Jeffrey Jin: Running a Portraiture Palace

Jeffrey Jin is a Houston-born freelance photographer working across a variety of genres to explore themes of intimacy, togetherness, and diaspora. They are currently enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.

Your social media displaying your photography and lifestyle has grown a lot recently, including features from popular clothing brands Ogbff and UNIF. How does increased recognition push your drive for creative work, and how does it feel?

Increased recognition definitely encourages me to keep creating, but it also amplifies the pressure that I feel every time I share my work. Nonetheless, despite the occasional moments of stage fright, I’m so grateful for the people that I’ve been able to reach. It’s really reassuring knowing that a lot of the people who support me are my friends — people that I have genuine interpersonal relationships with and whose words of affirmation I trust.

I noticed your portfolio mainly consists of beautiful photos of other people. In your opinion, what makes a good model? What type of look, mannerisms, or attitude makes shooting enjoyable for you?

I believe that a good model is characterized by the ability to provide input when needed and generate ideas that add to the photoshoot. Although I enjoy having conceptual control over the photos I take, I’m never opposed to hearing what the subject thinks — when models deliver ideas centered around posing, storytelling, locations, etc., it helps me a lot. My hope for each photo shoot is that it represents a fusion of both the model and the photographer — it’s always a collaborative effort. 

When it comes to looks, I tend to gravitate toward models of color; I will always prioritize capturing faces and bodies that deviate from Eurocentric beauty standards. I also find myself feeling a lot more comfortable shooting women/femmes. This doesn’t mean that I’m adamantly opposed to shooting models that don’t fall into these aforementioned categories, but I think that I’m best able to capture someone when I’m able to see a bit of myself in them. Having a personal relationship with the subject also aids the process significantly — even having a brief conversation with models that I haven’t met before, which is something I always try to do, gives me a better understanding of how they see/understand themselves and how I allow that to translate into the photos we take. 

Speaking of creative influences, please elaborate on what inspired you to pursue freelance photography. Do any notable photographers, publications, or aesthetics ignite a creative hunger?

I’m really moved by photographers that capture raw, intimate moments. Scenes that make you feel human. Justine Kurland’s “Girl Pictures” is a great example, as are the self-portraits from “Me and Me,” a project by Wenjun Chen and Yanmei Jiang. Work by East Asian photographers like Hiromix, Ren Hang, and Min Hyun-Woo also continue to inspire me. 

One thing I love about your work is that you do a fantastic job highlighting the beauty and fierceness of each individual you photograph. However, how much of yourself and your influence would you say shows through per shoot?

I think that each shoot I do can be traced back to my own personal style (or at least that’s what people have told me), which I suppose is a good sign. The goal is to establish for myself a fully distinct, recognizable artistic footprint. A large chunk of the media I consume translates into the photos I take; from the compositions to the color-grading, if there’s something I see that I like, I’ll try to incorporate elements from it into my own work somehow. 

I rest assured in the fact that all of the work I put out is queer art of color. When my apprehension towards a certain photo or idea grows, or I become anxious that I’m merely blending into the myriad of other photographers out there, I remind myself that my photos will always be personal to me, and that’s what’s most crucial. I pour myself, my experiences, and my knowledge that are unique to my identity into each and every single photo, whether it’s intentional or subconscious. Because of this, the final product is always something I can have at least a little pride in because I am proud to be myself. 

I understand you’re a freelance photographer. What are some notable pros and cons of creative entrepreneurship, especially as a full-time university student?

Creative entrepreneurship definitely has its perks. I feel like I’ve met so many incredible and genuinely interesting people through it, and it’s taught me that I can be paid while doing something I earnestly enjoy. Being able to talk to other creatives about the unique hardships of being in the community has to be one of the most liberating feelings in the world–a lot of my love towards the field is due to the camaraderie and collaboration that comes out of it. My biggest grievance, though, is the instability of it all. There will be weeks when I have a shoot scheduled every other day and weeks when I have nothing planned. As someone who values consistency, creative entrepreneurship definitely presents challenges in that sense, especially when your artwork becomes a source of income. 

Let's face it- you are incredibly talented and aesthetically righteous. Brag about yourself- what do you think separates your work from others, and what about your portfolio are you the most proud of? 

Thank you for your words <3 To be honest, at least right now, I don’t think I have a style that separates me from every other photographer out there—I’ve encountered other photographers from around the world whose work—from the surface–might closely resemble mine and that realization can be very jarring. However, in a more narrow, Austin-specific context, I think that my photography style is a bit distinguishable from others I’ve seen here, mainly with regard to the editorial elements that many photographers here try to employ. The photographers here love a good studio shoot. A lot of them will focus on the model (which isn’t inherently bad at all), whereas I consciously try to find a balance between the model and the environment they inhabit. Achieving that equilibrium is really important to me. I also value the idea of world-building and inviting the viewer into a space that isn’t accessible to them outside of my photos; playing around with color, light, and form are all critical, but I try to put the most emphasis on storytelling.

What aspirations do you have for yourself as a creative for the foreseeable future?

My main goal right now is just to meet more people. I’ve been so amazed by the personalities of the creatives I’ve met thus far, and the interpersonal/social aspect of being a creative has to be the most rewarding part, without a doubt. Outside of that, I hope to work with more brands–fusing my love for fashion and photography together, pursuing more photo series and projects that revolve around conveying narratives, and expanding my portfolio until I feel fully cemented in my own personal style. 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who is shy to enter photography or other creative freelance work, what would it be?

Pick up that camera and click that shutter button. Don’t put too much thought into it. As corny as it sounds, the best way to get into photography is literally just to start taking photos and determining what you like and what you don’t. Watch movies, invest in photo books, and surround yourself with people who stimulate the creative part of your brain. In my opinion, photography is a much more accessible medium of art than others, and it can also be judged very subjectively. Most of the time, any somewhat decent photo is a solid photo to someone–as I answer this, I’m thinking of the emergence of low-quality photography/digital cameras and their revival; the girls love a good grainy photo nowadays. Similarly, photographers like Juergen Teller receive a lot of backlash for the low-maintenance, simplistic style of photography they adopt, while others praise it for its rawness and authenticity. The beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Film is also a great place to start–because a lot of the seasoning is already baked in and the intimidation of color-grading is absolved, it can be a lot easier to segue into more “professional” photography after experimenting a bit with film first.