Jamen Percy is an international, award-winning photographer, designer and Adobe Stock contributor (check out his Stock portfolio here). He's also got a bit of a thing for the Northern Lights, winning Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015: Aurorae Category and setting up his own Arctic Circle photo tour group, Aurora Chasers (see more on Jamen's Instagram). We quizzed him on his photography workflow, selling for stock services and why you shouldn't get between a mother bear and her cubs...
How did you first get into photography?
I was at the ripe old age of 26 when I was in need of a fresh change in my life, so I relocated from my home town in Sydney to London. There I soon became addicted to travelling abroad and this gave me that extra reason to invest in a proper SLR camera. The two went in hand, and it was wanderlust at first sight.
What kind of work and styles do you specialise in?
I cover quite a variety of subject matter – I started with travel, specialising in the Aurora Borealis up in the Arctic circle, but then branched out as my lust for wildlife and nature adventures exponentially expanded. I would then do small studio shots in my London home for technique practice, which also helped pay for all the gear I 'just had to have' for my next trip.
What’s been the hardest shoot you’ve been on?
Every subject is hard – if it's easy, then it's not worth it. You can bet many other people have done the same if it's too easy. When it gets hard, you know you're on to something good. It's also when most people give up. In terms of stock photography, a unique picture is key. I love shooting wildlife and, although it's not as profitable for stock as other subjects, I enjoy it so much it never feels like work to me.
The hardest shoot so far would have to be brown bears in the forests of Finland. Their behavior is so unpredictable; you can't just come out of your hide and give them some creative direction. They are tough models to work with! Although they aren't aggressive if they do see you, if you come between a mother and her cubs you won't come out on top. It makes toilet breaks outside the hide interesting...
You’ve shot some amazing pictures of the Aurora Borealis too – how was that?
Very cold! It's extreme conditions and it can be very hard to chase them as the weather seems to be against you 95% of the time. But, that 5% is always worth it, even if you can't feel your toes or hands and it's 4am. It's never the same and always awe-inspiring.
Do you have a photography Moby Dick you’re still on the hunt for?
Yes, there's a list! Working with wildlife is a game of patience and persistence. I have a project in Central America photographing one of the world's most elusive predators – wild jaguars. It's been going for three years now, still with no shot yet, but I know it will come. And when it does...
So what’s in your kit bag? And what non-techy item are you never without on a shoot?
I've gone from owning every lens possible to having just the bare essentials. For day to day use, I have a super wide-Carl Zeiss 15mm lens, then an all-rounder Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II, followed by the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L II. This gives me a full range and I rarely need anything else unless it's really specific – telephoto or fisheye, for example – and for that I would hire the lens out. In terms of non-tech, I always have a soft cloth for cleaning the lens and a chocolate bar to keep my energy levels up. If you get tired and hungry you can't focus and get lazy – photography can be surprisingly physical.
Can you describe your workflow for us?
I load my images straight into Lightroom, where I do a quick pass marking the ones worth keeping and deleting the rest, which usually reduces the collection to 25% of the original amount. From there I apply an overall lens correction and adjustments, then I go through each image and make local adjustments and tweaks to the lighting. By then I can usually spot the favourites and I keyword and export them to be uploaded. I try to avoid uploading similar images to keep my portfolio to a high standard.
Do you use any other editing tools such as Photoshop?
I only use Photoshop to do studio shoots where I remove infrastructure and tools used to position the subjects, combining images or changing colours of objects. Most of my photos stay in Lightroom though. It now has so many more features that I don't need third party software for panoramic and such like I used to. I also use Adobe After Effects to compile timelapses.
You do a lot of stock imagery work – how do you decide what to give over to stock services?
If I think it will sell on Adobe Stock, then I will submit it, otherwise the photo will sit on my hard drive and cost money rather than make it. However, context does apply to stock – some images will sell at high prices as art prints but never sell at all on Adobe Stock – these tend to be more creative visions which are too abstract to sell commercially but highly prized as unique in the art world. It's all about finding the right audience for each image.
So is there a balance between what you think will be commercially successful and still retaining your style?
No never, but I seem to always get some of my style in each photograph, regardless of the subject matter. I will photograph anything that will sell, as soulless as it sounds – the image selling industry has become so hardline for making money you cannot afford to exclude anything and often the subjects people don't want to photograph are in demand because of this. You can always use different aliases to separate your portfolio into styles with most stock libraries however. Also, having a good variety of work will increase your opportunities. Every subject matter is a challenge and has lessons to learn.
What kind of thing do you receive the most interest in?
My timelapses and photos of the Aurora Borealis have always outsold any of my other work. To get all the conditions right for a good shoot can take many seasons to crack, as well as the aurora coming in 11-year cycles of strength, so for 5 years there are almost no chances to photograph strong activity – which adds to its rareness.
Do you have any advice you can give to up and coming photographers?
Always be unique if you want to sell. If you don't, you're just adding to the pollution.
- Check out more of Jamen's great work on his Instagram, and over in his Adobe Stock portfolio.
Want to find out more about Adobe Stock? Head on over to our Adobe Stock page to take a look at the full feature-set. You can also give us a call on 03332 409 259 or email adobe@Jigsaw24.com.