Jay R. McDonald
Jay R. McDonald
Commercial Photographer / Blogger
Calgary, AB
www.JayRMcDonald.com
instagram @jayrmcdonald
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“On the outside, I am a commercial photographer. ”
On the world wide web, I am an adventure and travel "instagrammer"/ blogger. On the inside I am a crazy little kid who just wants to see the whole world, shoot everyone’s portrait, capture love/ the little things in life that get missed and experience/ learn from every culture.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
To be honest, I just started. I quit thinking about how to make things work and leapt forward. I chose to surround myself with other forward-thinking, inspiring and talented individuals in every modality. I shoot everyday and shoot everything from food, sports, mommy bloggers, to landscapes, brands, adventure etc. I chose to leave no job out of my scope of practice by saying yes and learning on the fly. I also shared jobs/ budget with more experienced individuals in order to collaborate and learn the craft.
How do you stand out in your field?
Anyone can take great photos, I try to provide an experience for the brands I am working with and over deliver consistency. I also believe in treating people like gold. At the end of the day, we are working off of social platforms, it's nice to be respectful and social.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I am currently working with a number of outdoor brands and building my itinerary / schedule for more tourism and travel campaigns this year.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I really enjoy travel and lifestyle most. Nothing is more exciting than culture shock. I think people are so unique, beautiful and worth learning from. Going to places like Israel, where I am a complete outsider and capturing the journey in order to share the story, is where I feel most in stride.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I would like to continue working on optimal time management and bookkeeping skills. I am a Millennial after all.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I work hard to make the choice to be fascinated over frustrated. Not being a "Mega influencer" is fascinating, in the sense that I can be looked over for jobs that my friends are doing because I am under 100K following, yet I would be able to offer so much hard work, passion and deliverables to these projects.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Book keeping and scheduling FOR SURE.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I would have told myself, it's okay to say "no" and it's okay to do the things in life, that YOU want to do.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I would love to gain more insight on psychology and body language. I love communication and I think it is a massive part of capturing cultures, scenes and brands adequately.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Travel, tourism and adventure lifestyle.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
I had a really great experience working with @Socality which has brought me to the other side of the globe. My role there is to engage with community. I love people and would love to listen to them all. Any type of project where I am in a foreign place and seeing things I otherwise would not be able to see, is the most enticing to me.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
I have a rate card including content creation, posting, etc.. However I believe everything in the creative realm is open and up for discussion. For example if my base rate for shooting is $500.00 and I shoot for half a day, that is one scenario. But if those same images are going to be used for billboards or commercial print, then the value of the deliverables has to be discussed at a much more significant rate.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
E-mail or Pen Pals.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Romance your wild until adventure falls in love with you. Love is a powerful tool.
This member profile was originally published in December 2018.