Jeremy Wiens

Low light photographer Jeremy Wiens joins us to delve into how he started with photography and whether Covid-19 has impacted his shooting.

How were you introduced to photography?

In high school we had a class that included black and white film photography. This was well before digital cameras were a thing. There was always the excitement of developing a roll and seeing what you got. Picking out your best shots from a contact sheet and making prints. There will always be a little bit of magic in watching a photo appear from an exposed sheet of photo paper when you place it in the developer.

'Composition'

What inspires you?

I'm sure I soak up a lot of inspiration for all of the images I see on instagram. I also really like Edward Hopper the painter. The way he uses space and conveys a certain volume to the light in his paintings is something I try to emulate.

Dave Jordano released a book called "A Detroit Nocturne" that I have really been enjoying.

'Light and Shadow'

Are you an impulsive or planned shooter?

I'm a little of both. I try to carry my camera with me often so that If I see a scene I want to photograph I can get it. Most of my photos come from two sources: I have a running list of spots I want to photograph and what conditions I think they would look best in. The other is that I often grab my camera and drive around new areas looking for scenes to photograph.

'Christmas Light / Light Pollution'

How do you achieve the look in your photos? What is your editing process?

I think the editing and scene selection is where most of the interest in my photos comes from. I usually do an overall edit in lightroom and then export of photoshop to do specific details. Remove unwanted elements, help define light and shadows more specifically. Then it goes back to LR for another pass to make sure everything ties together nicely. Sometimes a bit of split toning at the end a final pass of basic adjustments to make sure it looks right.

Before and after editing

What advice would you have for people getting into photography?

Shoot as often as you can. Make photos and really assess what is working in an image and what isn't. Adjust and repeat. Try different things. It seems like early on everyone worries about having a specific style. Don't worry about that. Just keep making the photos that you find interesting, the photos that you want to be making.

Keep in mind that what you see from most people is a heavily curated selection of images. You might shoot 100 images in a night and get one keeper. You might do this three nights a week and then pick the best image of the three. Do that 52 times a year and take those 52 images and cut it to ten. Ten amazing images from a year's worth of work. A photo book or a gallery show of 30 images might be many years worth of work. Let it happen, just keep making photos.

'The Office' and 'Liquors'

How has Covid-19 affected your photography?

I think that covid has been a big benefit to my photography. When there is nothing else to do but drive around and make photos, you make a lot of photos.

Thank you for speaking to us Jeremy. Any final words?

Thank you for putting this all together, and including me.