Jim Hobart

Orlando, FL
Macbeth Photography
About Jim

I took my first photo in middle school. My dad let me borrow his old (at that time) Olympus rangefinder camera, and I shot a track meet after school. I got one good photo of a long-jumper, and I was hooked. From there I shot for my school newspapers and yearbooks through middle and high school.

Because we'd moved to the US from England, we were still working to get our green cards sorted out when I graduated from high school. This meant I couldn't get a 'real' job or go to college (no SS#). So my first paid job was as a photographer for our local newspaper in a small town on Florida's Gulf Coast. I shot grand opening ceremonies, model homes, local business executives, and the occasional parade.

The best part of this job, however, was working in the black-and-white darkroom. Developing film and printing my own images gave me a deep understanding of exposure and composition. The daily deadlines, combined with the immediate feedback -- before the days of digital -- was a crucial jump in my learning curve, and I still draw on the lessons from that experience today.

All through college and then a career in advertising, photography was a constant companion, more than a hobby, but not a job. I kept up-to-date on technology, and always had a new-ish camera with me. I picked up my first digital camera in 1999 -- a Sony Mavica FD-91 that recorded on 3.5" floppy disks.

Then, in 2005, after I sold the advertising agency, I did two of the coolest things I've ever done: I got married and I learned to fly.

Flying is a VERY expensive hobby, as you might expect, and I wanted to find a way to pay for aircraft rentals. At the time, real estate was booming, and there was a fairly large demand for aerial photography, so I jumped back into photography as a career. Flying and shooting, I paid for my new photo gear as well as hundreds of hours in the Cessna 172.

As everyone is well aware, the 2008 economic crash took out the residential and commercial real estate industries, and aerial photography jobs vanished. I had all this great gear, and 25 years of experience, so I began shooting whatever was needed.

A long-time friend who owns a video production company invited me to share his studio, and I began to do portraits and modeling head shots. Now, it's become the primary business for my photography, and I shoot over 400 portraits a year.

In addition to portrait work, I have an extensive background in architecture, interiors, product and advertising photography. As a former art director and creative director, I approach every job from the designer's perspective, thinking about the final use.

I have a home and a studio in downtown Orlando, Florida, and a studio and a studio apartment in New York, NY. I'm available by phone, email, Skype or Facebook any time of the day or night. I have an assistant in each location to help with scheduling, estimating and providing superior service to every client.