Jake Rains

writters write

I feel like i dont utilize this as much as i should.. thatll change.

OMG! I’m a photographer!

So I’ve been kicking around the idea of teaching for awhile now. I’ve been told many times that I deliver instruction and information well. The first thought I had was do a workshop. It’d be a great way to teach. 

I’ve also been kicking around the concept of writing another book. I wrote one once, but I don’t like to talk about it. It wasn’t that great, and yeah, we’ll leave it at that. 

The idea of a photography book came to me tonight, and I’m going to write it in a unique style. This is not going to be your typical photography instructional information document. It’s going to be funny! and for those of you who are in the professional photography market, will really think its funny since I slam on “Facebook Photographers” as I like to call them. The people whose daddy’s bought them a camera, they set it to auto, shoot from weird angles, make a facebook page, post them, and bam! Call themselves photographers. 

You hate them, so do I. SOOOO I’m going to write a book in hopes that some of them read it, and learn something. Actually learn some god damn thing that’ll put them on the path of enlightenment…

So the active title as of now is going to be…

OMG! I’m a photographer. 

A practical guide for the newly pretending shooter.

… I also was leaning towards 

OMG! I just got a new camera, and now I’m a photographer!

..But I thought it was to long. 

I really like the first one the most. Then I’ll develop a workshop around the material in the book, and call it 

OMG! I’m a photographer: The workshop.

Catchy, ain’t it?

There will be more in the coming weeks as I start planning. 

I’ll give you a fun sneak peak.. I know three chapter titles, and I’ll share:

My Camera, My Bestie

Glass? I wear contacts

Flashing when not intoxicated

Yep, those are three of the titles. As you can see, it’s going to be a funny book, I hope! And I’ll bring that humor into the workshop/live show. 

I’m pretty excited to work on this project, and if any of my fellow photographer friends wants to lend a hand, feel free to contact me!

~Jake

OMG! I’m a photographer!

So I’ve been kicking around the idea of teaching for awhile now. I’ve been told many times that I deliver instruction and information well. The first thought I had was do a workshop. It’d be a great way to teach. 

I’ve also been kicking around the concept of writing another book. I wrote one once, but I don’t like to talk about it. It wasn’t that great, and yeah, we’ll leave it at that. 

The idea of a photography book came to me tonight, and I’m going to write it in a unique style. This is not going to be your typical photography instructional information document. It’s going to be funny! and for those of you who are in the professional photography market, will really think its funny since I slam on “Facebook Photographers” as I like to call them. The people whose daddy’s bought them a camera, they set it to auto, shoot from weird angles, make a facebook page, post them, and bam! Call themselves photographers. 

You hate them, so do I. SOOOO I’m going to write a book in hopes that some of them read it, and learn something. Actually learn some god damn thing that’ll put them on the path of enlightenment…

So the active title as of now is going to be…

OMG! I’m a photographer. 

A practical guide for the newly pretending shooter.

… I also was leaning towards 

OMG! I just got a new camera, and now I’m a photographer!

..But I thought it was to long. 

I really like the first one the most. Then I’ll develop a workshop around the material in the book, and call it 

OMG! I’m a photographer: The workshop.

Catchy, ain’t it?

There will be more in the coming weeks as I start planning. 

I’ll give you a fun sneak peak.. I know three chapter titles, and I’ll share:

My Camera, My Bestie

Glass? I wear contacts

Flashing when not intoxicated

Yep, those are three of the titles. As you can see, it’s going to be a funny book, I hope! And I’ll bring that humor into the workshop/live show. 

I’m pretty excited to work on this project, and if any of my fellow photographer friends wants to lend a hand, feel free to contact me!

~Jake

How’d we get here?

I was sitting around today thinking about how I got here… Here being the creative person I am today… How’d I get to this photography thing in my life… 

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery… If that’s true, then damn, I’ve flattered a lot of people on my journey though the creativesphere. On the path to creative zen, you find yourself struggling to find your voice. Some have it off the bat, and those are the lucky ones, but some don’t. That’s where I was in the beginning. Living in a shitty house in the middle of LeMars, Iowa. I knew I wanted to scream and shout and create something amazing. The problem was, I didn’t have a voice. I had nothing that I could call my own. I have not a clue on where to start. Luckily, I had some help.

It all started with a single push in the right direction from a person I had never personally met at this point, but this person (pry had no idea they were even doing it) gave me that helping hand that inspired me to find my own voice. Don’t get me wrong… I stole his voice, a lot. He was too damn good at what he was doing, and I (thought) I wanted that. I wanted to do what this guy did. He was a creative person that created some of the most amazing designs that really came to life to me. And this guy, who out of the goodness of his heart, lent a simple kid some web space and bought him his first domain name. 

Keep in mind, I have never met this guy who was so kind to me… He was a good friend of a girl I was dating, and with his one single act of kindness, it gave me the… “This guy believes in me.. kinda, I should too!” push I needed. Over the years I learned to stop stealing, and to just be inspired. To appreciate the form and the structure. To understand not just that something is beautiful, but why it’s beautiful. What makes it what it is. 

I digress. This push he gave me sent my mind into a whole new world of things. It put me into college, it brought me to the mac computer (A hardcore love if there ever was such a thing.) and eventually lead me on my own creative path to the camera.

It’s been a long ass path. A winding road that has many stops, but never reached it’s destination (until now). But every stop of the way, the dude was always there, doing the next big amazing thing. He really is an inspiration and a person I admire highly. I really feel if it wasn’t for a simple act of kindness shown to a simple kid in a simple town in Iowa. I would not be doing the things I love doing today… We all have our heros guys.. Mine is a fella by the name of Jay Runquist. 

So, not to get all bromance on you, but I just wanted to express my graditude to Jay for helping me find my voice. One of the greatests gifts a person has ever given me (especially without realizing they had.)

Now this post isn’t about me being all gaga over Jay. It’s  more of a make you sit back and think of your hero.. Not the person who is super amazing at what you do and you aspire to be like him. (I have no desire to work for Google.) But really think of that person who did that one little butterfly effect act of kindness that set you in motion on your path to find your voice. Sometimes you’ll surprise yourself on who it is. 

Hello 2012!

Another year has come and gone. 2011 was a great year for me, as it lead me to find my calling in life… I’m speaking of course of the photo. It has started me on a path that A. I believe I’m good at, and B. I believe I can make successful. 

My resolution for 2012 is not one of losing weight, quitting a bad habit, or saving money (Earning it perhaps).  It’s simply to succeed in this photography thing. This small thing that I have developed such a driving passion for. It has consumed me in a way that not to many things ever have. It’s a beast that needs fed on a constant basis, and won’t take no for an answer. At night, I watch a video on photography… every night. No Joke.. During the day, I’m thinking of what can I take a photo of, and how can I make the light fall on that subject to make it interesting. It really is taking everything I have, and I don’t see that as a bad thing. 

So 2012, I hope you are ready for me, cuz I sure as hell am ready for you!

~Jake

HeadShot

My first real big deal headshot using the new ‘Bee strobe. It really makes my life so much easier to have “To much light” available. I started learning how to shape light using an umbrella and a cheap hot shoe flash. That works as long as its indoors and its not full body. I shot a family outdoors trying to use a hot shoe flash, and the only reason it worked was because the sun was almost down. Now, with the strobe vs hot shoe flash, Talk about a world of difference. 

So what I suggest is if you have a hot shoe flash, learn it. Get it off camera using a pocket wizard or if you don’t want to drop 300 bucks on some wizards. Grab one of the cowboy studio triggers off amazon. They are cheap and work okay. You won’t be going any long distances with these bad boys, but they’ll get the flash off camera and give you the option to see off camera flash at its best. 

But! If you want to really have range and options, a strobe is going to be your best friend. I can’t suggest enough heading over to PaulCbuff.com and checking out the Alienbees series of strobes. They are cheap and they perform! Gosh Darnet do they perform!.

That’s all I got for now.

Jake

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