Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Fielder.
Hi Jared, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got into photography almost by accident. In 2021, I tagged along with my sister to a makeup gig in Las Vegas, and the photographer running the shoot changed my life. He’d been in the industry for over 20 years, and the way he talked about lighting, composition, and even life itself was so interesting. Before that day, I had never even picked up a camera. By the end of the weekend, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
He had rented a massive house and hired six models for a full weekend of shooting. I was learning on the fly, shooting alongside a true professional.
All the pictures he took were stunning, like something you’d see in Playboy or Maxim. I got to work with the tallest woman I’ve ever seen named Vivian, lying on the pavement while she sat on a diving board in the backyard just as the sun was setting. I remember looking at the best picture we took and thinking “wow, I really like this one”.
I showed it to Vivian and she loved it, and seeing how excited she was cemented my love of photography immediately. It was the first time I saw real potential in myself.
When the shoot was over, sometime around midnight we were sitting in the kitchen. The Photographer said, “I should be asleep right now but I liked these so much I had to start editing.”
And then he airdropped that picture of Vivian to me.
The next morning I was back at my job, and the contrast was surreal. I had just spent the weekend shooting in the biggest house I’d ever seen with professional models and now I’m back stocking shelves at Sprouts. I knew then what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Soon after that I bought my first Sony camera and cleared out the majority of the small photography section at a local used book store. I tried to collect every book Helmut Newton ever released. The rest is history.
Since then, the Photographer, who wishes to remain anonymous, has become a mentor to me, and taught me almost everything I know. We still shoot together on photography trips 3-4 times a year. I run my own shoots whenever I travel, but mostly just here in Vegas. Photography has taken me to incredible places and enriched my life so much. Some of my closest friends I’ve met through it, and my family loves that I’m always capturing the moment.
My main style is portraits, lifestyle and fashion.
I love using full frame, but I started shooting more with point and shoot style cameras for the pocket-ability and the more natural, in the moment feel to them.
I love the early 2000’s flash aesthetic like something out of a Skins tv show promo but my style is always changing.
Living in Vegas also gave me the chance to learn from David Mecey, who taught me so much about lighting and the mindset behind a professional shoot. He took my portrait for this interview. Next year I’m hoping to go to LA and attend Josh Ryan’s workshop and continue my education.
Photography expanded my sense of what life could be, it also continues to push my life in directions I never thought were possible.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The hardest part for me was learning to edit my photos in a way that actually looked presentable. I remember I would edit my photos super intensely while watching tutorials from Brandon Woelfel but I messed up somewhere, and my photos ended up looking like I slapped a crazy filter on it. A friend once asked to see the RAW file and told me it looked better than the version I spent two hours editing — and he was right.
Another big challenge was constantly searching for the “right” way to shoot something. I used to think I needed a specific lens or the newest camera body to finally get the images I wanted. I kept chasing gear instead of chasing creativity. I’ve found instead that constraint is the biggest gift to my creativity. If all you have is a point‑and‑shoot known for street photography, try shooting portraits with it. Or do the opposite. Just go for it and see what happens.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I try and find the shot that only I can take, whether its using an extreme angle or finding a different way to approach a shoot.
We rented this two story house in Henderson with a giant tree in the backyard that was overhanging onto the balcony. You could stand on the balcony and look down onto the grass below through a small part in the branches, so I had everyone huddle together and my assistant held my flash next to them. I used the Sony 50-150mm and shot directly down through the tree leaves and captured one of my favorite photos I’ve taken so far. Its pinned on my Instagram.
But first and foremost I try my best to get the shot that the client is going to go nuts for. Its the highest compliment when I see someone change their profile picture to one that I shot.
As far as professional life, I book personal photoshoots, but I’ve worked for a few clubs for nightlife and DJ promo. I’ve been exploring video more and make short clips of the shoots that I do. My goal is to work with more brands this year.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
It’s kind of cliché but work with what you have and find the shot. As long as you’re happy and your client is happy that’s all that matters. Once you learn the fundamentals you can do whatever you want. There is no spoon.
I was on a shoot in Indiana and had this little red Sony camera that I bought 2 years ago and barely used, but decided to bring along for some candids. The model I was working with loved the look and basically forced me to use it for the next 30 minutes. Before I used it exclusively as a street and candid camera, but never portraits.
The way the flash hit and the colors popped, it was just the right combo and she went crazy for the photos it was taking. It never even occurred to me to use the camera like this, and I’ll always be grateful to her for that. Word got around the house about the little red camera and everyone wanted pictures with it after that. Since then I’ve been known for having the little red camera. It’s always a crowd pleaser.
Moral of the story is you can always buy the $3000 camera with the $1500 lens, but at the end of the day the one that made everyone happy was the $200 point and shoot from 2015 I bought used off Amazon. Now I never show up to a shoot without it. Always be open to trying new things — you never know what might become your signature.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jaredfielder.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaredfielder/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-fielder-513b923b9/
