Meet Jack Daniel | Professional Landscape Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jack Daniel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jack, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is an inherent aspect of art. There are countless risks in my art: The risk of not having buyers. The risk of people not liking what I do. The risk of temporarily losing the creative spirit. The risk of having an illness that prevents me from using my eyes or hands, which are needed to create photos. The risk of dying on slopes, in the snow, in a river or ocean, from insect bites or poisonous animals. The risk of getting hurt, The risk of not being able to progress in my career. The risk of being misunderstood. And so many others…
The question of risk is assuming that it exists, knowing how to deal with the fear it provokes, but not allowing the risk to stop you.
Risk cannot be limiting.
In my career, I took risks by getting a work visa and going to live in the United States and compete with the Americans for job openings, including photography. Alone, in a strange place at the time and doing something new.
But at the same time, when I quit a job, I had nothing to lose, and that’s when, in the absence of risk, I got into professional photography.
So the conclusion I come to is that risk cannot limit my decisions and creativity. He can at various times catalyze my career or prevent it. But also the absence of risk at times allows me to make decisions that will make a difference in the future.
Risk is a fact of the randomness of life. As a rule, in my images, the positioning of the stars and elements depends on the risk I take and that also depends on the decisions I make, where I risk losing a window of opportunity in nature to finish a project.
But that’s okay, because living is really risky.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am what is called a “landscape photographer”. I make photo frames of natural landscapes.
Every time I’m asked “what do you have that others don’t have” I answer the same as I’ll write here.
I just don’t shoot for others.
I don’t give a damn about what other people think of my art.
The point is that I already stress myself out too much with my high level of demand about what I do.
It’s hard to find someone who criticizes me more than myself.
Besides, I didn’t get into this art to make money or because I had to.
I got into it because I found out that I love it, because I’m good at it, and because I want to do it.
In this way, the association with third parties, with the need to “be” or “being” is irrelevant.
I take the photos I want and when I want and offer them to whoever feels connected with them.
And people might not like my work.
As I have several, they may end up liking another.
Like it or not it makes no difference in my work therefore.
I’m not a proud person.
But I’m a person excited about every project I do because they are an extension of my personality and will.
As much as there is one work or another that makes me happier, I get excited to photograph them all.
This is directly related to how I ended up here.
The idea that I should photograph what I wanted and not what others wanted came from my beginnings, photographing for a tourism company specialized in resorts, located in the mountains of Maine, USA, where I took pictures of families skiing.
When you discover you love something, it’s usually by accident.
It was looking at the viewfinder of a Nikon camera in 2003 that I discovered that the snowy mountains were prettier than the people in the photos I took.
So it was easy to find out.
It was the journey that was complicated and for the most part it involved living with little for a long time absorbing as much data as I could and producing, deleting, producing… Tirelessly.
In the field of landscape photography, it took us some time to learn that the equipment we most need is not necessarily photographic, but rather the equipment that guarantees our lives.
The only thing that it might be interesting to bring to humanity with my works is the feeling they evoke in people who admire them.
And if there is no one who admires them, I do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Unfortunately, I’ve already done this with friends and honestly, for a nature photographer, a week is too little to do or show a city of this size to someone. The famous parts of the city, like the monuments, Coronado Bridge, Petco, Zoo, Balboa Park and the museums, I would skip it, as these places can be visited without needing a guide. There is a lot of information about them and thousands of people visit them every month.
For me, the most important thing in the city is to know its nature. All beaches, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Sunset Cliffs, kayaking and snorkeling.
I confess that the most interesting people I’ve ever met in San Diego were walking in public places like the Fort
Rosecrans Cemetery or the Mt. Solitude.
There’s something interesting about the kind of people who visit those who’ve fought in wars.
There are clearly stories in their eyes.
If you catch me on a romantic day, you’ll find me enjoying the sunset at Point Loma or Torrey Pines.
I just don’t go to restaurants.
I take my own wine and sparkling wine to the middle of nature.
I recommend it to everyone!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Let´s see…. I studied at 5 different universities taking 5 different courses (physics, engineering, electronics) and I have two undergraduate degrees: Marketing and law.
However, I am extremely independent and autonomous in obtaining information.
I give much more value to the merit of people who built knowledge and method.
I also value those who valued me.
In my career as a photographer, I have a lot to thank Tom who was the manager of Sharp Shooters where I started shooting in Maine, USA.
Apart from him, who gave me an opportunity, I don’t know another person who has influenced me alone.
Let me explain: I avoid looking at photos from other competing photographers. So I don’t start admiring anyone’s works.
I avoid looking at works so as not to let myself be influenced.
I also don’t follow anyone’s rule, I make my own and develop my own methods.
I think I received more influence from names like Freud, Skinner, Plato and Ludvig Von Mises than photographers, for example.
Sadly, they’ve all passed away.

Website: https://jackdaniel.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/followmetofloripa/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jackdanielpro

Other: https://linktr.ee/jackdaniel

Image Credits
Jack Daniel