Photographer: Jason Sievers MUA/Hair: Joanne Bentley Model: Gina Mendoza @ EMG Models
After much anticipation we are super excited and proud to present the next installment of The Handsome Project! The Handsome Project features young photographers who blow our mind, shoot our stuff and are all together fantastic. Read on to see the rest of Jason Sievers WAH photoshoot and interview!
Interview with Jason Sievers
How did you get to here?
I took Film & TV as a subject at high school. After school, I worked for a newspaper working in the dark room and taking the occasional photo. I left photography to pursue other avenues for a period before the passion grabbed me again. I got into freelance for sporting magazines, then took the wedding route for a while and finally found fashion. I assisted for five years, while testing along the way, before going out on my own.
When did you decide photography was something you just had to do?
Photography was a hobby for sometime, it wasn’t something I thought I could do for a living, but I just couldn’t find a career I actually enjoyed for any length of time. I actually struggled with what to do for quite a few years and it finally dawned on me that taking photos is what I really enjoyed and that a career could be made from it.
Favourite photograph?
I see a new favourite photo just about every time I open a book or a magazine. I guess it’s all about the now for me…or I just have bad memory.
Favourite photographer?
Wolfgang Sievers, just for the namesake.
Describe your photographic approach.
I would say I am rather commercial, mainstream if you will in the way I go about things and that probably transcends into my work.
How do you decide on locations & subjects for your shoots?
That is something that is usually a joint collaboration with the stylist and make-up people I’m working with on the shoot. We decide on what styling will work with what location and go from there.
Is there a shoot you’re most proud of?
Generally the most recent shoot I do becomes the favourite, until I shoot the next and it’s replaced.
Do you prefer film or digital? Why?
I can’t see any down sides to digital, the instant feedback and knowing you have the shot is hard to go past.
Favourite camera?
Canon, either the 1D or the 5D works for me, light, fast, easy to work with.
Studio or On Location?
I like to be out and about, so I’ll go with location. However I love the variety between the two. I do like to mix it up.
Black & White or Colour?
Colour images are alive and vibrant, they jump out at you from the pages or the screen and there are so many different ways you can treat a colour image.
Recall the earliest memory you have of taking your first picture. What was it?
It was at a family wedding and my mum had an SLR camera and I took a bunch of shots, I was around ten years old. At the time I thought I got some cool shots, not sure how they’d stand up if I saw them now.
Where would your ultimate dream location be to shoot and why?
Anywhere tropical with a few amazing surf breaks close by so I could mix work and play.
What keeps you enthused in the photography industry?
The creativity and variety that goes with each and every shoot, from studio to location, the different styling and the different people you meet, it never gets old or stale.
How did you come up with the concept behind your Handsome Project shoot?
I saw the garments as being very chic and sophisticated and therefore wanted to create a shoot that would portray them in that manner.  I let the swimwear have centre stage by choosing a simple, clean location.
What makes you want to capture a particular image?
Inspiration for me comes from a lot of different places, my surroundings, places I’ve been, books and magazines, television, movies. I might see a particular outfit, combination of colours or a location and an idea forms and then I just have to pull the ingredients together to capture my vision in an image or story of images.
Describe a good or bad memorable experience you encountered during a shoot.
I recently had a model trip and fall awkwardly in a pair of heels. She fell backwards hitting her head on the wall of the studio. I rushed over and her eyes were rolling in the back of her head and I thought that was it, shoots over, we’re off to the hospital and we’ve only done one shot. Thankfully she was a trooper and continued on and we got some great results.
What was your fallback career option if photography didn’t work out?
I seriously don’t have one. I’ve done a lot of different jobs along the way and there was nothing I could see myself doing long term.
What do your friends and family think of your photography?
I think they’re cool with it. Maybe I don’t want to know what they think. No, they’re really supportive and love seeing me do something I love.
Where to next?
Good question. I’ll know when I get there…It’s a big world, I’d like to get out there and see and do as much as I can with camera in hand.
We Are Handsome would like to congratulate and thank Jason Sievers and his team for creating an awesome shoot!
JASON SIEVERS
Email: info@jasonsievers.com
Website: www.jasonsievers.com