Meet Jake Holschuh | Advertising and Editorial Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jake Holschuh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jake, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2015 I graduated from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design with my BFA in Photography. Coming out of college I knew I wanted to use my skills with the camera to pursue a career, but I wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted my photography to head (weddings, editorial, advertising, etc.). The best thing I felt I could do at the time was go the traditional route of assisting other pro’s and see what resonated with me. Over the course of the following 3 years I worked with many photographers both in the advertising and editorial space, and shot a bunch of weddings with another mentor of mine. Towards the end of that time I was working consistently with a high-end advertising photographer, and decided I would give that a go as I loved the process of working with big teams on big productions. I started off by shooting a bunch of spec work for my portfolio so I could have a consistent body of work that I could share with potential clients. Once I had a good body of work I was fortunate enough to land some larger clients like Popsockets and Noosa that helped launch me into my current career as an Advertising / Commercial Photographer. Although advertising has been my bread and butter, I shoot a lot of editorial work too as I love the ability to tell and share stories of artists, makers, activists, etc.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Initially my work was super honed in on studio product and food photography. At the time my photography was filled with color pop, patterns, and bright contrasty light. This was appealing to the brands I had previously mentioned like Popsockets, Brumate, and several others. Recently I have started to dive deeper into storytelling as I get a lot of joy out of sharing stories of makers and doers. I just got back from a trip in Hawaii where I worked with a farm and non-profit called Starseed Ranch. Regenerative farming and green practices are something I hold close to my heart, and I wanted to cross my interests with my current career as a photographer. Sharing the stories of people who are doing good for our world is extremely important in my eyes, and one of the original reasons I picked up a camera in the first place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d definitely adventure with them into the mountains! My first job with photography in college was down in Canon city where I was a rafting photographer. Taking them down to the Arkansas river on a raft through the Royal Gorge is a great way of seeing the majesty of Colorado.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As mentioned previously I’ve been fortunate enough to have some amazing mentors throughout my career. My first mentor was Matt Nager who at the time was shooting a lot of Editorial for magazines like the New York Times. Following Matt I worked closely with Brent Taylor who is a top of the line Commercial Photographer. Brent was also from my hometown of Cincinnati, which was a great way for us to initially connect our here in Denver. From Brent I learned the intricacies of working on large productions, the nuances of lighting, and so much more. There have been quite a few others I’d like to recognize such as David Aldermann who was a teacher to me in the wedding photography industry, and Kent Youngblood who has helped produce some of my shoots over the years, and has been a huge help in guiding me through the crazy world of advertising.

Website: https://jakeholschuh.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeholschuh/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-holschuh-841789ab/

Image Credits
All photography by Jake Holschuh