Friday Feature: Jay Dexter Photography

Featured | Jane |

Lights. Camera. Action. His name is Jay Dexter. He takes us to a world behind the lens. Capturing crisp images of real faces. Real people. We love the creatives here on our site. Jay Dexter’s interview was fun and full of snippets of wisdom. I first heard about Jay via JayRrod 4 Love. I’m Glad I did. It was a moment to discover vivid images that were unpretentious and real. His photographs are filled with a light of revelation and a true artistry. Jay Dexter is truly unpretentious in his craft. Check him out at his site here.

Introduce Jay Dexter.

Simply put, I’m a lover of music and all things creative. A sucker for quality, which may explain my advocacy for all Apple products! I hate to admit, but I’m definitely an editing geek… well, you get the picture.

How would you describe your style?

My style of photography is very natural. It’s a very basic, effortless even, and draws inspiration from life. In fact, I would label my style “lifestyle photography” but, high in quality and creativity. I try to add at least one creative element to both my video and photo shoots.

Which other photographer/photographers do you admire the most?

I have three photographers that I study often: Nick Onken, Stephanie Rausser and Elton Anderson. All three of these photogs, over 90% of the time, take advantage of natural light as I do and produce the quality of work I strive to create.

Who or what has been your greatest fashion influence?

I can’t really think of an individual that has influenced my style. I find that I go with what translates my personal creativity best. For the sake of definition, I’d have to say that my style is a preppy mix with a sporty/casual feel; almost a Kanye swag with Jay Z versatility (lol). However, I actually play it extra safe with the gear… not flashy by any means. I’m really big on quality and not afraid to pay for it. I wouldn’t say that I’m big on name brands, but I wear Lacoste faithfully!

While we’re on the topic, I truly believe a person’s fashion sense can determine their artistic capabilities. Not to say that the best dressed in the room has the edge on being the best artist, but when you have your own identity, and uniqueness, about you on the outside, your work as an artist will resemble it.

If someone were to give you a disposable camera and said to fill it and hand it back to them the next day, where would you immediately go to take some photos?

I would probably use this challenge as an opportunity to tell a story through a series of photos… a campaign of sorts. A thought that just popped up in my head would be to take pictures of random objects (close up) in an attempt to describe myself through picture. For instance, I’d take a picture of my old running shoes to show my desire for health; a picture of all my throwback walk-man tape-players to show my love for music; etc. Hopefully, the recipient of the photos will know me just by looking through the film.

What is your best attribute?

As a businessman, my best attributes would be my customer service skills, which include delivering a high-quality, finished product, and a reasonable turn-around time. My desire for every project that I work on to be the best it can be. Besides, great customer service only opens the door for more business and opportunities!

Which city, or location, inspires you the most?

Washington, D.C. hands down. There is so much culture and motivated people in our nation’s capital, and when you’re in the business that I am as an artist, you need a city like D.C. to keep you inspired. A large majority of my photo shoots have happened within a 3 block radius and there are plenty more to explore.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

As an avid reader, I come across inspiring words often. However, to date, the words of my father stick out the most, “Too much of anything will hurt you.” As simple as it may sound, I think about it often when approaching certain situations.

What type of cameras do you shoot with?

I’m asked this question a lot. For photography, I use the Canon 1DS Mark III. For video, I use the Canon 5D and Canon 7D. Plus, I own a couple of “L” series lenses.

Favorite lyrics from a song?

My library of music is way too vast to select one song (lol)! But if I had to choose, one of my favorite artists is Feist. She has a song called “Intuition” which is on my top five songs list. A snippet of the lyrics go as follows:

A destination known

Only by the one

Whose fate is overgrown

Piecemeal could break your home

And have

A love is not complete

With only heat

They can tease you

Break or complete you

You would have to check out the song on Youtube see what I mean! It’s really one of those songs that allow you the space to create your own meaning.

What are your future goals?

My goal in life is to make a consistent impact in music, big or small. My ideal job in music would be A&R or working in marketing. On a local level my short-term goal is just to continue to spread the “JayDexter” brand.