an interview with jason lee parry

shooting our february catalog

our february catalog was shot by another personal favorite of mine – jason lee parry. he has a talent for telling a story through his photography, making him the perfect choice for our february catalog and its love story theme. he lives in LA and his photographs evoke all the things i love about southern california – hazy sunshine, carefree days and wild nights, a cool edginess to the air and endless summer attitude.

here’s some of his amazing work, which you may recognize as its been posted all over the blogosphere :)

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the one of the girl on the skateboard is one of my favorite photos ever. so you can imagine my excitement when jason was kind enough to answer some questions for the blog!

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shooting our february catalog

how was your experience working with free people?

it was a great experience. they gave me full creative freedom which is very important… the team was wonderful, super professional but fun at the same time. the kind of people you would go grab a drink with outside of the shoot. thank you free people for a great shoot!

is there a certain photo from the shoot that you’re particularly proud of?

i like the one of jessica (lou) walking on the beach with the sun coming through her legs, of noot (meadow) dancing in front of the window at night with the tambourine in hand, and the one of martha (ginger) twirling in the red shoes with the sun at her back. i like them all though. they have a real sense of summer, freedom and flirtatiousness which fit the love stories very well..

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when did you know you wanted to be a photographer? what photographers have influenced you?

as a child i traveled a lot and was visually stimulated by the things i saw so i wanted to recreate images i had seen in my past. i was fifteen when i got hooked… i love how photography tells a story with one picture and everyone, including myself, can interpret it differently. the instant gratification of photography will always keep me interested. guy bourdin is one of my main influences.

do you have a routine when preparing for a shoot?

i am constantly visualizing and thinking up ideas. i take my shoots very seriously. the night before i can’t sleep usually, i’m up visualizing each shot, sometimes creating a full storyboard. i used to stay in my tent in my living room and drink whiskey for days on in, that’s when the ideas really start to flow for me.

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shooting our february catalog

what is the most important thing you’ve ever learned about being a successful photographer?

it is very important for me to take jobs that reflect my personal style. bringing everything to the table every time no matter what it pays. i think its extremely important to make the client and models feel very comfortable, playing music during the shoot, having a glass of wine with the crew if need be. also going over every last detail with the client so we are both on the same page, leaving only good surprises with the end result…

what do you like to do when you’re not working?

make my own beer, read about conspiracy theories, road trips…in particular back roads, poetry, go camping,  surround myself with interesting people.

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what are some of your favorite spots in LA?

my home in silver lake, driving in topanga canyon, drinking in the hills by the griffith observatory, cafe stella, footsies, the roost, ye rustic inn,  el prado, good luck bar,  tiki ti…the less people the better. but my favorite thing is drinking in my parked car before i go into my favorite bars. i hate walking in to a bar completely sober!

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shooting our february catalog

mr. parry, i like your style… go see more of his awesome work here. thank you jason!!!

photos from our catalog shoot taken by our videographer and creative design assistant :)

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13 years ago

i love his style-he seems so down to earth! :-)
beautiful photographs

13 years ago

you guys should make a contest where the winner could post one post for a week on this blog.

Mary
13 years ago

This are such beautiful works. I love how calming the style of his photographs are. Can you sign up to get your catalogs?

Anonymous
13 years ago

love this guy! i love how honest he is with his answers;) and absolutely love his photos! im really looking forward to the catalog!

Petra
13 years ago

Wow amazing………………….

http://mydietoptions.com/

ff
13 years ago

This is just a humble opinion, but some of the images give off sort of a “creeper” vibe. Just sayin’ it like a feminist. :)

13 years ago

Your amazing Jason I’m so proud of you ;)

natalie
13 years ago

love the pictures with the girl behind the guy on the motorcycle