Need To Know: Mr. Glover

In life we meet many people. Some we meet just in passing and will never see again. Some end up sticking around for a while and then slowly move on while others come and go. And some come into our life and we can never imagine life without them.... Well my good friend Mr. Glover is one of those people that has stuck around. It is so awesome to have a friend that you can relate to on so many levels, that push you to build and listen to your silly rant and raves. Well I do not want to get all mushy but this young man is awesome! I still find it funny that we never hung out while we were in High School but ended up sitting next to each other at our graduation and then hung out and skated, snowboarded, shot photos and got into trouble and stayed out of trouble almost everyday since. We had some good times...

With all that, you need to get to know this guy cause not only is he my bestfriend (besides the wife, of course) he is a super good picture taker (He has shot our engagement, our wedding, my sisters wedding and most if not all of our family photos) and has super mad skills with the photoshop to make any hum drum image look like magic. I took the time to do a little interview so you might get to know him a bit. Cheers...

Who are you?
Jonathan Glover

Where are you from?
Utah born and raised, Farmington represent

What do you do for a living?
Well my official 9-5 is detecting Replica and Counterfeit issues on eBay.com. When I’m not at work or sleeping I’m taking pictures or at the computer doing post production work.

Where do you live now?
Currently residing on the West Side in West Jordan, Utah

How long have you been interested in doing photography?
I’ve been interested in taking pictures my whole life, from the second I got my first 110 camera as a youngster I was hooked and loved taking pictures.
What is it about photography that attracted you to it? Or how did you get into doing photography?
Everyone see’s the world through their own view made up of their unique experiences and personalities. My personal mission all along has been making the ordinary extraordinary by picking out objects or selective scenes that are all around us that we may look at all the time but never appreciate or even notice the small components that make up our environment. I love the idea of what I refer to as “ugly beautiful”. It’s difficult to explain because beauty is so subjective that this concept has a unique definition to everyone. Things that may not fit the worldly ideal of beauty but when looked at in a different context or deconstructed always have significant value and can be appreciated and admired. I suppose it’s loosely related to the idea of Yin/Yang where all things have an equal but opposite and each contains the other.

My Grandpa was a photographer and has had a big influence on me. There is a photograph of Temple Square taken at night right after a winter snow storm that has hung in the dining room at my Grandparents house for as long as I can remember and I have spent countless hours studying that photograph trying to reverse engineer the angle and location. Something about the mood of the photograph and its unique perspective offered a totally new experience which I still am fascinated by. This is the same philosophy that I have tried to bring to my own work.
During High School my Grandpa gave me his old Nikor 35mm camera and later gave me an old Minolta Twin Lens Medium Format camera that he had taken on trade at one of his gas stations many years prior. Apparently someone couldn't pay for their gas and had given the camera to him as payment. This tradition and heritage has been a huge influence on me and without my Grandpa I wouldn’t be doing any of this.

What or who are some of your influences?
This is a tough question because I am interested in so many different forms and subjects of photography including fashion, editorial, commercial and automotive. I could easily list 100 influences but here’s a few that have inspired me.

Steve Demitt, Scott Dukes, Evan Klein, Wes Allison, Randy Lorentzen, Chase Jarvis, Tim Kent, Bryan Niven, Dave Hill

What is your favorite part of shooting?
Every shoot is a new challenge that incorporates the relationship between the environment, the subject and the photographer. I really enjoy the spontaneity of that relationship and being very “in the moment”. As much as I try to plan ahead, most of my preconceived ideas usually get thrown out the window in the first 2 minutes and I’m left to create on the fly which is the part I really enjoy. Problem solving but also having the ability to let go and just flow with what’s happening is key to my style. Some people like to control every last detail and force the idea or image they have in their head. My approach is very spontaneous and I try to capture and enhance what’s there instead of making it something that it simply is not.

What don't you like?
There are never enough hours in the day.

What is your favorite subject to shoot? Why?
While I certainly do enjoy shooting cars and bikes, my favorite has always been shooting models. I enjoy working a single subject and the balance of give and take to create something unique that shows a mood or an emotion especially one that is closely guarded. This is the area I would like to make more time to pursue in the future. I always seem to be working on a project for someone else and have not made enough time to create my own art.

When did you start shooting automobiles?
I started shooting cars back in 04-05.

What is it about automobiles that drew you in to start shooting them?
I’ve always been a car guy and spent a lot of time around cars of all types. It was really about pairing up the two art forms of photography and the automobile. Automobiles have long had a great balance of form and function and just like great architecture they lend themselves to be studied, explored and shared. I think great photography adds another layer to convey a message and emotion about the machine. Certainly around here this was a niche that wasn’t over saturated and that I was passionate about so I jumped in and haven’t regretted it, well….maybe once or twice but I got over it.

What do you hope to do with you photography? Or what are some of your goals?
I am always seeking to improve my technical and post production skills and I think that will be my pursuit as long as I’m still shooting. I am always studying and researching all the great work constantly being produced by all the great photographers out there. I’m a long way from where I want to be right now but hopefully if I keep studying and working hard eventually I get to a level of work that I’m happy with. Right now I’m just looking for opportunities to hone my skills and get more exposure. Some days I want to take over the world and be the best of the best and other days I’m ready to hang it all up but I think that comes with the territory of being passionate about what you do. I’m not sure what the future holds right now for me and photography but one thing’s for sure is that I will continue to take pictures until I’m six feet under, it’s just part of who I am.

What are some other services you offer perspective clients? Like, do you do catalogs, print media, web work, or product shots etc.?
Prior to getting serious about photography I was interested in web/graphic design so I’ve done some work in those areas. Mostly out of necessity and I like to know how to do everything. At this stage I’ve just about done it all from catalog work, print work, web site design, headshots, weddings, product photography and everything in between. I feel like I’ve had a pretty well rounded apprenticeship. I’m always willing to take on any challenge but right now I’m really trying to stick to my guns and focus purely on my automotive and lifestyle photography.

Any big projects in the works we should be on the look out for?
I’ve constantly got 4 or 5 projects in the works so finding time for one “big” project has been difficult. I’d like to get my portfolio updated and work on some new personal work so stay tuned.

If someone wanted to contact you or see more of you work what should they do?
I am a marketing nightmare. I’ve never liked the spotlight or promoting myself. I prefer my reputation and word of mouth do the talking for me. The coolest thing I’ve ever seen is from Ocean’s Eleven when Danny Ocean hands his biz card to somebody and all it has is the embossed name “Danny Ocean”, no phone number, no address, no email, nothing. I’d like to get to that point.

Anything else you want to say or mention?
Just thanks to Mr. Ray for all his encouragement and support over the years. Who knew that the Paul Mitchell project would lead to all this.

To see more of his work or to get in contact for possible shoot with Mr. Glover go here.