Jake is from Nebraska USA, he’s an award-winning, internationally known photographer who has been published throughout North America, Europe and Asia in Vogue Magazine, The Huffington Post, The BBC, The Weather Channel and National Geographic.
And here's one of the coolest things, Jake didn't pick up his first camera till the age of 38!
Here’s some of what we cover:
What’s on Offer for Premium Members
If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear lots more content from where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed hard for that include:
If you're on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interview with Jake Ohlsen, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your podcast app.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.
Some of the best photos come in between poses – Jake Olson
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Jake or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.
iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs
Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!
Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners means more interviews and ultimately a better show.
If you have left a review in the past, thank you!
If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
How I Shot “Aging Storm Redux”
reFramed – The Jake Olson Story by Heather Fox Griffith (book)
Top 30 Most Influential Photographers on the Web
Equipment
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens
Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
Thank you!
Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Jake for just being himself – It was a real pleasure to have him on the show, I know you’ll love his candid answers as much as I did.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!
That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
Thanks and speak soon
Andrew
I put on the podcast on today and heard Andrew introduce Jake. I kept thinking man I know that name. As soon as Andrew described his style it clicked, I instantly knew who he was! Jake’s work is amazing and easily recognizable.
Jake thanks for being open about your start into the business.
Totally agree Tom… Jakes’s work is amazing and recognisable!
Glad to hear your enjoyed the interview.
I started listening to this podcast and thought i would go and look at Jake’s work and I decided to like the one photo of the man with wild hair, just as i did like it it then got mentioned in the podcast…
Great interview, now I’m going to steal his pics…..hahahah
Perfect timing hey!
Which ones did you steal? I want to make sure I don’t steal the same ones 🙂
Andrew, you did it again: a powerhouse of an interview! So much here I have to listen to it again and take notes. Great stuff and Jake’s style is so unique and identifiable. This interview could have lasted for hours. Thanks for sharing Jake!
Oh, thanks so much Ed.
Love that you enjoyed this one… Jake really is an amazing photographer with a great story.
If someone listened and wasn’t motivated by his story, there’s something wrong with them!
Big congrats!… a fantastic interview with a remarkable photographer. It was fantastic to hear the background behind Jake’s amazing images and his super-fast (but thoroughly deserved) rise to fame. The insight into the post processing was a revelation as I though that the sunsets were all real and captured in camera and only tweaked in post!
Jake’s story and outlook on his craft is truly an inspiration!
Great job guys!
Thanks Ian!
I’m easing through your comments and thinking to myself; agree, agree, agree, yep agree.
Nothing more to add – everything you say is spot on!
Love that you enjoyed the interview.
One of my favorite things that happens on this show is when I am considering turning off or switching to a different episode because I can’t relate to the guest, but I hang in there because I’m paying for it. And then all of a sudden an idea or thought comes out and I’m like “this guy’s just like me.” I saw Jake’s work and heard about his accomplishments and thought “he’s way out of my league.” But some of those ideas like creating brand exclusivity and shooting until I get something great (the numbers game) are really going to help me out. Thank you Andrew, thank you Jake.
I love when that happens on a podcast Brad – and it does happen regularly on the podcasts I listen too as well.
If you want more proof about the exclusivity thing, make sure you hear the episode with Bernie Griffiths (Ep 136) and the Facebook Ad challenge. The more exclusive the better!
The way Jake did this with his brand is next level stuff and definitely something to aspire to.
Loved the interview with Jake. I’ve heard about 500px on the podcast before but as soon as Jake mentioned it I joined. Thanks to both Andrew and Jake
Thanks Nicole – hope you’re enjoying 500px.
I haven’t spent much time there myself but from what I have seen, there is some incredibly good photography on display.
How are you using it – for inspiration?
Just catching up on the podcast after an unreal summer, and came across this gem of an interview. As I listened, I brought up Jake’s work and fell in love with the way that he shoots. So much so that I’m renting a Nikon 85mm 1.4 next weekend to mess around with and see what I can come up with. Unfortunately there isn’t a 1.2 in the Nikon mount, so the 1.4 will have to do.
Jake, just wondering if you have a link to the video you mentioned, regarding your masking techniques? I think it was referenced around the part where you spoke about using skys from previous shoots, in the case where the sky isn’t favourable during your client’s session.
Also, I love instagram, but see that you probably dont as your last post was 112 weeks ago! Any reason as to why you shy away from that platform?
Hey Chris – how’d you go with the 85mm? I’m sure you’d get very similar results with the f1.4 as the f1.2.
Jake knows about your comment but is still in the midst of his busiest season to date and says he won’t be here till the new year when things quieten down for him.
I’m sure Jake would answer your question on his video training and Instagram if you either post on his FB page or email him directly Chris.
I’ll hazard a guess to his reason for not continuing with IG… He’s busy enough without it and is such prolific user of FB (where most of his clients are) that instead of spreading himself thin across multiple platforms, stays with what’s working. I could be off the mark here but that’s my guess… Following the interview with Jake, it’s probably a lot more simple than that… he just may not like it.
Thanks Andrew, I’ve reached out to Jake via his FB so hopefully I can start learning his methods soon!
As for the 85 mil, that’s this coming weekend so I don’t have anything to report quite yet. I’ll let you know for sure though!
Nice one – have fun with the lens!
And don’t be surprised if you get a lot of miss-focused shots if you’re shooting portraits wide open – you heard what Jake said, it’s tough to to get “the one” especially when shooting a moving subject like kids and animals!
Yeah I bet it’s going to be a challenge. I’m currently shooting with a 50mm 1.4 so it definitely wont be easier than that lens.
I bought one of Jake’s tutorials shortly before I found out what a complete asshole he is. I was so aghast that I put money in his pocket, I actually deleted the tutorial instead of using it. I’m glad I did. Jake’s work, when you first see it, is great. And then you see the same “faked photos” over and over and over again. Given Jake’s formulaic, tired approach coupled with the fact he’s a freak, I cringe when I see one of his photos (and I almost always know one of his photos when I see one). Your interview just serves to illustrate what a loud, arrogant douche bag this guy is.
Thanks for adding your views and comments Mark. I think there are plenty of photographers who feel the same and interestingly, you’ll probably find, Jake is as happy, if not happier, with your comments than a more flattering one.
I’m not suggesting his approach is the right way to do things but the fact his work is so recognisable certainly says he’s reached a level or recognition a LOT of photographers aspire to.