Meet Jendra Jarnagin | Cinematographer

I love the museums in LA. I could spend an entire week at the Getty, LACMA, and go seek out some of the smaller ones that I always intend to make it to. Coming from NYC, I had heard LA had a lack of culture and I think that’s not true at all. I’m so sad that the Annenberg Space for Photography shut down, because that was really such a unique place. There are always great gallery shows too… Also, as a New Yorker, I have a special affinity for downtown. I love doing Art Walk, and really love some of the buildings like the Bradbury building and the Disney Concert Hall. I also quite enjoy the fabric district.

Another great part of LA culture is the active outdoor lifestyle. I love to go for walks & hikes in Beachwood Canyon, Runyon Canyon, Malibu, and Griffith Park is full of surprises. I also have a fondness for the hippie culture in Venice. I’m way too practical to live on the West Side, but if it wasn’t for the traffic, and needing to be all over town shooting on location or for meetings, (and closer to the studios) I’d be a Venice girl. So anytime I can kick it in Venice makes me happy. I don’t think you can show someone from out of town around without taking them to Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier.

Food wise, I’m into the sushi, the Mexican of course, and all the great Asian food. I’m especially obsessed with fish tacos.

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

Hi Jendra, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?

At the beginning of embarking on a freelance career, I had no concept of balance. I fell into the belief that in order to succeed I had to sacrifice everything else in my life in service of my career and give it 110% or I “wouldn’t get anywhere.” Obviously, that can only last so long before you realize how hollow your one-sided life has become and chasing that carrot brings no satisfaction because no matter what you achieve you can never get where you are trying to go; it’s a moving target. The more you achieve, the more you want…

So there came a time where I realized I had become a workaholic. Things that used to matter to me, I had forgotten about… and I needed to course-correct. I changed my goal from getting ahead to achieving balance. And how that ended up playing out was actually a continual struggle… Whenever I would have a long bout of intense work, I would swing wildly in the other direction of throwing myself into my social life. My mid-life crisis was actually creating the social life I never had in my 20s, because I was too busy being a workaholic.

Now, 25 plus years into freelancing, I no longer believe that true work/life balance is actually possible, in the sense that if you make that your benchmark, you will always fall short of what you think that is “supposed to” look like, and feel like you’re failing to achieve balance. So now I just listen to when I am feeling out of balance, what that is actually about. I ask myself: “what do I need or desire that I have been neglecting? What have I been sacrificing that I miss from my life?” and I try to make space to give that to myself. And sometimes that looks like turning down jobs to take a vacation, or prioritizing going out dancing, or accepting an invite to a friend’s birthday party when I don’t feel like I have time. I have learned that just when I think I can’t possibly afford the time to do something unrelated to the project I am on, is when I NEED that break the most, and that few hours of going out to dinner, or attending a play or wandering around doing spontaneous street photography etc, will make up for itself in efficiency and possibly new ideas because of the recharge that it gives me from giving myself a break from prolonged intense focus in one area.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I’m fascinated by contrasts. I’ve come to realize I have two very distinct sides to my expression. I take great pride in my reputation for lighting women, especially older women. I love to make people look their best, and I’m really good at beauty lighting. I got my start in the lighting department on the original Sex & the City series, which was a great foundation. I can do the glossy, polished look really well, and in my commercial work I mostly shoot beauty commercials and product photography, aka “tabletop” which is incredibly precise and technical.

My other side is edgy and rough. Experimental and exploiting imperfections. Embracing “happy accidents.” I’ve been pushing myself to be more messy and loose. I love the beauty of decay, the energy of entropy…. During lock-down I started a daily creativity practice of creating (not to be confused with “capturing”) a photograph every day, just for myself, and its taught me a lot about what I’m drawn to when it’s not in the service of someone else’s vision, or I’m not being paid to deliver. I love shooting music videos because they are such a great place to experiment. No rules, and as long as it looks interesting, you really can’t fuck it up…

Lately I’ve been drawn to more bold and expressive visuals in my narrative work, and darker subject matter. Making everything pretty all the time is starting to lose its interest and I’m more interested in “what are you trying to say, visually? How do you want to make the viewer feel?” A film that I’ve shot that I’m most proud of is called Asking For It.  It premiered online at the Tribeca Film Festival, and we are awaiting details on when it will be released to the public. It’s about a group of female vigilantes who enact revenge on men who’ve done bad things to women. It’s my boldest work yet, and I can’t wait for people to see it, so that I can start getting called for more work in that direction.

It’s taken me a really long time to get where I am today, and 25 years out of film school, I’m only now feeling like I’m starting to get the opportunities to shoot the kind of work I’ve long been capable of. It’s an insanely competitive field, of course, and cinematography is still incredibly male-dominated, though that’s finally starting to open up a little bit. I think a lot of people in my position probably would have given up my now… It’s taken perseverance, determination, tons of sacrifice, and lots of networking and hustle. You need to constantly be growing and pushing yourself.

Some important lessons have been to enjoy the journey and the process and not to make your career your whole life. It takes a lot of self-awareness and personal growth to be a successful freelancer or entrepreneur, and I think a lot of people don’t talk about that part. It took me awhile to figure that out…. It’s important to prioritize fun and take good care of yourself, because its easy to get lost in the hustle or the grind. You need a lot of fortitude and clarity of direction. Generosity goes a long way, and I believe in mentoring others and sharing your knowledge. I’m grateful for the people who have helped and supported me, and I want to be that for others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I love the museums in LA. I could spend an entire week at the Getty, LACMA, and go seek out some of the smaller ones that I always intend to make it to. Coming from NYC, I had heard LA had a lack of culture and I think that’s not true at all. I’m so sad that the Annenberg Space for Photography shut down, because that was really such a unique place. There are always great gallery shows too… Also, as a New Yorker, I have a special affinity for downtown. I love doing Art Walk, and really love some of the buildings like the Bradbury building and the Disney Concert Hall. I also quite enjoy the fabric district.

Another great part of LA culture is the active outdoor lifestyle. I love to go for walks & hikes in Beachwood Canyon, Runyon Canyon, Malibu, and Griffith Park is full of surprises. I also have a fondness for the hippie culture in Venice. I’m way too practical to live on the West Side, but if it wasn’t for the traffic, and needing to be all over town shooting on location or for meetings, (and closer to the studios) I’d be a Venice girl. So anytime I can kick it in Venice makes me happy. I don’t think you can show someone from out of town around without taking them to Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier.

Food wise, I’m into the sushi, the Mexican of course, and all the great Asian food. I’m especially obsessed with fish tacos.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Gosh, I have had so many supporters and mentors in my life and career I couldn’t possibly name everyone who deserves that credit. One of the most significant mentors in my journey has been David Stump, ASC. He’s a brilliant Cinematographer, Visual Effects Supervisor, Technologist, Educator and author of the book: Digital Cinematography: Fundamentals, Tools, Techniques, and Workflows. He came into my life at a really important time such that it reminded me of the quote: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Dave has influenced my career development in numerous direct and indirect ways. He gave me so much encouragement and coaching that I didn’t even know I needed… his investing his time, interest and energy in me, that he “saw something in me” was a huge boost of confidence. He was one of the first people to encourage me to spend more time in Los Angeles (I’m bicoastal.) He invited me and my husband to stay in his guestroom, and was my entre to a lot of the industry here. He taught me so much advanced technical knowledge in the digital cinema realm, and more importantly, pushed me toward developing myself as a person.

Another person who deserves credit and recognition is another talented woman cinematographer, and one of my best friends, Danna Kinsky. I wouldn’t be in Los Angeles, and all the benefits that’s brought to my career, if it weren’t for her friendship and opening her home to me. Her love, support and lasting friendship has made a huge impact in my life.

Website: www.jendrajarnagin.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jendradp

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jendra

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jendradp

Image Credits
Anneke Schoneveld, Jorge Valdes-Iga, Kimberly Skyrme, Kent Purdy