Meet Jerson Navasca | Photographer

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

Hi Jerson, why did you pursue a creative career?
I wanted to pursue a creative career to make connections. I wanted to involve in creative collaborations and interact with fellow artists, creators and professionals in the same field.

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 got into photography during the end of 2012. Before my photography journey, all I did was work a 9 to 5 job during the weekdays and party hard on the weekends. It was the most basic life of a person living in San Diego. Kind of felt like I was wasting my life. I never really did anything that was creative, I had no interest in doing any kind of art, and I didn’t have any special talents.

So one day, I decided that I needed to do something that would bring meaning to my life. So I started to put myself out there to see what I can do. I am very blessed to have met a lot of talented people in my life that inspired me to unleash my creativity. First I started practicing house dance just because a lot of my friends were really good at it and I figured it’ll be nice to share a common interest with them.

After doing a couple of sessions, I honestly felt like it wasn’t my thing. Then after I started looking for another way to express my creativity and that’s when I got interested in photography. I was always curious on how photos were created, but I never thought I would ever pick up a camera. After doing some research and saving up money up, I bought my first camera which was a Nikon D3200 with a kit lens.

After taking pictures for about a month, I realize that my photos weren’t that great. The reason why is that I wasn’t practicing the art of photography. That I was just taking pictures, so I just started to do more research and basically taught myself how to do photography — learning about lighting, composition and all the different types of photography. The more I practice, the more I just started to fall in love with the art.

Soon after I was confident enough to post my work on my social media. A few people started to notice my work, and that’s when I asked if I ever did any portraits. At first, I was a bit nervous because I’ve never done any kind of portrait work, I did mostly landscapes and cityscapes. After doing a few portraits and getting used to directing people, I started to do event coverage around San Diego.

I posted a lot more on my social media and soon after was getting a lot of different kinds of photography work. I like doing different kinds of photography so when a client needs a specific kind of photo, I can do it for them. After eight months of doing photography, I was asked if I can shoot one of my friend’s wedding. It was my first wedding which after boosted my photography career.

Skip ahead seven years later, now I’m shooting almost every weekend and getting a ton of new clients. It is crazy what a simple curiosity can turn into. I never would have thought this would turn into something that I am passionate about. At first I thought it was a little too late to start doing photography, but actually, it was perfect timing.

I’m at the age where a lot of people I know are getting married or having kids, so people call me up to take capture them. Just because they know, they will have a great experience with someone that they knew, and in turn, they would recommend me to others. Very blessed to have a lot of people in my life that support what I do because they know how hard I worked to get to where I am at now.

Now I can say that I actually accomplished something. I can proudly look back at all my photos and say that I was the one who created those.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
So far it has been very enjoyable and rewarding. I get to work with different people every week and capture beautiful moments. I’ve never owned a business before, so of course, there are times that I get overwhelmed. It is just that I care for my clients and I want to make sure they are satisfied at the end of the day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I were to take someone out around San Diego, I would definitely take them to Downtown San Diego. Probably go to Balboa Park first and tour around the museums. Afterwards head to so Seaport Village and check out all the shops. Then head towards the Gaslamp Quarter and spend time at the bars and restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank my family who has supported my photography since the beginning. My close circle of friends who helped me get a lot of practice by doing shoots with them. Lastly, I would like to thank all the people who trust and believe in my work so much that you referred me to many other clients that I now made special connections with as well.

Website: https://www.jersonnavasca.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jersonnavascaphotography

Image Credits
All photos taken by Jerson Navasca