One of the most annoying debates in the photography world is “Canon vs Nikon” This is something that’s been happening since the beginning of time and will never go away. My take on it? Those who partake in this debate are morons.

Yes, I said it. If you partake in this convo, you’re a moron.

Is one that provides you with a ton of photos that can keep you editing for months to come.

For every serious photographer I stress two things;

Have a QUALIFIED mentor
Have a Muse

With these two things, there isn’t anything you can’t do in the photography and business world. The reason this is so important is a mentor has been where you are or going and can usually help steer you in the right direction. A good mentor is much like a psychologist; they will never come out and tell you exactly what to do, but will suggest or lightly nudge you. A muse will bring out your creative side as well as allowing you to try new things and work with you to evolve your ideas into more. I think it’s important to have several types of muses and mentors, the more diverse, the better.

Here’s a photo from a shoot with one of my muses Lauren V. This photo was taken in April and today, this session STILL allows me at least five new photos to clean up and post. Obviously there’s no purpose to have that many on the blog, which is why I’ll have my portfolio paysite coming out soon. Until then, enjoy this photo!

Some people wonder why I don’t allow escorts. I’ve seen threads and arguments across the internet that ranges from the ridiculous to reasonable. Everyone has their own reasons for allowing or not allowing it. I can’t tell you to allow or disallow them, only tell you why I don’t allow them;

My sets are just that, my set. I have insurance and my insurance clearly states no one who isn’t germain to the shoot is not covered and any accident is my responsibility.
I don’t need onlookers either trying to Art Direct my session or offering their unsolicited opinion on posing/lighting.
I don’t want a fellow photographer who is too frugal to pay for a one on one session, coming in trying to steal ideas (Yes, it happened once)
My reputation precedes me, A model or model-wannabe should do his or her research on a photog before asking to shoot.

13 years ago I realized that photography was more than just a hobby, it was my life. I couldn’t imagine life with out it so I wanted to get better at it. I was living in Duluth, MN and didn’t have any good photographers there. I found a fauxtographer in the cities and went to him to learn. Very shortly into that mentor relationship, I realized the fauxtographer wasn’t someone I wanted to be associated with so I started looking for real photographers to learn from. I found Art Ketchum in Chicago, IL and decided to go see what he was about.

If you’ve been following along, you’ve learned that I first;

Start off easy. By starting easy, you let them know you don’t want to get them naked. You want to create a connection with them first and foremost. You are starting in Casual attire. I usually say “Lets start with whatever you’d be most comfortable in” By doing this, we let them know it’s ok if they want to start with more clothes until they get used to the idea of being half naked in front of a stranger. Regardless of how much they love your work, you’re still a stranger.

If you’ve been following along, this Anatomy of a Jay Kilgore shoot should leave you up to the models “Highest level of comfort” as I call it. In all my shoots, unless I have a very long working history AND am very comfortable with the client, I don’t jump right into lingerie and up. Why? After 10 years of doing this, I’m still if not more nervous of the shoot than the client. I put a lot of pressure on myself (that and I suffer from test anxiety) and until that first frame is fired, I am super nervous.

When I’m talking to clients-potential clients, one of the things that is always brought up is the fact that either I shoot only “sexy” images or “You only shoot nudes” Long ago, this used to bother me because I don’t shoot only nudes. In fact, the number of topless vs the number of full nude shoots are at a huge contrast. I shoot FAR more topless than full nude! Anyway, one of the things I point out is plain and simple numbers; If I post a photo onFacebook that is fully clothed, I’ll get maybe 3-5 comments.