An interview with Interior & Architectural photographer and Baltimore resident, Jennifer Hughes

“Last year, I decided I was going to eliminate strobes all together from my kit and now only use existing light - manipulating it with bounce cards and black cloth when necessary.  It is very freeing to shoot that way…chasing the light and having nature provide the boundaries of what is possible.  I’m always considering how I can simplify even further.”

Jennifer Hughes is a native to Maryland and currently resides in Baltimore. A graduate of Maryland Institute, College of Art in photography - her keen eye for unique angles, light, and pattern make her sought after by clients seeking imagery that is highly graphic and grounded in design.

Her work has taken her worldwide, which inspires her search for the rare and unique, even in the most mundane.

For the last 25 years Jennifer has made her living partnering with publications, designers, architects, developers, hotels/resorts, restaurants, and creatives - resulting in imagery that reflects a skilled + thoughtful team effort.

Recent collaborations and features shot for - Hilton Hotels, The Lore Group, Eaton Workshop, HHM Hospitality, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, Dwell, Vogue, Bloomberg, NY Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Domino, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Southern Living, Atomic Ranch, Good Housekeeping, Modern Luxury, New York Spaces, HGTV Magazine, Coastal Living, Sous Vide, Art Culinaire - and many others.

Hi Jennifer, I hope all is safe and well with you and many thanks for taking the time to share with our community. 

Can I congratulate you on a superb portfolio, I've been an admirer for sometime now.

Can you tell us what has been keeping you occupied recently throughout 2020/21 and what your plans for 2022?

I actually ended up working most of 2020, with the exception of 2 months off right after COVID started. We picked up again in June and it hasn’t stopped since. Besides shooting, I took some time to cook + run more and had the opportunity to spend more time with both of our girls. One of which was home from college and the other was doing school remotely.

That sounds lovely, always special to spend a bit more time with the family. I do feel a little saddened for the younger generation in regards to the past few years and what they have missed out on. I hope that doesn’t sound too patronizing as they are a resolute bunch and I’m sure will put us all to shame in the future.

Now I’m not saying the my time at Art College was a waste of time, but lets just put it this way….I wasn’t always working if you know what I mean. The social aspect is so important and the partying….

What goes on at Art College stays at Art College! I’m still in regular contact with my best and oldest friends from Art College.

Could you tell us a bit more about your past, your education, ethos and how you approach your work currently?

I got into photography when I was in high school. Having been into art most of my life (drawing, painting, etc) I dove deep into photography once I discovered it.  

I loved the darkroom and the magic of the image appearing on the paper. I felt like it was painting in the dark…creating the image with strokes of burning and dodging. I miss the tactile experience of getting messy to create images…of being in the quiet, peaceful, escape of the darkroom. I even miss the smell. :) I went on to major in photography at the Maryland Institute, College of art (MICA) and graduated with a fine art degree.  

The influence of MICA and the conceptual direction and guidance it gave me, has molded me ever since.  The same approach I had in college is still present in my favorite images today. Dark, grainy, textural, minimal…embracing form and capturing the play of light on those objects, no matter how big or small. At heart, I am a purist.  

After working in many commercial studios after I graduated where only strobes were used, I have abandoned that way of shooting today.  Nothing can replace how light dances through the viewfinder on its own.  

Last year, I decided I was going to eliminate strobes all together from my kit and now only use existing light - manipulating it with bounce cards and black cloth when necessary.  It is very freeing to shoot that way…chasing the light and having nature provide the boundaries of what is possible.  I’m always considering how I can simplify even further.

I absolutely love that approach.

I’m trying to take a similar approach, instead of getting all technical with flashes, soft boxes, lighting etc..I’m trying to create something that has a more natural feel than an overworked and processed image. As we all know it is a personal preference to each and everyone of us and there is no right or wrong work flows, however, I’m going to try a new approach in 2022.

I’m to take a bit more time in the consideration of the perfect composition of a space. One perfectly constructed and considered images can be much more powerful than 15 unsuitable images. Try and be in the space it more and understand the ergonomics of the environment a bit more. In sorts…get deep and in touch with my emotions….As I say…a work in progress!

How do you go about getting work and what do you find is the best solution you've found?

Instagram, word of mouth, and Google are how I get my work. That’s really it.  

For 20 years I worked in the wedding industry knowing the whole time that it wasn’t "my thing”, but it fit my schedule with little kids home at the time. When I switched to interiors and architecture, I had to rebuild everything I had built over two decades - from scratch. So, I decided to reach out to many of my clients who had gorgeous estates and vacation homes and started shooting them for my portfolio and website. From there it just grew.

I applied the same approach to architecture, that I was using in my portrait and journalistic work. Always trying to put my own mark on the industry and separating myself from what was available locally. Over the last 7-8 yrs, it has grown to the point that I can now be a little more discerning about the jobs I take.

Well that is awesome and totally deserved. Can I congratulate you on your Top 50 AD Approved Photographers for Interior Shoots, could you tell us how that has come about, apart from the obvious that you're work is stunning....

Thank you!!  One of the photo editors from AD reached out to me at the beginning of 2021 and asked to include me on the list.  I was, of course, very flattered and immediately said “yes!”  Yeah, that was a surprise that just sort of dropped in my lap out of the blue!

Imagine if you had said no and their reaction….haha

Where do you see the future of photography heading, not only in our genre but as a whole?

That’s a great question, I wish I knew the answer!  

I feel like people want “real”…I see that happening not only in architecture, but across the board even outside of photography. It is part of why I have ditched lighting and am trying to work with a “less is more” approach (thank you Mies Van der Rohe for coining this).  

My dream shoot would be showing up at a location and be left alone. It has happened a few times, but I would love for it to be the norm. Untethered, no lighting, no client, just time to create and capture as I see it. I would love to get away from the hours and hours of post production that accompany most shoots…I would love for the industry to go in more of a “raw” direction, but I’m not sure most of my clients are ready for that yet.  

I think this is something that Iwan Baan has figured out brilliantly. While his style is not similar to my own, I envy his approach and the “realness” of it. I hope this is something we will see more often.

Oh my god, that would be my heaven. Being left alone, just me, the camera and a whole day to just shoot and consider the space. I think this comes with trust and a close relationship with your client and I’m definitely getting that from a few of my clients. I feel by having that trust it gives me the confidence to push myself and do just do better. If I’m honest I’m not the biggest fan of tethering as I find it rather slow, restrictive and bit of a bore.

What is the interior and architectural scene where you live? Is this where do you do most of your work?

Most of my work is local these days, at least it has been since the beginning of Covid. We’ve had a few out of town road trip jobs this year, but I’m not quite comfortable again loading up everything and getting on a plane just yet. I turned down a job in Chicago and in Kentucky earlier this year, but have no regrets. I was doing a bit more in the hotel/hospitality industry leading up to the pandemic, but that has not returned - at least not yet. Most of what I’m doing now is residential architecture, which I love.

Ah, I do hope a bit more travel happens in 2022. Being on a island for a few years creates a bit of a echo chamber of thoughts and discussions. I just hope we can move on from COVID and learn to live with it…It is coming a little bit of a bore now, however I completely understand others health and wellbeing is just as, if not more important.

As a photography community we love a bit of gear talk, could you tell us what equipment you have in your bag and enlighten those who aren't familiar a little bit more about your process.

Sure.  For the past couple years I’ve been shooting with 2 Canon 5Ds’s (50mp).  

I have a range of tilt/shift lenses that I use primarily - 17mm, 24mm, 45mm, and 90mm.  

I also have a Canon 1.4x extender that I use when I need something in between those focal lengths. I carry a few other Canon lenses too - 50mm, 24-105mm zoom, a 100mm macro, and a 70-200mm - cause you never know when you’ll need to do a portrait too. :)

A couple weeks ago I invested in the Fujifilm GFX 100 (102mp). I’m currently trying to set up a kit where I’m using V series Hasselblad lenses with a ts converter, but am waiting on the converters which are backordered.  

I also have a converter for my Canon ts lenses. I used to shoot with a Hasselblad years ago when I was still shooting film, but sold all of my gear when I went digital. Now I’m working on replacing a lot of the glass I got rid of, but excited to be shooting medium format again. 

I shoot tethered on a 16” Macbook Pro. I also carry several large black clothes, a couple large silks to diffuse light, clamps, tripod, and a ladder.  I have everything packed into 3 Pelican cases that will fit into overhead bins on a plane. One has the Canon gear, one has the Fuji kit, and one has the laptop along with backup hard drives, cords, chargers, etc. I also have a stand bag that carries the camera tripod, the laptop tripod, the hood for the laptop, clamps, black clothes, silks, gaff tape, etc.

Travelling light then…

I’m so tempted by the Fuji but also the new Nikon Z9…so confusing.

I’m still shooting my trusted Nikon D850, however I feel I need to take the leap soon or slightly get left behind. I also want my imagery to grow, not just for my clients but also towards print this year. But knowing myself, I’ll probably still be saying this next year….

Do you feel that you're happy with the work you produce?

I’m getting there.  

I’m always trying to improve upon what I’m doing and am probably my harshest critic. Trying to learn faster ways of retouching so I don’t have to spend so many hours in front of my computer (my least favorite part of this job). Always trying to rethink how I’m doing things and staying true to my own approach. It is hard sometimes to be brave enough to produce work that is different than the norm. That is why I always try to have a personal project in the wings that I’m working on in order to explore and work through ideas that excite me…always hoping to incorporate it into the work that I’m hired to produce. 

We sound so similar in our approach and ideals…the difference is you’re smashing it and I’m relatively unknown.

Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers to keep motivated and pushing yourself forward?

Yes!  

The first photographer that I ever assisted told me to "show what I want to shoot.” Meaning, don’t put work in your portfolio that you don’t want to be hired to do.  It is easy when you are first starting to throw everything in there because you don’t have years of work to choose from, but it is still so so important to edit what you show.  

Figure out what makes you most happy and what approach you like best and show those images. Less is definitely more when your crafting your own portfolio and brand. I have to remind myself of this on a daily basis. 

Great advice.

I think we should talk a bit about copyright.....How do you go about educating your clients about licensing and is there anything we can be doing better, especially in the UK to inform our clients better?

It is so important to have a contract for every job that you do and the more information you give your clients upfront, the better.

Never assume that they know “ the rules.” This is especially true for jobs that get a little more complicated with cost shares and multiple clients on one contract. Everything is spelled out, as far as, costs for creative fees, licensing, expenses, usage, how many images are included, etc, etc.  

Copyright is also detailed on there, but I also make it very clear to new clients that the sharing of images is NOT permitted without licensing and that I own all of the images. This is something that gets overlooked by a lot of photographers new to the business. Additional licensing can be a HUGE source of revenue! We usually have 2-4 licensing partners on each contract which multiplies what I get paid per day for the same amount of work and cuts the costs for each hiring partner. So it’s a "win win” for everyone.

Again, great advice.

I think the licensing part of a shoot is certainly something in the last few years which has become much more profitable for myself. I think maybe 5% of my revenue last years was licensing alone, although there are always those who think they’re above the law and just spread the images light wildfire without your permission until it is too late. I think clear lines of communications at the start is always the best approach.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and how do you go about creating your stylised look?

I definitely draw inspo from Instagram, but I also try to make it to galleries whenever I can and get inspired by work that is outside of photography.  

I also go back to my own work that I did decades ago and remind myself of what originally got me excited about photography. I still love the same things, the darker and moodier the better. I add grain sometimes to the work that I do, especially in my personal work, because it takes me back to the recording film I used to shoot with.

I also would shoot everything b&w if I could. I’ve never been a fan of colour. When I was in art school I used to love to do charcoal drawings, mural size. Trying to figure out how to make my photography more like a charcoal drawing...

I think drawing inspiration from others is great but I also think drawing inspiration from ourselves is also just as important. Not in an arrogant way, but like you say looking back at past work and seeing the growth not only the the final product we' were producing but from the experience gained. Rome wasn’t built in a day and we’re all on a different journey as so to speak.

I get a bigger kick from learning something new that improves my work flow than perhaps having my work in print these days. It is the idea of self improvement that drives me forward. I think as soon as that voice in the back of your head stops pushing you forward then it’s over….

Do you have a favourite thing you like to shoot and why?

Abstracted architecture.

I love to dissect buildings and interiors into forms and shapes, making images that are minimal and simple. To me it becomes a lesson in design and composition. But in addition to architecture, I like to shoot in the fall with a macro lens. There is a conservancy not that far from where we live. No one is ever there and there are great trails to walk through and shoot details of the fall landscape….pods, seeds, dry grasses, anything textural. It’s like therapy for me. To be out in the quiet on a crisp day, shooting images that are totally different than what I do on a daily basis…and no tripod!

How lovely…yes and no tripod! I want to shoot more without it this year and push my compositions further. Get out of comfort zone!

What would say the highlight of your career would be to this point?

That is a hard one…there are jobs I’ve been hired to do that I was shocked I actually won the bid! Jobs where I was getting paid more than I thought possible for one job…those can be game changers and definitely raise my own confidence in what I’m doing, but I think the first time I shot for Elle Decor really did it for me.  It definitely wasn’t about the money, I just felt like I was finally validated and that maybe I didn’t suck after all!  

I hear you, that first shoot for a mainstream client, although absolutely terrifying and daunting as it can be it does give you the confidence that your work is being noticed and appreciated. I’ve had the odd photo in Elle Decor but not the spread….one day perhaps? I can always dream.

Do you have any favourite photographers that inspire you and anyone you think we should be keeping an eye out for?

Yes, I tend to gravitate towards photographers that are doing what I wish I could do…not so “planned” or rigid in their approach, looser.  Photographers that embrace color in a way that I don’t/can’t.  But also photographers whose work resonates with what I want to do myself…textural, dark, moody...

In no particular order:

Salva Lopez, Felix Forest, Romain Laprade, Al Brydon, Vito Salamone, Koen Van Damme, Simone Bossi, Brian Buchard, Robbie Lawrence, Benoit Linero, Paolo Roversi, Ike Edeani, Ben Anders, Joe Fletcher, Kovi Konowiecki 

What a great list of inspiration.

Lastly, what have you learnt and taken away from the past years events?

Life is short, do what you love. Period.

Jennifer, it has been an absolute pleasure chatting and can I say again how thrilled I was for you giving up your time for the M.mode community.

To see more of Jennifer’s work click on the following links - Website - Instagram