Today we’d like to introduce you to James Piasecki.
Hi James, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As far as my passion for photography, I was 8 when my mother bought me a few old film cameras from a thrift store and that sparked my passion for photography. Over the next few years, I had taken at least a thousand photos. A little while later, I had them developed and every one of them looked absolutely awful and I knew I could do better if I learned more.
A few years later I found myself at El Reno middle school and they offered a videography & photography class so I jumped at the opportunity. I got hands-on training with digital cameras and editing software for the first time and it was amazing. I couldn’t believe that I was able to shape things and sort of bend reality to the may I liked. Honestly photo editing still kind of blows my mind. With some newfound skills, I knew I could make something great. I went on to high school and enrolled in VOTEC that’s where I learned to use Photoshop & Lightroom.
At this point, I knew photography is what I wanted to do for a living. I wasn’t sure how to make it happen but I was 100% sure that’s what I wanted to do. Many years later my friend’s father passed away and she realized she didn’t have hardly any photos of him. Something just clicked and I knew I had to stop procrastinating and making excuses to not follow my gut and take photos of everyone. If I had been taking photos at that time like I was when I was younger with those film cameras then I would have had photos of my friend’s father because he was a big part of my life and I was around him a lot.
So I pulled the trigger and bought a DSLR from a pawn shop and just started shooting friends, family, food, places, animals, I wanted to capture everything. A while later I got my first paid gig and then another and then another. I’m very thankful to my mother for supporting my hobbies, my friend Vickie and her late father Bob for giving me the push that I needed, and to Alicia for having the confidence to give some kid with a camera his first paid gig.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Confidence is my biggest hurdle to cross. I feel like I’m never satisfied with the quality of my photos. I wish I could elaborate more on that but I’m still to this day not even sure how to deal with it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I shoot everything really. From family portraits to weddings, pets, parties, boudoir. My specialty is solo portraiture, that’s my favorite thing to shoot. It would really depend on who you ask if you ask what I’ve known for but I’d like to be known for my portraiture. I’m not sure what sets me apart but I think it’s my personality. I like to be more than just “the photographer”.
What makes you happy?
It’s a little cheesy but I love when people genuinely appreciate my photos and see clients smile when they see their photos for the first time after the shoot. Apart from the photography side of things I really enjoy camping and spending time with my wife and dogs.
Pricing:
- 90$ and up for solo portraits
- 120$ and up for 2+ people portraits
- 500$ and up for Boudoir
- 1400$ and up for weddings
- 50$ and up Product photography
Contact Info:
- Email: piaseckijames151@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.jamespiaseckiphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamespiasecki_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesPiaseckiPhotography
Image Credits
Kinsey Varva, Zhiane Dempsey, Snake, Shawn, Maria, Scotty Molinari, Mt. Eagle, The Narrows, Elizabeth Baxter, and Scotty Molinari
