How did you get into photography/videography?
I got into shooting photos and videos in High School. My friends and I use to sneak into the old abandoned Seaview Farm Colony. My friend use to bring along his point and shoot camera and we would take turns documenting our adventures there with that one camera.
What did you first use to take photos?
My buddy's cheap point and shoot, pretty sure it was a Casio. When I started taking photography more serious, I started using my dad’s Minolta film camera.
Where did you go to school? Do you have any formal training/self taught?
I did major in photography at CSI at first, before switching colleges for graphic design. I eventually dropped out altogether. The classroom environments wasn’t really for me. I wanted to learn at my own pace, create my own curriculum, learn through trial and error. Not trying to discredit going to school, but to each his own.
Do you have any nicknames? How did you get that name?
Lately, “Spiderman”. New Yorker, skinny dude, photographer, I’ll climb things just to get a shot…pretty self explanatory.
If you could take photos of any 3 people who would it be?
FKA Twigs, is definitely top on my list. I love her style, her music, she has such a unique look, plus she’s a dancer.
Alanna Harrington, probably my favorite model in the industry at the current moment.
Obama, one of the most charismatic, influential figure of our generation.
If you could take photos of any 3 people that are no longer living who would they be?
Chester Bennington, childhood idol, grew up listening to his music. I was devastated when he passed away.
Michael Jackson, legend.
Probably, Sid Vicious.
If you could take photos in any 3 cities what would they be?
I would love to go back to Tokyo, I feel like I only scratched the surface with that city. It's such a photogenic city.
My homies have been going to Singapore a lot recently, and the shots and videos they took got me wanting to go.
Toronto is definitely up on my list as well.
What is your goal when you capture photos of someone?
Make them look cool.
What music do you listen to when you edit photos?
Depends on my mood and the shoot. I feel like music can subconsciously motivate your whole workflow process, so I’ll usually choose different music for different pics. Currently, I have Kids See Ghost on repeat. Deftones, Bloc Party, Ta-Ku tend to make up most of my editing playlist.
What's your favorite app on your phone?
I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram, but I can’t deny how useful of a tool it can be for a photographer. I definitely use it more as a portfolio versus the social media aspect of it.
What is your dream as a photographer?
I once walked into a Van’s store with my mom, just shopping around. She was looking around at all the campaign photos they had up all around the store. She then told me that she hopes my photos are displayed in stores, some day. That’s when I knew she accepted that this was the career path that I choose. It’s been a personal goal for me ever since.
What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream to be a photographer/videographer?
Do it for fun first. You’ll learn, develop your eye, and find your own style more organically that way. It becomes much harder when you start worry about chasing dollars and hitting deadlines.
Where can people find you? (social media, website)
You can find my work on my website, www.JMNZN.com and on instagram (@J.mnzn).
Lately I’ve been pouring more of my creative efforts into a new creative agency that I founded called Boat+Bridge.
Check it out. www.BoatandBridge.com, @boatandbridge
