Meet Jess Wasson | Photographer & Director

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

Hi Jess, what do you attribute your success to?
Success for my business is a multifaceted target. Of course I always work towards the traditional measurements of success, financial stability, a growing network, etc., but almost more important to me are the less tangible measurements of success. Do I enjoy the work I do? Do I feel creatively satisfied? Do I work with people I enjoy being around and do they enjoy working with me?
That being said, I believe there are several factors that contribute to my success. The first and most obvious is being artistically and technically talented. In a field like photography, where powerful technology is increasingly more affordable and accessible, anyone can buy a camera and call themselves a photographer. And rightfully so. The beauty of photography is the simple nature of being able to use a complex tool and wielding it to create some of the most emotional pieces of art out there. However, in order to rise above this oversaturated market, artistic talent and a deep understanding of the tools you are using are critical. These go hand in hand, because if you are a creative genius, but do not understand light, composition, or how to use a camera, it will show, and your work will look amateur. The opposite is also true. If you are a camera wizard but lack artistic vision, your images will feel clinical yet dull. So to truly be successful, you need to be a master of both.
The second factor that I believe is crucial to the success of my business is simply being a nice person. This might sound silly, or perhaps like another obvious one, but I can’t tell you the number of people I have come across in this industry who think they have some sort of moral pass. That because they are exceptionally talented it’s okay to be rude and inconsiderate of others. While this may be true in some cases (these people are still out there working) in my experience, you find much more success, and have a much better time along the way by just being a good person. Most people don’t think about it, but when you run your own photography business, the least amount of your time is spent actually shooting. Much more of your time is spent working with other people – creative calls with agencies, pre and post-shoot conversations with clients, directing talent on set, camaraderie with the crew – so it is important to have the personality for it. In a nutshell, you get hired because of your talent, and you get hired again because people like to work with you.
The last factor that I would be remiss to leave out is passion. Working as a freelance photographer is full of an ever-changing blend of beautiful concepts and locations and people. It is a life full of creativity and artistic expression. It can be a fast-paced, glamorous and flexible career, but the opposite can also hold true. It can be exhausting. It can be stressful. There can be lots of travel and long days. There can be slow periods and anxiety when the market swings up or down. There can be difficult people to work with, demanding clients, and physical stress on the body. That is why passion is key for continued success in this field. I’ve seen far too many talented photographers who have the skills and are great to work with decide to quit because they just can’t handle the stress of the job. In short, you need passion to stay in the game, and without it, success can be fleeting.

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.
The intimacy that comes from human connection is what my work is all about. I feel grateful that this is how I get to interact with the world, because fundamentally that is what we crave – human connection. It is the consistent theme I keep coming back to throughout my career, and I believe it is something that sets me apart from others. I think I have a way of disarming people and really connecting with them that shows in my work. It’s something that is hard to describe, but once you see it, you can sense when it’s missing. Take two photographers, have them shoot the same exact thing in the same style, and you can tell which one connected with their subject and which didn’t. I think this is a special skill, because it isn’t something that can be copied, you just have to have it.
I grew up always taking pictures, filming videos, creating stories and documenting them in creative, occasionally bizarre ways. But actually becoming a professional photographer was a different challenge. It wasn’t easy, especially growing up in a city where fashion photography wasn’t a realistic career. I had no connections, not one person or resource that could help me get a foot in the door. It didn’t matter how much talent or passion I had, I had to really put in the work to get where I am today. After studying photography in college I moved to LA to work with a renowned photographer. She was extremely busy and my introduction to fashion photography was the last of her priorities, so I had to work to gain her trust and respect before I even stepped foot on set. After that I landed a job at a retail company at the lowest level. I had to push for opportunities and work above and beyond my normal job responsibilities every day for years. Eventually I landed an opportunity to shoot my first campaign, and something special happened. Everybody loved it! So that one campaign led to another, and another, and eventually I found myself shooting all the time. While I was so happy for everything I had achieved, I knew I wanted more.
I wanted to be able to shoot for whoever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I wanted to be able to grow and challenge what I knew and reach as high as I could, so after several years, I quit. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but also the best. Since then I’ve learned so much, I’ve built so many wonderful connections and I’ve grown exponentially. Even though it was difficult, I am so grateful for the path I had to take to get to where I am today because it makes me appreciate the present so much more. Every day I feel proud of where I am, because I had to work so hard to get here.
Working with the kind of energy that comes from being surrounded by so many talented people is what motivates me every day to keep going and pushing for more. Success can look like so many different things, but I believe if you are a good person, care about others, work hard, stay curious and surround yourself with people who support you, only good things can come from there.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Columbus is such a vibrant city, it’s hard to create an itinerary that would cover everything! To start, I would go to dinner at Comune, my favorite restaurant in the city, with a constantly evolving plant-forward menu that never disappoints. On Saturday, I would start the day at Joya’s, the most delicious Bengali-American breakfast place, then go to the Worthington Farmer’s Market and shop for local produce and delicious baked goods (and stand in line for the best pickles in the world from The Crazy Cucumber). In the evening I would head to Coast Wine, a cozy wine bar in the heart of Dublin, for some drinks and appetizers, then walk a short distance to Gene’s for dinner, a small neighborhood restaurant owned by the same people as Coast. The following day I would start out with coffee and a delicious breakfast sandwich (and accompanying pastry) from Fox in the Snow, then head to the Columbus Museum of Art to check out the latest exhibition. For lunch we could stop by the North Market, a bustling market with a variety of vendors to shop and dine with. To end the day we could head to the charming German Village to stop in the Book Loft, a maze of rooms with an endless selection of books, then Hausfrau Haven for a quick glass of wine, and end the night dining outside on the beautiful Lindey’s patio. Day four would start with breakfast at Dough Mama in Clintonville, and we would slowly make our way down to the short north, stopping in all the cute local boutique shops along the way: Small Talk, The Brass Hand, Tigertree, Ransom Supply, Artisan De luxe, Rowe Boutique, Fera. After all that shopping, we would stop for an afternoon pick me up at Parable Cafe. To prepare for a full night out on the town, we would start at Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge (which we made reservations for ahead of time), and listen to some live music while enjoying some cocktails. For dinner, we would go to Speck, an Italian restaurant not far from Ginger Rabbit, and end the night with a dazzling BalletMet performance at The Ohio Theater. The following day we would start with a casual breakfast at Emmett’s Cafe, and head down to the Franklin Park Conservatory, a beautiful botanical garden and conservatory in the heart of Columbus. For dinner, we’d switch things up by heading to a casual sports bar pizza joint, JT’s Pizza, which is quite possibly the best pizza in the entire world. To end the week, we would start with a morning walk at Highbanks Metro Park, then head to breakfast at Katalina’s and order the famous pancake balls. In the afternoon we could check out consignment shops like Grandview Mercantile and Flowerchild to find some true vintage gems. In the evening we would he splurge on the tasting menu and wine pairing at Agni, a fine dining spot by Chef Avishar Barua, which is truly a meal to remember.

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?
There are so many people who deserve recognition. The most important person is definitely my husband, Andrew, because he has truly been my biggest supporter from the very start. He encouraged me to follow my dreams and I am so grateful for his love and support.
I’d also like to dedicate my shoutout to all the crew members out there who I have had the pleasure of working with. You all have made me look so good, and I have learned so much along the way. Photography truly is a the work of an entire team, and I am so, so grateful for mine. You know who you are.

Website: https://www.jesswasson.com

Instagram: @jesswasson