The Art of the Personal Project: P2 Photography

As a former Art Producer, I have always been drawn to personal projects because they are the sole vision of the photographer and not an extension of an art director, photo editor, or graphic designer. This new column, “The Art of the Personal Project” will feature the personal projects of photographers using the Yodelist marketing database. You can read their blog at http://yodelist.wordpress.com. Projects are discovered online and submissions are not accepted.

Today’s featured photographer is: P2 Photography (Jon Held & Jenna Close)

How long have you been shooting?
Jenna: We are in our 9th year of business.
Jon: The 9th? Already?

Are you self-taught or photography school taught?
Jenna: I went to the Art Institute of Seattle.
Jon: I am self-taught.

With this particular project, what was your inspiration to shoot it?
Jenna: We had been having a period of creative block and were struggling to come up with an idea we could both really get behind. We sat down and made a list of things we were curious about. The common theme was people who were living their lives on their own terms and doing what they loved. We decided to pair that with our interest in hands-on, physical work and feature people who were pursuing offbeat jobs or hobbies. We found our first subject, a recycled-metal sculptor, through a friend, and our next subject, a practitioner of Hikaru Dorodango (shiny dumplings), through the internet.

Jon: For me, the inspiration was purely a marketing decision, a way to showcase our work during a dry spell. And it seemed like it would be a heck of a lot of fun to meet these people.

How many years have you been shooting this project before you decided to present it?
Jon: I recall it was about 4 days. But I might be wrong. 2 weeks?

Jenna: We waited until we had one subject completed and another confirmed before the initial release. Now, we present subjects as we complete them. This project is intended to be episodic, so we want to build a following that comes along for the ride as it unfolds.

How long do you spend on a personal project before deciding if it is working?
Jenna: It depends, but typically I’ll give it a generous amount of time before giving up. I’ve found that often when something isn’t right, struggling with it for a while can lead to a breakthrough.

Jon: With Buck the Cubicle we hit the nail on the head. It was one of those projects that was exactly as I’d imagined from the beginning. Our first subject gave us momentum to plow right ahead without any changes to the overall scope. It just felt right.

Since shooting for your portfolio is different from personal work, how do you feel when the work is different?
Jon: Those are both expressions of the photographer as artist. So to me there ought to be no difference. I want to be known and hired for doing exactly what I want to do, and the only hope for that is for people to see that particular work. However, when a client gets involved it often becomes collaborative…..

Jenna: Yeah. What Jon said.

Have you ever posted your personal work on social media venues such as Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram or Facebook?
Jenna: We regularly use Instagram (p2photography). We also link to blog updates on Facebook and post our videos to Vimeo. And we occasionally use Twitter (@p2photography).

Jon: Tweeting is a skill. I have much to learn.

If so, has the work ever gone viral and possibly with great press?
Jon: Aaahhhhhhhh…….mmmmmmmmmm……
Jenna: Not yet…

Have you printed your personal projects for your marketing to reach potential clients?
Jenna: This year we’re releasing 4 printed promos, each featuring a Buck the Cubicle subject. So this project, in printed form, is the primary vehicle for our marketing in 2016 and maybe beyond.

Jon: The first round of booklets went out this month. To stuff, seal and stamp 500 envelopes it takes exactly three and a half episodes of Mad Men.

Buck the Cubicle is an ongoing series featuring people who get out, get dirty and find inspiration in all manner of offbeat occupations.

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Jon and Jenna (P2) are commercial photographers based in Southern California. They work for a variety of clients but have a particular interest in businesses and people who build things. Jon is also a flight instructor and Jenna is Chair of the National Board of ASMP. They can be found at p2photography.net.

Clients include: The Cincinnati Zoo | Curves | Elevator | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | NBC | Perspective | Primus Power | Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners | Rotary International | Sierra Magazine | SolarWorld | Swarovski | T. Rowe Price

P2 is represented by Meredith Bless at Taiga Creative.

APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s, after establishing the art buying department at The Martin Agency then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies. She has a new Twitter feed with helpful marketing information believing that marketing should be driven by a brand and not specialty. Follow her on twitter at SuzanneSease.