I am a self-described "media gypsy"-photographer, copywriter, radio morning show host, graphic designer, painter and television commercial producer. I was cast as a prison guard in Adam Sandler's The Longest Yard and Val Kilmer's Conspiracy and played to a crowd of 1500 with my band Social Blindspot. I’ve photographed for modeling agencies and scouted for an international agency. In 2006 I photographed Delaney, then 14 years old, who was subsequently signed to Ford models. Photographing her again in 2010 she was one of 30 models chosen to appear on America’s Next Top Model: College Edition 18 in August, 2012. All these creative endeavors have been great but I have been a still photographer the longest and always come back to it when I change creative outlets.
Like many photographers, I fell in love with photography when I enrolled in a beginning photography class in college. With a simple Pentax K-1000 35mm camera (which is still a great camera) I exposed rolls of black and white film and watched in amazement as printed images came to life from a blank piece of photographic paper I exposed and developed in the darkroom. Truly spellbinding to me at the time.
After college, married with two daughters and a growing family, photography took a back seat to a real job and earning a living. It would be five years before I picked up a camera again. When I did, it was to photograph for a newspaper on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, where we lived for about six months. This experience led me to consider photography as a full-time career. Realization that photography was about art and not just equipment and snapping pictures led me back to college to work on an art degree.
No matter which creative profession I am involved in I am a still photographer at heart. Over the years 4x5, medium format and 35mm film cameras I used have given way to digital cameras. Photoshop replaced the darkroom. I love the new technology. It allows me to focus on creativity and not equipment.
When I was growing up my Dad always gave me the Brownie or Polaroid camera and had me take photos of our family of seven because "he does such a good job." That praise has to be part of the reason why I've always loved photography. Oh, I am glad that someone else took photos of our family with me in them or else I would swear I don't exist!
I am located in the scenic state of New Mexico, a real state in the United States between Texas and Arizona and south of Colorado. One does not need a passport to travel here, the water is drinkable and we celebrated our 100th year of statehood this past year in 2012! My website is johnbpritchett.com.