We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason & Amanda Ray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason & Amanda, how do you think about risk?
This is actually a really funny question. There was an afternoon about a year and a half ago when Amanda (a gymnast and admittedly a bit of a dare devil), climbed out on a tree that was suspended over a gorge at Red Bluff, Mississippi. This tree was suspended over 100 feet in the air, but sitting on it was sure to be a dynamite photograph. As she was doing this, a young man around 17 or 18 years old walks up with his friends and says, “Hey lady, I don’t think that looks very safe. You probably shouldn’t do that.”

At this, I turned around and replied, “The greater the risk, the greater the reward.”

The boy smiled and said, “Wow. I really like that. I’m going to make that my senior quote in the yearbook!”

Amanda and I still joke about it, because that probably wasn’t the best advice to give a teenage boy. But we truly have carried that mentality with us through everything we’ve done as artists (and as professionals). The truth is, you have to take risks to succeed in any endeavor. And the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Of course, safety first! Please make sure any risk is calculated. Amanda was an elite level gymnast, so taking a physical risk like that wasn’t as dangerous for her as a normal person. But this way of thinking can be applied to any situation. As artists, we take risks by creating art that is unique, darker and more boundary-pushing than typical fine art photographers. We believe this is the reason why we have met with such success in the arts. We take calculated risks.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We both came from extremely troubled upbringings. Life has been an uphill battle since we were young children. But when life was at it its lowest point for both of us, together we used our pain as fuel for our fires. When you’re low, you can only go up. And that’s what we did. We went from being homeless, jobless and hopeless to a thriving, award-winning art team with nearly 70 fine art publications in Vogue Italia in a matter of months. We pushed. We dreamed. We refused to give up. Every spare moment we had, we created beauty from pain. During Covid restrictions, we spent our time in graveyards, where our only company was the dead. We took the melancholy in our hearts/pasts, and used that as a backdrop for our art. Nothing we’ve ever done has been easy. We’ve beaten every odd imaginable.

The goal of our art is to take dark concepts like death and/or sadness, and re-represent their meanings. Death becomes peace. Melancholy becomes tranquility. Pain becomes beauty. Life is all about how you look at things. If you can take life’s darkness and create light, you’re helping not only yourself, but others. That’s where the name Double Negative comes into play. What are two negatives but a positive? If there was only a single message that we could convey through our art, it would be to re-evaluate your perceptions. If something is causing you pain or grief, ask yourself why. Try to see your pain in a different light. Is there any beauty in your situation? Is there a silver lining to what ails you. Even coffins are lined with satin. Through death, life is born anew. Only through sadness can we truly understand the meaning of joy.

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?
We travel a lot and have lived in many areas of the country. Our favorite cities are New Orleans, LA and Austin, TX. But we’ve also spent a lot of time in Colorado and truly love the Ouray, CO area! If there was a single place we could recommend in Colorado, it would be the hot springs in Ouray. We spent a night there under the stars for our first wedding anniversary (that was a LONG time ago). And it was simply magical! It was truly one of the most wonderful experiences of our lives. Neither of us will ever forget the feeling of the warm waters against the chilly late October air. There was snow everywhere, and we were nestled in the valley of the mountains, just looking up at the stars and dreaming about our futures together. It was simply blissful!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Jason’s mother, Connie, has done so much to help us through the years. Her love and kindness is without bounds, and we’re eternally indebted to her.

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/doublenegativephoto/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doublenegativephoto

Other: Vogue: https://www.vogue.com/photovogue/photographers/221035

Image Credits
Amanda & Jason Ray >>>We own all rights to the photographs.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.