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» Artist Interview: James Quantz Jr.

It is monday which basically means following up the artist interviews we started last week! Just week we have an interview with extremely talented artist, James Quantz Jr. who is a master in his own creative field producing pretty unique photos.

Tell us a litte bit about yourself?

I’m a commercial photographer living in Columbia, SC USA.  I started more in the Fine Art area using a 4×5 to produce black and white prints for clients.  In the past year or so I have gravitated severely (you might say) to the digital end of the spectrum and creating more of a photo illustrative style imagery.

Do you have any formal training/what is your background in art?

As far as formal training is concerned, I did attend Portfolio Center in Atlanta for a few years.  Major aspects of that stint were learning studio lighting and styling.  From there I studied in the western US with two of Ansel Adams’ former assistants, John Sexton and Alan Ross.  With them I was introduced the the magical, interpretive lighting of the landscape using the zone system. Also image manipulation done the old fashioned way by dodging and burning in the darkroom.  Since then, I have basically self taught myself with the help of books, dvds, and a few seminars here and there.

What equipment do you use?

Currently I use all Nikon equipment(as my 4×5’s are busy collecting dust).  More specifically a D300 which I prefer because of the size and ease of use.  The image files from this camera are really amazing!  I do like to stress that as long as you have something functional it is not the equipment that makes the photographer or the photograph.  Some people really waste a lot of time on the "which brand is better" debate when they could be bettering themselves by just creating imagery.  I capture in RAW for the most part and use Apple computers.

Who is your biggest influence? Why?

I really couldn’t single out one big influence except my own imagination.  It is influenced, however, by everything!  Books, movies, tv shows, theater, art, photography, etc. can be used as an influence for imagery.  That is what I find so magical about using a tool like Photoshop.  As long as you open your creativity to the world around you there are really no boundaries to what can be created.  

Do you have any advice to aspiring artists?

Any advice would be directly related to what I stated before about creating imagery.  In order to be proficient doing so, you need to have control of the tools.  Be it the camera, lighting, or processing you need to do your best to learn as much as you can so you can execute your vision.  A musician needs to know how to play his instrument before he can create music and the same applies to photography.  The more you learn and practice the better you will become.

Do you have anything else you want to say?

Nothing else to say - I’ve got some images to create!

• Visit James Quantz Jr. Portfolio

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