Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Elcock.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jonathan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
One summer day during my middle school years, I was playing in the front yard when I spotted some sun rays shooting out from a thick cloud. For some reason, I ran inside and grabbed my mom’s Canon Powershot to capture the moment. The rest of the summer saw countless photographs of clouds, insects in the rose bushes, and other random pieces of nature around the yard. I got involved in an online photo forum that I don’t think exists anymore, and had a great time learning as much as I could about all things photography.
Fast forward about 6 years, and I was a college athlete trying to salvage what was left of my injured career. My parents bought me a new DSLR for my birthday, which was a complete surprise since I’d mostly left photography behind when I went to college. After I gave up my status as an athlete, I stayed close with the team and eventually was hired by the college athletic department to photograph a variety of sports. At that time, I became interested in bird photography and started frequenting the Mass Audubon sanctuary near my school.
My photographic journey took off, and I found some success as a bird photographer, specializing in shorebird photography. I moved close to Plum Island, and had the time of my life photographing piping plovers and other migratory shorebirds. Inspired by landscape photographers around the globe, I always carried a wide-angle lens with me but failed time after time to create landscape images to my satisfaction.
I’m not really sure how it happened, but eventually I found my eye, and for the last few years I shot landscapes almost exclusively. I moved to the Boston area for grad school and expanded my brand as a landscape photographer. Recently, I found a happy medium between birds and landscapes, and I currently have two photography portfolio websites that are integrated but separately branded. It’s been such an exciting ride, and I have enjoyed honing my focus to become a more discerning and intentional photographer.
Professionally, I’m in my final year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which takes up most of my time. I’ve always loved the science of the human body, and wanted to effect physical change in people’s lives. Photography has been a wonderful compliment to that career path, and my adventures into nature will continue to be a welcomed break from the fast-paced environment of the healthcare industry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every photographer or artist goes through a few rough patches. I think it’s especially tough to decide what your artistic focus is going to be, much like a teenager trying to find their identity. One month, I was a macro photographer, finding all sorts of insects around my apartment. The next month, I was a portrait photographer, until a senior photo shoot drove me so crazy that I vowed never to photograph human subjects again. Then I was a pet photographer, followed by a very short attempt at commercial product and real estate photography, and after many years of “doing it all” I finally found my focus.
Starting a photography business has been a significant challenge, but I’ve learned so much along the way. Large portfolio website companies market aggressively to amateur photographers, promising print sales and a global audience, and taking financial advantage of people who simply don’t know any better. It’s all one stop short of fraud. Print sales are hard to come by, and you quickly learn that a friend saying, “You should sell your photos,” does not mean, “I’d be willing to pay for one of your photos.” Social media followers are rarely paying customers. Companies and magazines offer “credit” for images that they will profit from using. Websites are expensive and web traffic doesn’t create itself. The list goes on and it’s easy to lose focus on the end goal – but with some careful planning, quick learning, and a willingness to make mistakes, creating a side business can be incredibly rewarding!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Jonathan Elcock Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
My original and ongoing business, “Jonathan Elcock Photography”, is a landscape photography business built on New England scenes that feature bright, vibrant colors in extra-high resolution. My printed art is only offered as acrylic wall art, which is more versatile than, and (in my opinion) superior to the standard paper, metal, and canvas prints that everybody seems to be selling these days. Using a consumer-grade camera (hey, I’m a graduate student and it’s all I can afford at the moment), I’ve honed the skill of combining frames to create photographs with resolutions equivalent to files from large-format cameras – and sometimes even larger. This has led to successes that include frequent sales, some magazine publications, and a one-day solo exhibit that drew an audience of over 100 fans from the New England area.
Recently, I split my bird photography into a separate brand called “Of the Air”. This was created after winning multiple awards from international photo contests for the owl photograph you can find below. It’s been a dream of mine to showcase my bird photography without detracting from the more successful landscape portfolio, so I was excited to unveil this project last year.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is an interesting concept – and not one I’m sure I believe in. Instead, I believe in hard work and dedication, as cliché as that may sound. Most of the advances I’ve made in my business have come through the building of relationships with influential people in and outside of the industry. And I’m not talking about the “relationships” you make with the stranger who has 100K followers on Instagram, whose photos you repeatedly comment on until they feel obligated to reciprocate. I mean real friendships that have grown organically and created meaningful opportunities to grow both my artistic skills and my business. Outside of those relationships, I’ve spent countless hours designing my website, testing different print labs, improving my post-processing skills, and exploring different areas and perspectives to photograph. So with the extensive time and effort I’ve put into photography over the last 5 years, I can’t say I’d attribute any event in my photographic journey to luck – aside from the occasional unexpected colorful sunset or close-flying bird.
Pricing:
- LANDSCAPES: Acrylic pieces range from $185 – $8000. The most popular sizes run between $245 – $1100.
- BIRDS: Photo paper prints range from $40 – $105.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jonathanelcock.com
- Email: jonathan@jonathanelcock.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jonathan_elcock
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jonathanelcockphotography
- Other: www.oftheairphotography.com
Image Credit:
Jonathan Elcock
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
