Meet Jackson Baker | Photographer & Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jackson Baker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jackson, how do you think about risk?
If I didn’t take risks then I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I think that if you don’t take risks in life then you will never know what could have happened. For me, I have always taken a risk in whatever I’m doing. That is how I moved to LA. I graduated college and decided that I was going to move to LA and move my photo and video business out west from NY. I also took the risk to go to college for advertising photography when I could have been expanding my business but decided to further my education to make my craft bigger and better. If I hadn’t taken any risks to grow my business then I think I would be stuck in NY still, but I will never know because I’ve taken any risk that I can to get to where I am.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art form is painting with light and capturing either a single frame in time or a sequence of events. In other words, I am a photographer and cinematographer. Something I feel that sets me apart from others is my drive to create new work that I can love and so can the people I work for. I started my business before I even got out of high school, graduated college early, and moved to LA right when I turned 21. I’m here where I am today because I love the grind of what I do. I love taking a photo and not being able to sit still till I’m able to edit the photos. Due to my drive to create and my love for it, my business grew more and more because of that. It wasn’t easy to get to where I am now though. I have spent many hours and light nights working on my business plans, creating new work, and reaching out to people for jobs and to make connections. One of the biggest things that I have learned is that this doesn’t happen overnight. People will only see your growth and the outcome of your hard work. But what they don’t see is what matters, the long nights, hours sitting on the computer, and the stress of not knowing what comes next. But this all makes it worth it because the outcome feels ten times better than you can think. I want everyone to know that nothing will stop me from reaching my goals of creating and loving what I do. I hope to work with even more like-minded people in the future grow with others and help change the creative community. My photos and videos will always be something I am proud of and love to look back on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to any museum here because the art is very different than in NY. I want to show them a new and different perspective on the community here. The main one is the Petersen Automotive Museum. I was blown away the first time I went there with the amount of cars and cool attractions in the Museum. The Santa Monica pier is a must-visit also. The beach is amazing and the sunset is unbeatable. And lastly, I wouldn’t take them to any specific place, I would just drive around with time seeing if we can’t find any fun hidden gems or just drive along the coast and enjoy the view.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The is no way I got to where I am on my own. There are many people I would love to thank for my success so far. To start, I have to thank my Mom and my Dad. They both told me that I should start my business when I was in 7th grade and I did just that. They have always supported me when when it came to my business even when they told me not to buy more camera equipment. My Aunts and uncles from NJ and TX have been a huge support to me also. Whether it is with connecting me with people, finding jobs, or even if I need a little bit of money to help the business. Two of my best friends from back home in NY have pushed me so much also. We have always done photos and videos together and against each other. I think that if I didn’t have friends that were doing the same thing as me then I would be as skilled in my craft as I am. Having friendly competition to work harder and make my work better than theirs or to work together really pushed my business to the next level. And lastly, I want to thank the college I went it, Rochester Institute of Technology. At this school, I made so many amazing friends and worked with classmates even more talented than I am. I learned so much about lighting, composition, storytelling, and working together. I had the most amazing professors there and learned so much from them even out of class time. Going to school there didn’t feel like work. It was a community of amazing people. The friends I made there were all striving to do the same thing but in their own unique and special way. Without any of these people or communities, I would not be where I am at all.

Website: https://www.jsb.productions/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonsbaker/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackson-baker-a42231229

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jacksonbaker430