as our sets using recycled pieces from old sets and painted to match the colors in the photographs.
How did you determine which was the best Fine Art Paper for your work?
We chose Hahnemühle Photo Rag to print our photos because it's made from high-quality archival materials, ensuring durability and preventing yellowing over time. The smooth texture enhances the details in our photos and gives them a tactile quality that we love. It reproduces colors and tones beautifully, just as they appear in our original shots.
We are big fans of Bay Photo! The color tones and print quality you offer is unmatched.
We appreciate you choosing to work with Bay Photo! How was your experience?
Ordering through Bay Photo was super easy and user-friendly. We could customize sizes for all our prints since our photos rarely fit standard dimensions. The quick turnaround time was a huge plus. Opening the package was an exciting moment. The prints were meticulously wrapped and protected. The photos printed beautifully and the colors looked even better than they did on the computer.
Now that your exhibition is underway, what are your final impressions?
Seeing our photos printed professionally turns them into true works of art, beyond what any
screen can show. It's surreal and incredibly fulfilling to see our work hanging in a gallery. I think it is so important that photographers get into a more regular practice of printing their work and really appreciating the artistic value in what they create.
Special Thanks to Jada and David!
To learn more and see more of their work,
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