Interview with Photographer Michael Jones

Some of the most impressive pieces of modern art are images taken from fashion photography. This made me want to learn more about photography so I decided to interview Michael Jones to learn more about his craft and how he got started.

Tell me a little about your background and how you became involved in fashion photography.

My photography background comes from an interest in sociology and people. Photography became a tool for me to capture the human the emotion.

Have you always done fashion photography? If not what other types of photography have you done?

I didn’t start doing fashion photography until a few years ago. For a while, I was only concerned with concert and music photography. As I began photographing more nightlife culture and studying classical portraiture, I started to make my way into the fashion scene. If you asked me 5 years ago if I ever thought I would be shooting a runway, the answer would be a firm, “No!”.

How do you make your prints standout? What is the key element to the perfect picture?

I think there are two main elements to consider. The first, is in-camera framing. Especially looking at things like runway, event photography, and portraiture. There needs to be a level of uniformity and composition before the picture is taken. The second thing to consider, is the editing/post-production process. Lately, I have taken a deep interest in this, whether it is trying to fix my composition, or to increase the contrast on certain elements of the photograph.

Do you only do Fashion Photography?

At the moment, I have been doing a lot of portraiture.

Who do you admire most as a photographer?

Annie Leibovitz is the photographer that I admire the most. She has such a broad background and has literally photographed everyone from Dr. Dre to Barack Obama. Her methodology is very intense. If you read interviews with her about her Rolling Stone days, it is amazing the amount of roles of film she would shoot, the types of cameras she would use, the lighting she would rent — just for that one hour shoot. Pictures aside, her dedication to the field and her ability to push things forward is truly admirable.

If you could work with anyone within the fashion industry who would it be and why?

I’d love to work with Agyness Deyn. She’s a supermodel, but not pretentious like many people in the industry. Agyness is the kind of person you can see at Pianos on a Friday night and discuss obscure rock bands. I imagine a photo-shoot with her would be a blast.

Where can you find Michael?