By Rebecca Munsie
We all know the saying that a photo is worth a thousand words, well for the local VA photographer Jason Montoya, he is worth a million. The 24-year-old Virginia native began his photography career at the start of COVID, and since then, he has only improved. Within this interview, Jason discussed what got him started, his passion for photography, and where he hopes photography will lead him.
Montoya stated that how this newfound passion started was actually by accident, “I remember when COVID all started, the Jiu Jitsu academy that I train at had all online classes”. Because of the troubling times, and when quarantine started, his gym had to learn to adapt to the new world we lived in. “One day I was helping out one of the trainers and he told me to go turn on the camera, that was the day that I was really introduced to cameras.” Jason is the type of character that when a challenge is presented to him, he will face it head-on and with confidence that makes him seem like a pro.
After that first initial introduction, the Jiu Jitsu academy continued to create more videos which meant more cameras, “The first time it was just one camera, but then the trainer asked me to turn on multiple cameras, and that is when the passion started.” Jason went on to discuss the different styles of photography there are and which he liked the best, “I love to photograph nature or candid moments.” For Montoya, it is all about the emotion and the feeling the photo evokes. Montoya traveled to California in April and remembers shooting photos of the Sequoia trees and all of the deforestation due to the fires. “There was a lot of emotion attached and I really tried to capture that emotion within those photos.”
Montoya discussed how his photography blends in with his everyday life, “What I like to photograph the most at the Jiu Jitsu academy is to capture the individual students.” Montoya loves to take pictures of the student’s achievements and progress and then give those photos to the students and their families. “They get really happy, especially the parents. Capturing that moment is so nice.” By practicing his photography skills at the Jiu Jitsu academy, Jason has learned a lot about marketing and editing the photos he takes, “That is probably my favorite part if I am being honest.” When discussing how Montoya edits his photos, you could see the love and admiration he had for the craft. “One thing is editing it, but it’s another to create it, you can add so many filters and you can actually see the picture. The rawness of the photo and the people or things in that photo is what I love to bring out. I like to play around with all of the edits to try and find the true photo underneath.”
Upon seeing Jason in action, it is very evident that he has the skill. Montoya has this way of making the people he is photographing feel very at ease and lets them take off with their creative ideas, “If I let them tell me their ideas for the photoshoot, I can capture their true personalities and emotions that they are feeling.”
Montoya is not planning on putting down the camera anytime soon, that's for sure. “I was actually asked by my good friend to video his wedding,” stated Montoya when asked about upcoming projects. “I am pretty excited for that endeavor since he’s my buddy and I want to help him out but also because it is going into the realm of video rather than just photos.” As of right now, photography is a hobby that Jason would like to see where it takes him. Within the year he will be traveling to Brazil to photograph Jiu Jitsu academies. “That is probably the project I am most excited about - it’s my first international project I guess - and it will be the first time that I am traveling for the sole purpose of photography so it’s pretty exciting.”
If there are any new up-and-coming photographers you should pay attention to, Jason Montoya is that person. His dedication and adoration for the craft are admirable and wonderful to see.
Check out his portfolio to see the skill in action! His online portfolio is: jasonmontoya247.myportfolio.com