Jesse Meyer - Photographer
Professional prints, custom cut mats, and hand-crafted and hand-finished hard wood frames all come together to create unique, one of a kind & ready to hang works of art. The weeks leading up to a gallery opening is always complete chaos! Click this image to see my current selection of finished pieces!
Philosophy
There is so much constantly surrounding us that we often don't take the time to notice or sadly lack the senses to. Much of my still photography is geared towards capturing that which we typically don't or often cannot see, and is an attempt to preserve the feel of a place, not just a likeness. Through various techniques both learned & developed over time, I strive to show the simple & at times invisible beauty of our environment as a whole, along with the complexity of its pieces. Be it the otherworldly colors in the night sky or the smallest details of the macro world, everything in my images is truly there.
Our eyes often aren't sensitive enough to see the beautiful colors of the dim night sky; each wave quickly passes, followed by another, & another, masking a body of water's motion as a whole; clouds move too slowly for us to trace their paths from the distance to right overhead; and some things are simply too small to observe in any meaningful way unassisted - but a photograph doesn't have the same limitations. The right lens with a unique viewpoint can show the smallest object in staggering detail, and long exposure can capture the stunning colors of the night sky & the movement of a seemingly still evening. Nearly everything I photograph is simply the environment right in front of us, exactly how I found it...but my hope is to photograph in a way to capture and share what is just beyond our senses, or too often overlooked in our busy, demanding 21st century lives.
Similarly with portraits, my focus is an attempt to capture the individuality and persona of the person in front of the lens. Your vision of yourself plays a crucial role in the outcome of the photograph. Through the choice of environment, situational styling, & varied lighting...a portrait is often much more than a just a picture: each one shows a version of you.
Events can be photographed, or they can be documented. Photographers shooting events often only attempt to capture the highlights and only take people's photo after interrupting them for a pose. Those images are meaningful but too often the true essence of an event is overlooked. The unexpected off script moments, the story behind the scenes, the action away from the action - those are the images you'll keep coming back to year after year.
History
Jesse received his Bachelor's Degree in Sound Design from Columbia College of Chicago in 2009. From 2007 until 2011, he was the Creative Director for The Chef's Palette catering company, handling event and cuisine photography, branding, and web design. During that time, from 2008 to 2009, he was also the sound designer for multiple Beverly Ridge Productions short films.
In 2011, Jesse created motion graphics, time-lapse, and editing for Brian Neary, cofounder of E! Entertainment. His time-lapse photography was also featured on Beach Heat Miami (seasons 1 & 2) from 2010 to 2012, which premiered on Showtime.
Jesse is currently the exclusive Chicago photographer for Cigar Press Magazine. He is available for advertising, portrait, fashion, product, food, and event photography, along with time-lapse video (cutscenes and abstract), film production (artistic and abstract), post production sound design, motion graphics, and image branding.
Please use the contact form here to begin a conversation through email. All questions and inquires welcomed!
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