If there was a prize that could be given out to the most creative father, I'd hope that it was awarded to Jason Lee. A wedding photographer by day, he's used to capturing some of the most important moments in a couple's lives. As a longtime fan of Jason's photos on Flickr however, I think the real magic happens when he turns the camera onto his daughters.
Sure, his children are adorably cute in their own right, but that's not what makes his photos so interesting. It's when he puts his own spin on their everyday moments that we not only get to experience our own childhood again, we're able to see a father's pride shine through.
I was able to get in touch with Jason to ask him a few questions. Read that short interview, below, after seeing some of his wonderfully creative photos.
UPDATE: We're so happy to announce that Jason Lee's adorable photos of his daughters is one of 25 photo stories featured in our new book For Love, published by Chronicle Books! The official release date is March 15, 2016, and the book is currently available to pre-order at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indie Bound.
My Modern Met: How did you get into photography?
Jason Lee: I picked up my first digital camera a year before my first daughter was born, which was about 8 years ago. I really enjoyed taking photos and getting the immediate feedback from digital and it just grew from there.
MMM: How do you come up with such creative photos of your daughters? What's your creative process like?
JL: Most of the ideas come from the girls, from observing them play, or hearing the funny and outrageous things they say. Their day to day life also plays a big role for my inspiration. Creative process, hmm, thats a tough one. After coming up with an idea, I then ‘set up' the scene, and often use artificial lighting to enhance the images. It helps to plan out the shoot before hand, so at most, I only have them in the shoot for a minute or two.
MMM: How has being on Flickr helped you with your business?
JL: I generally use Flickr to share photos of the kids, but I have had several inquiries for wedding work after people have seeing my child photography.
MMM: Any inspirational stories you'd like to share?
JL: Well, not sure if this is inspirational or not, but I'd like to share a little bit about why and how this project came about. In 2006, my mother was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. The girls were constantly sick, with colds and coughs so I couldn't always bring them to visit her. I started a blog http://kristinandkayla.com as a way to keep my mom up to date with things that were going on in their lives, and hoping to cheer her up with pictures. I still try and keep it updated with photos, but it's at a far less frequency than when I first started.
MMM: Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers?
JL: Don't be afraid to experiment. Take notes. When you have an idea, jot it down somewhere for later. Practice, practice, practice. Start a 365 project, or at least try to shoot something on a consistent basis.
MMM: Any quotes you live by?
JL: Like in Finding Nemo, Dori advises “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” Replace swimming with taking pictures and I think you have a winning formula : )
Thanks for the interview, Jason, and for letting us share in your fatherhood experience.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Jason creates these photos by clicking HERE and learn Jason's top 10 tips on creative kids photography HERE.
More Creative Kids Photography:
Kid Portraits with Character
25+ Photos That Creatively Capture Kids
The Daydreaming Baby (15 photos)
Angels on Earth – Tracy Raver
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