Justin Grant

In the world of professional photography, many people dream of dropping a career that they are tired of, making a switch to something more exciting, and becoming successful at it. Many people dream, many people try, and many fail. Justin Grant is not one of those failures. After falling in love with photography in 2003, Justin left the world of software engineering and decided to be a professional photographer. With no prior experience or interest in photography, this would seem like a fools quest. Through boundless energy and a ton of hard work, Justin has succeeded on a scale that would make many photographers jealous.

What drew you to the commercial photography market?

JUSTIN: I started photography in 2003 with the goal of being a “starving artist.” At that point in my life, I was ready for a change out of the corporate world and would have been content with a minimal income. I was hoping that one day I would be a “high-end” portrait photographer, and charge $150 for a shoot!! I started shooting and quickly found my talent in shooting Maxim style sexy shots. After a few months my goal then became Sports Illustrated, Maxim, Playboy photographer. This became a fun way to make a living, and a great way to gain a name for myself. Soon after I was making well over my $150/shoot goal. People within the commercial world also pay attention to these sexy photos, and my name began spreading around the world. Originally I hadn’t planned on jumping into commercial work. As a matter of fact, to this day I’ve never solicited a client for work—everything has come by word of mouth or popularity on the Internet. As I started getting requests for commercial/advertising gigs, I started studying the best ads out there and that became my new passion. I feel that I can make people look sexy, and I still enjoy making racy photos, but the artistic intensity in creating a well done commercial shot is quite the adrenaline rush for me. Walking into a room with art directors, models, clients, and crew all relying on you is quite the thrill. I am actually in the airport as I write this coming home from a shoot for a club in Las Vegas where there was a crew of around 60 people. I was nervous for a month before this shoot, but once the shoot begins, I come alive. This is why I shoot commercial. Not to mention the money—I never dreamed that people would pay me the kind of money they do for this stuff!!!

What challenges are you presented with by having a “mobile” studio? How often do you shoot from your studio in Vegas vs. on the road photo shoots?

JUSTIN: I’m actually based out of Salt Lake City, but work often in Vegas. I have a studio in SLC which I shoot out of around 75% of the time. Being mobile is a challenge, but you simply have to prepare. You have to be ready to adapt to any situation outside of the studio – Sun, wind, rain, boring interiors, whatever…your clients expect greatness from you and if you don’t consistently deliver…you lose your name. The ability to be calm and think qucikly through situations and still remain creative is key. But in the end, it all comes down to managing light and the subjects. I believe something dramatic can be created in any circumstance. Even at high-noon, with and some finger nail clippings.

What does your typical kit include for an on-location fashion/beauty photo shoot?

JUSTIN: I have a long soft shell light bag that I take everywhere with me. It fits my five strobe lights (three Elinchrome, and two Profotos.) I also have a battery pack and and a ring light that I sometimes use and rent more lights if needed while I’m out of town. It’s normally five or six lights, my two Canon 5Ds, and three lenses: 24-70, 70-200, and a Fish-Eye. A good crew of hair/make-up people, usually my beautiful girlfriend Melinda.

What do you look for in an assistant? You and Melinda are a very tight team. What are some challenges with working so closely with another person?

JUSTIN: I’m very protective of sharing my secrets to future competition for some reason. On an artistic level, I would share with everybody. On a business level, I’m a bit stingy. BUT, I’ve been trying to open up more recently and have used assistants more frequently. I look for somebody that is willing to really bring something to the table. I consider my skills sacred, and if they are going to learn, they need to be on top of things and work hard. Sometimes that involves cleaning or painting my studio floor. I love when an assistant anticipates my needs. Some do, some don’t. I normally wont use the latter of the two. I don’t mind questions at appropriate times during shoots, but I don’t want somebody looking over my shoulder into my view finder at all times. Stand back and observe, help out more than you’re expected and ask questions when the time is right.

Melinda is my manager and main stylist/co-creative director, and my live-in girlfriend. This situation is not for most. But for her and I, it fits us perfectly. We love to be with each other. We work well together, and bring a great energy on the set. People seem to really appreciate the team that we make. I know I do.

You emerged onto the scene of commercial photography without any formal training, just a pure love of photography. How did you get your business off the ground? Did you spend any time apprenticing with other pro commercial photographers?

JUSTIN: I picked up the camera and started playing around and it somehow worked. To this day, I tell people that I “pretend” to be a professional photographer every day. I still wake-up, sometimes in the middle of the night, and think “what the hell, I’m a photographer?? How did that happen!?” I’m not a fan of school. I get impatient, and I like to learn at my own pace. I’ve never read a book on Photoshop, and I doubt that I ever will. I’m not saying that is smart, but it’s just the way I function. By the time the teacher/book takes me through a menu item on a program, I will have already gone through every button in the program and learned the functions. I consider myself creative, with a logical mind. I am able to look at another’s photo and piece together the lighting placements and all other aspects that made the shot . I also think I have a good eye for balance. Since I was a kid, I will sit in a room and scoot a touch over to the right on a couch, for instance, just so that the lines of the walls line up perfectly. I didn’t know of “rule of thirds” until somebody once mentioned to me that my photos displayed a great sense of this rule. I then studied my own photos and realized I was doing it on my own, because it made the photo balanced. I think some have it, and some don’t. You can study all you want, and buy the best equipment, but in the end we need to focus on making interesting shots. The more I shoot, and edit, the more I learn and the better I feel that I become.

I can truly say that I owe a lot of my success to photo.net. I began uploading photos 5 years ago, and wondered why nobody commented. And those that did, I wondered why they didn’t think my photo was perfect? But I listened to their advice and began to make improvements. As I did, my photos became more commented on, and so on. This was my first photo forum to display on and to learn from others.

I love every minute of this business, and get a high off of creating something powerful. I love to learn more techniques and I’m never satisfied with creating the same old stuff. I literally feel like I’m worthless if I haven’t created anything new within a few week time period. So I’m constantly striving for new ideas and working to make myself a better photographer. From the business aspect, I started out, as I said, willing to be a starving artist. I did have a little money coming in from my old business (software) that allowed me to work full time on photography and still survive. I started shooting for free, and slowly worked my way up to $50 for a shoot, then $100, etc., and it just kept going. I consider myself very fortunate that this happened. I am extremely grateful that I discovered my talent and am always appreciative of people that believe in my skills enough to work with me. It still blows my mind that people are willing to pay me thousands of dollars to shoot photos!!

I’ve never apprenticed under anybody. It honestly never crossed my mind in the beginning. I really had so little training, I didn’t even know people actually apprenticed under others!! I’ve been on a few big shoots lately that made me wish that I had however. It would have calmed my nerves knowing how somebody else handles similar situations in big shoots. BUT, I feel this makes me who I am, and I’ve never had a situation that stumped me. The business end of photography is another beast, and I’ve always wished that I had a mentor to talk to about the subject.

What are some tips you could offer aspiring commercial photographers for dealing with clients?

JUSTIN: Be pleasant, bring something to the table and always try to exceed expectations. You’ve heard it a million times—BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. It’s true. You really become your client’s photographer when you become friends with them. Build trust and communicate what their needs are—then do your thing. Some clients want it THEIR way, and you sometimes need to just do it their way. Sometimes you’re told to do whatever you want, which is nice to have that kind of confidence in your work. But if you believe that your work is so good that you can’t listen to the client’s needs, you’ll need to stick to creating art for the galleries.

And finally, the question we ask everyone: Your work primarily involves portraiture. Do you enjoy other types of photography as well? What would be your ‘dream project’ if you could work on anything in the world?

JUSTIN: I love all types of photography and sometimes dabble in other forms. The truth be told, I don’t have the drive or the patience for some of it. Nature/Landscape photography is one type that I don’t have the patience for. There have been countless times that I’m on a road trip and see a beautiful scene and I don’t stop. Why? Because I have an ETA!!! Ha ha. I’m sure I have missed some of my best work because I didn’t stop. Perhaps it’s a good thing. Maybe I would have been hit by a car right after I captured my most famous shot? I absolutely love to follow a little kid around with the camera. I think there is nothing more pure yet powerful, than a kid’s natural expression. In the end, I truly like to visualize and shape my photos from beginning to end, and I honestly get a little bored with the other stuff. My goal, however, is to make more stops on my road trips, find interesting places and perhaps make a stock photo.

Some Examples of Justin’s Work

Justin Grant

Canon 5D, 24-70mm lens (probably shot at f/6.3 and 1/180s), three Strobes. As I mentioned in an answer above, adapting to the environment you’re expected to shoot in is crucial. The shot of Leandros Barbos of the Phoenix Suns below is a great example. I was told by the creative director that we would be shooting in a gym. With this in mind, I had visualized my approach and felt good about my game plan. I visualized a lot of jumping and extreme lighting. So after arriving in Phoenix and retrieving my lights from baggage three hours later than my flight landed, we proceeded to the location—Leandro’s house. Not a gym. Where we would be shooting in his garage—with only 8 to 10 foot ceilings. I then find out that Leandros is known for his speed and not for his jumping abilities. “I don’t jump,” he said. This is something perhaps a little research might have fixed. So I’m in a garage, with little room to work with and a basketball player, with good looks and a lot of charm, who wants to run. This is what I came up with.

Justin Grant

Canon 5D, 28-70mm lens. Probably shot at f/6.3 and 1/160s. The Descente ad was another challenging location shot. There was no pre-scout trip to this airport. I showed up and was told the concept of the ad and then was let loose. The challenges were many, not to mention the huge thunderstorm (not snow) that blew through as I arrived. The first challenge was how to light this with some drama with wind blowing my lights over. Second, the male model no-showed. Third, the female model had injured her knee and could barely walk. The easiest of the three problems to solve was the male model. The pilot of this jet happened to be a good looking guy in the same age group that we casted. He was willing to model, so we used him. The girl, after telling the story about her knee, I’m guessing you can tell that she wasn’t in the mood to walk, but if you didn’t know this I think the shot makes the viewer feel as if she just came off of the stairs and was ready to go. The lighting. There was no snow, and this is a ski shot. The storm that blew through left the ground wet, so I decided to go with it and give it a raining in the valley, snowing in the mountains type feel. I also went for some dramatic backlighting by placing two strobes behind the plane (with a few assistants holding the lights from falling) shining toward the models and made the texture on the ground a very interesting part of the shot. I also highlighted the plane just enough so that we see a cool jet without actually zooming out and taking a picture of the entire jet.

Justin Grant

Canon 5D, 28-70mm lens. Probably shot at f/6.3 and 1/160s. I had a vision for this shot on goal and had a great time making it happen. The model brought his brother to the shoot to watch. I got great shots of the original model as well, but I asked his brother (this guy) if he wanted to give it a try too. He ended up working out perfectly for the photo. This shot is three separate photos. The ball, the net, and the model. The lights were added in Photoshop.

Justin Grant

Canon 5D, 28-70mm lens, f/8. This is one example of me actually getting my camera out at a great time. On a day off in Turks & Caicos we were lounging and saw these cute little girls were playing on the beach. Melinda and I decided to ask their mother for permission to shoot with them. This is why my goal is to shoot more outside of actually working. Cute stuff.

Justin Grant

Canon 5D, Fisheye lens. Probably around f/22. A lot of people ask me about this shot, and it’s probably one of my favorites. It’s not a favorite for personal reasons, it’s a favorite because of how magical the day, the lighting, the location we stumbled onto—everything, even the diesel driving by on the road in the distance. We wandered out at a random direction towards the deserts out of Salt Lake. I had just gotten my new FJ cruiser so we found a random dirt road and drove up. I started shooting Melinda in some fashion type situations and decided to throw the fisheye on and take a picture of the two of us. One strobe light for fill, and the rest is good ole mother nature. It was so bright out, and I had to set the shutter at 200 to accommodate the flash of the strobe, so I had to set the f-stop down to properly expose. I normally wouldn’t do this, but I had to, and it worked perfectly. The only Photoshopping was a little dodging and burning, some skin touch-ups, and some contrast adjustments.

Links

• Justin’s member page
• Justin’s gallery page (please note: gallery contains some nude images)

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