Welcome to 10.Q Interviews.This section usually features interviews to Humanitarian, Cultural & Travel Photographers, their work and photography.

This week in 10.Q Interviews, Jacob Maentz:

“Originally from the United States, Jacob Maentz is currently based in the Philippines from where he does considerable amounts of travel, working on freelance assignments and shooting stock photography for his collection here at jacobimages.com.

Travel is something Jacob grew up with as a young boy and that has given him the ability to easily adopt, be culturally sensitive, and see his surroundings from a fresh perspective. His travels to Latin America in college is where he discovered his passion for the camera. He was brought to the Philippines in 2003 when he joined the United States Peace Corps and has found himself repeatedly drawn back to this part of the world since then.” [More about Jacob...]

1. Tell us about your photography. How long have you been shooting? What kinds of shooting have you done? Can you name any current or former clients?

My interest in photography started like a lot of travel photographers. I bought my first camera over ten years ago before taking a three month trip to explore Latin America. I wanted to be able to share my travels with family and friends and photography seemed like the best medium. I quickly got very serious about my photography that I started to take more trips with my primary goal being that of creating images. After some time away from the camera, about two and a half years ago, I decided to once again focus more energy to photography.

I am currently based in the Philippines where I live with my wife and two children. I originally came here as a US Peace Corps volunteer back in 2003 doing environmental conservation work on the island of Palawan. More recently, my family (my wife grew up here) decided to come back to the Philippines which has allowed me to start a career in photography.

Being relatively new to the professional world of photography, most of my current images are from the Philippines. I try to create images that tell a story and that show a side of cultures most people are unaware of. I enjoy going to remote locations to photograph local life and daily activities. Many of my images also reflect peoples interactions with their natural environment.

 

I don’t yet have a consistent base of clients, but my images have been used by universities, businesses, independent writers, and publishers in everything from books, calling cards, tv commercials, magazines and annual reports.

2. How did you get into Cultural/Travel photography? Where did you get your vision for it, and what are your dreams? What things called your attention back then?

I didn’t really get into this type of photography by a conscious decision. The images I like to create are more a reflection of who I am as a person and my life experiences. Every since I can remember I’ve had an interest in the outdoors and exploring the world around me. In college, I was fortunate enough to do a lot of traveling and I was part of a very active catholic outreach community. This community had a strong emphasis towards service and I joined them on multiple trips to Mexico and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It was during these four years that I realized I wanted live a life of service in some capacity. My personal interests in conservation and travel mixed with my life experiences, I feel have shaped my vision as a photographer today.

 

My dream is to make a make a decent living at creating inspiring images that can educate and motivate people to take action for the good of humanity.

3. How do you see the Cultural/Travel photography industry today? Is it exciting to be a part of it? Since you started, have you seen any major changes in it?

Yes, it is very exciting to be a part of the cultural/travel photography industry. Again, I am still fairly new to the industry and I am learning a lot every day. From my limited experience I would say that to make a living in this industry you have to diversify. That might mean selling stock, selling prints, having galleries, conducting workshops, writing books, teaching, creating videos, taking assignments, etc. I don’t know anyone making a living by doing only one of those I just listed. There are however quite a few travel/cultural photographers making a living by diversifying their skills and work.

4. What are the characteristics that a good cultural photographer needs to have? How is that different from other fields in photography?

I think good cultural photographers have a genuine appreciation for different ways of living and an excitement to experience and share that with others. Any good photographer has the ability to connect with their subject, allowing them to feel more comfortable and less intimidated by the camera. It’s the same for cultural photographers, but we often have to overcome the barriers of language, cultural differences and extreme environments to make that connection. Perhaps a good cultural photographer is one who enjoys this challenge and the journey that comes along with it.

5. How much do you travel every year? How do you manage your family time?

I don’t do as much travel as I would like to do. This year I will be away from home for about three months, but that travel is not all photography related. I still have to take some short term work away from photography to support my family (I have two children under the age of three). I also take the occasional wedding (http://www.jacobimages.com/weddings) and portrait session to help supplement my travel photography income. I am hopeful that in time I will be able to travel more and continue to build my portfolio and client list.

6. Who’s been an inspiration for your photography? How do you stay inspired? Do you read blogs? If so, which ones would you recommend?

I find a lot of inspiration in other photographers work. Ami Vitale, Steve Mccurry, Art Wolfe, Frans Lanting, Randy Olson, to name a few. I also get inspired by the work of Gavin Gough, Matt Brandon and David DuChemin not only through their images, but their insight into the photography industry and their fantastic marketing ability.

I have about 80 different photography related blogs that I follow. When I’m not traveling, it’s part of my daily routine to read new posts and see what’s happening in the photography world. In a way I feel like I am back in school studying and absorbing as much information as possible. It’s actually been an important part of my development as a photographer. By filtering through lots of information day after day, I am able to get a better perspective of where my work fits into the photography cloud. I’m able to find other photographers I can relate to, explore business opportunities, and find camera and post-processing techniques that I’m more comfortable with. Ultimately, this helps me to define my photographic vision more clearly.

 

Some of the blogs I read include Mike Davis, Mitchell Kanashkevich and Dan Heller.

7. Who are the main clients for travel/cultural photographers? Are magazines still a strong part of it? How is today’s economy affecting this industry?

Being a relatively new photographer I’m probably not the best person to answer this. From my own experience though, the majority of my clients are either small businesses, independent writers or book publishers. Most of these clients find me online while searching for a specific image. I get the occasional assignment, but most of my income comes from selling stock photos.

 

A Side Note: I have recently noticed that a lot of travel magazines (even bigger magazines) are looking for articles, suggestions and images from their readers. I follow a few different travel magazine fan pages on Facebook and they are all promoting this there. These reader submissions are of course used free of charge.

8. Is social media/Internet important in promoting your work? If so, how? Is it over rated? Due to this, have you been forced to change your branding or the way in which you do business?

The internet is the most important aspect of my business. Without my website and having a presence on the web I basically wouldn’t have any business. I spent a lot of time designing my first website optimizing it to get the most out of organic searches. Almost 90% of my current image sales come from people searching for specific pictures on Google and Yahoo. However, in the past month I have redesigned my website integrating it with Photoshelter. I wrote a blog post about that process and the reasons I changed sites here (http://www.jacobimages.com/2010/05/the-power-of-photoshelter).

 

I’m still not completely convinced that social media plays a big part in getting more travel photography work. It’s great for making contacts with other photographers and photo enthusiasts, but I just don’t think photo editors are going to Facebook or Twitter to look for photographers. However, on the flip side, I think social media is a must for more service oriented photography where your clients are every day people. Most of the weddings and portrait sessions I am booked for are from those people finding me on Facebook. Social media is definitely important, but I think doing well in organic searches such as Google and Yahoo is much more important for selling photos and attracting new clients.

9. Tell us about the last piece of gear that you deemed important enough to buy. How about the one that’s been most important in your career?

I recently bought Nikons 35mm 1.8 lens (I still shoot DX). This is my first 1.8 lens and I love how sharp and fast it is. I completely agree with the notion that vision is better than gear, but nice lenses sure do make a difference.

 

I would say that my laptop has been the most useful piece of gear in my career thus far, aside from a camera. My computer let’s me organize, connect, process and get my images out into the world. That’s pretty important.

10. What would be your advice for a photographer who is just starting out in this field? What is the biggest obstacle you see facing new photographers who want to work on this type of photography?

I’m a big advocate of hard work and believing in yourself. I’m still very new to the professional world of photography, but I know that to be successful you have to have perseverance. It can takes years to establish your brand and get to a point where you have consistent work. Keep learning, adapting your business and make the sacrifices necessary to continue in the direction you want to go.

http://www.jacobimages.com/

Twitter: @jmaentz

jacob@jacobimages.com