Meet Jason DeWitt | Portrait and Event Photographer

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

Hi Jason, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a child, my father built a darkroom in our basement to try to pursue photography. He bought all the equipment and gave it a try but, for reasons unknown to me, he stopped at some point before I became a teenager. The darkroom became a storage room but all of the equipment remained.

While I was in high school, my friend, Kurt, who went to another school, was taking a photography course. He convinced me to take photography too so we could hang out and take photos around town together. He and I cleaned up my father’s darkroom and got it up and working again. I was the only kid in my photography class who could work on projects at home, it was great.

I stayed in touch with photography a little bit through my twenties but never took it seriously. When I turned 30, I went through a divorce and I decided I would start over by going to school. Photography had always been in the back of my mind, so I pursued a commercial photography degree. I went into school thinking I would do artistic nature photos, but I was introduced to the entire world of photography. I fell in love with storytelling and the human condition. I seemed to have a natural ability to capture a moment. I found I loved capturing emotional moments with people.

That transitioned into portraits eventually but I wasn’t satisfied with traditional portraits. Portraiture was one of the hardest classes I went through in school because I’m a very introverted person. Interacting with people takes a lot of effort for me, but I absolutely love photographs of people. I’m drawn to the differences in everyone’s faces and the expressions they show the world and hold to themselves. I’m fascinated with the beauty contained in everyone’s face and in my portraits, and I love to play with the light to find the best way to portray that beauty.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I was in school, I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do. I had the idea when I started school that I would become this really amazing nature photographer. Ansel Adams was a major influence, growing up. When I saw the work of Gary Winnogrand, Berenice Abbot, and Dianne Arbus, I fell in love with storytelling with the camera.

I started shooting documentary work with Denver Film on their annual film festival photographing parties and red carpet events. I kept getting called back every year and my love for documentary work grew.

While I was in school, I also found the work of Anne Leibovitz and Richard Avedon fascinating and loved the work of Mary Ellen Matthews who does the SNL commercial bumpers.. I decided to try my hand at portraits. I had failed at portraiture class twice in school because I’m an introvert and have a hard time being comfortable around people. Despite this, I still felt drawn to creating portraits of people. It’s still a process to this day.

I think the thing that sets my work apart from others is that when I photograph someone, I’m looking for the depth of their character. I’m telling their story. There’s truth in the work I do.

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?
Colorado has so much to offer. If I were showing someone around that has never been here, I would definitely take them up to the mountains. Maybe Rocky Mountain National Park to start. Hiking would have to be on the list of to dos. There are too many restaurants in Denver that are amazing but I would have to take them to the Cherry Cricket for a burger and up to Buena Vista for some Eddyline beer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been several people who have encouraged me through the years to keep going. All of my college instructors were amazing, but among them is Tom Finke who is constantly cheering all of his students along and keeps in touch with them. He’s an amazing resource for art and photography.

Castle Searcy has been an amazing and constant patron of my work through the years and has brought me on to so many projects that were rewarding and fun.

Denver Film has been a great friend and gives me the ability to photograph in some of the best venues around Denver.

Finally, my wife Greth. She pushes me to keep going in those moments when things get hard.

Website: https://JasonDewittPhoto.com

Instagram: @jasondewittphoto

Facebook: Jasondewittphoto

Image Credits
All images ©Jason DeWitt 2017-2024.