Sometimes we shoot the things we like or who we want to be – photography is an escape.
Jay Watson
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Jay Watson didn’t just grow up looking at the world – he pored over it, one glossy magazine page at a time. Skateboarding spreads, BMX action shots, the sun-drenched scenes of California subcultures – all of it was thousands of miles from his home in Baltimore, but something about those photos called to him. It wasn’t just the subjects. It was the feeling. The tone. The mood.
That early fascination has carried through Jay’s entire photography career. Today, he’s a seasoned lifestyle and editorial photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, known for his ability to blend people, movement, and environment into work that feels both immediate and timeless. His images carry a subtle kind of weight, not loud or flashy, but thoughtful and rich with story.
In this episode, Jay opens up about everything from his deep-rooted love of subcultures (lowriders, skateboarding, cycling) to the early days of assisting other photographers and figuring it all out the hard way. He talks about what it means to shoot with intention, how to navigate creative compromises without losing yourself, and why sometimes you have to fight to make the shot that you believe in, even when the client says, “eh, good enough.”
Here’s some of what we get into:
- Why shooting cycling culture hit so close to home-and the unexpected magic of photographing subcultures you don’t belong to.
- The poetic rhythm of magazine photography and how it still shapes Jay’s visual storytelling
- Navigating client work when you’re the one bringing the vision (and the sanity).
- What art school gave him that YouTube never could-and how critique shaped his commercial eye
- Why “we’re not trying to win any awards” might be the worst thing a client can say, and what Jay does when that happens
- The tension between making art and making a living, and why Jay still believes it’s all worth it
Jay brings a refreshing mix of honesty, experience, and quiet determination. This is a conversation about process, resilience, and what it means to make something that lasts, even if it ends up in a dentist’s office someday.
Q: Was photography always a career choice for you, or did it fall into your lap?
Jay: I’m the knucklehead who dedicated his whole life to photography. I was obsessed with magazines; growing up pre-internet, you’d read every caption, every photo credit, every sentence. That love expanded from skate and BMX magazines to more artistic ones. In college, I was studying conceptual art and started assisting photographers. That’s when the light bulb went off – I saw what those photographers actually did, how they worked with clients. I almost moved to New York, but when I visited California, I realized that’s where all the things I loved growing up were. So I stayed.
Q: Why do you find this photographic style so effective for your work? Why are you drawn to it?
Jay: Maybe it’s from wanting to make something less obvious – something subtle. I try to build tone and mood in my images. It’s not always about happy, jumpy people. Sometimes it’s capturing someone relaxed in their world. Photography can be an escape, and I want my work to show a little world that someone might feel drawn into, like a full-page editorial spread that makes people want to know more about the subject.
Q: If someone sees your photos years from now, what do you hope they take away from it?
Jay: Hopefully, I’d feel like all the effort and long days were worth it. Every now and then I get feedback that a photo impacted someone beyond the assignment – like when someone passes and a photo I took becomes one of the last nice ones of them. That’s really meaningful. Photography is such a powerful medium, and moments like that keep me charged.
🔗 Connect with Jay Watson
🧭 What We Talked About
🎼 Early Journey / Origins
- Jay grew up in Baltimore, steeped in the outsider cultures of BMX, skateboarding, and punk music.
- He was drawn to California lifestyle culture through magazines like Thrasher and Lowrider, even before he ever visited the West Coast.
- Originally studying conceptual art in college, he shifted gears after assisting photographers and discovering how real-world photography functioned as a career.
- Though he almost moved to New York, it was a visit to California that sealed the deal: “That’s where everything I was interested in growing up was.”
📖 Philosophy / Vision / Storytelling
- Jay aims to make images that aren’t overly obvious – he chases tone, mood, and a sense of heroism in his portraits.
- He’s deeply inspired by the editorial photography era of Life and Vanity Fair, trying to capture moments that feel worthy of a double-page magazine spread.
- His philosophy: Make images that make even the unknown person feel important and interesting enough to read about.
📷 Tools, Gear, and Behind the Scenes
- Jay often works with minimal setups, adapting to tight timelines and unpredictable shoots.
- Music is a constant presence on set, with reggae, Afrobeat, punk, and world music helping set the vibe.
- He rents studios or builds portable setups when needed, often bringing the studio to the location.
- Prefers commissioned work over stock photography, citing the devaluation of the stock industry.
🔁 Practice, Teaching, Platforms
- Jay is a big believer in learning through experience: assisting, collaborating, and being critiqued.
- He keeps two journals – one personal, one for work – to stay accountable and organized.
- Finds joy in curating galleries after the fact, using personal projects or extra shots from assignments to feed his own creativity.
- Embraces slow growth and is currently exploring AI editing tools and developing better habits for pitching and pre-production.
💬 Advice, Creative Strategy, or Challenges
- One of Jay’s biggest lessons: “The good photographers are always working, even when the industry feels slow.”
- Warns against becoming jaded by industry changes like AI; instead, urges photographers to keep evolving.
- Advice for new photographers: Don’t let the pressure to “niche down” limit your interests. Jay sees lifestyle photography as a broad umbrella that allows freedom and exploration.
- Learned from tough shoots that you must balance artistic integrity with being easy to work with.
- Recommends photographers keep critique and feedback in their practice to raise their standards.
🌍 Influences, People, Brands, or Places
- Influenced by photographers like Rodney Smith and Bruce Weber.
- Brands and clients include Modern Adventure, Onyx Motors, and various editorial and automotive clients.
- Subcultures he’s drawn to: Cycling, lowrider culture, skateboarding, surfing, and more.
🔮 What’s Next for Jay
- Excited to follow through on long-standing personal projects and edit years of archived work.
- Aiming to embrace video more, improve speed in marketing and delivery, and be a more decisive “CEO” of his creative business.
- Continues to seek projects that align with his values and push him slightly out of his comfort zone.
