Gypsified Chat: With Fashion Photographer Jamie Nelson

Enjoy our gypsified chat with Fashion Photographer Jamie Nelson! Her work is incredible and Jamie offers up some great insight into her days as a creative professional!

Style Gypsy: How would you describe the style of your photography or the elements that you tend to always make sure to include within your photos?

Jamie: My style has been described as a dramatic, glossy, vibrant, and surreal. I try to always include a strong graphic quality or strong color palette to each photo. I enjoy creating series, rather than just one photo. I try to do at-least 6 different shots of a model in one day and several makeup and hair changes in order to fully explore the model and the team's creative ability.

Style Gypsy: How do you know if you will work well with a stylist or designer?

Jamie: Personality is extremely important when choosing my team. If the stylist or designer is passionate and hard working, most likely things will run smoothly with the entire shoot and the other creatives on set.

Style Gypsy: Most memorable photo shoot thus far?

Jamie: One of my most memorable photoshoots was in the beginning of my career. Everything went wrong the day before and the day of the shoot. The car broke down and my art director and I were stranded on the highway pushing the car in heels and arrived on set filthy and without sleep just before the shoot. That was just the beginning to a disastrous series of events. The shoot came out amazingly well, despite the several mishaps and I was so happy that we didn't postpone or cancel.



Style Gypsy: What are 3 marketing or portfolio tips that you would give to an aspiring fashion photographer?

Jamie: Show your work to as many people as possible, be persistent, and don't give up. Don't get too sidetracked with earning money or assisting. Make sure you stick to the goal of becoming a photographer, even if you are starving and hardly making rent. Just keep shooting! It will pay off in the end.

Style Gypsy: What do you love most about what you do?

Jamie: I love collaborating with my team of creative women. They are all amazing at what they do. I love the spontaneous change of direction that occurs on the day of the shoot. Each and every shoot we do they manage to astound me with their capabilities and creativity. I also love traveling and being able to set my own schedule.



Style Gypsy: What are some of your favorite books, magazines, and resources for photography inspiration?

Jamie: I love Numero and Italian Vogue. As far as my inspiration for shoots goes, I like to draw on the energy from the collaboration between makeup, hair, stylist, art director, and model on the day of the shoot. I don't like to study or draw inspiration from other photography very often, as I would rather work purely with my own inner creativity and my own experiences, rather than have other photographers' imagery affect me.

Style Gypsy: Something new you would like to learn?

Jamie: I would like to explore different large scale fine art photography methods in the future. After making a name in the commercial world, I would like to concentrate more on exhibiting all over the world.

Style Gypsy: What are some of your current projects & do you have any stylists, models, or designers that you would love to work with in the future?

Jamie: I am currently working with my team on magazine editorials and cosmetic campaigns. There are so many companies and designers I would love to work with in the future- Marc Jacobs, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, M.A.C, Revlon, to name a few. I would also love to do editorials for Numero and Vogue in the near future.



Style Gypsy: What is the most challenging part of your work?

Jamie: It is most challenging for me to stop working. Photography is such a huge part of my life. It is extremely difficult, as my own boss, to tell myself that it is time to take a break. It is then difficult to be able to sustain relationships, as I am so absorbed in my work.