Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The stories of entrepreneurs, leaders, coaches, and interesting people.
Episode 46 - Photographer’s Leap of Faith with Jared Kreiss
[00:00:00]
Matt Lavinder: Jared Kreiss.
Jared Kreiss: How's he going?
Matt Lavinder: Good man. You know, there's a lot of stuff on Facebook. You scroll through social media and you see all kinds of stuff. And my favorite thing to run across is a new photo dump from your work.
Jared Kreiss: Oh, that means a lot.
Matt Lavinder: I am a, I am a huge, I'm a huge fan man. Yeah. Yeah. And I've just seen the growth of your the growth of your work.
And I kind of know a little bit about the story of you and where you, where you started. So it's not just the work you do, but like your, your story and
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Man, I love it. I love the, the content you do. You're all over, you are all over the world now capturing some just beautiful images and, uh, I wanna know.
Like, I wanna know all about that. I think people see, I think they see the content and they appreciate it. Yeah. I don't think they know [00:01:00] what goes into capturing those moments.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. You start from, from the beginning, I guess. Kind of where it all started.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Man. I wanna know about, let's start with let's start with you.
It's no small thing to, to go into this, jump into this full time.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And you didn't just wake up one day and it was the opportunity was sitting there. Yeah. Take me back. Take me back to, take me back to the, the beginnings. Like the young Jared Kreiss.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I grew up in New Zealand, um, and just exposed to, you know, the outdoors and adventure at a pretty young age.
Um, and so we, when we moved to Bristol, um, and when I was about 12 you know, went, you know, went through school and went through college, wasn't really sure what I was gonna do. And then, yeah, after, after graduation, I think that that kind of adventure and, and outdoors kinda lifestyle kind of was re reignited to me.
I wanted to revisit my roots, so I went back to New Zealand and went over to [00:02:00] Australia. And, um, when I was over there, I, you know, was traveling around seeing all these beautiful places and, uh, I picked up a camera and just kind of wanted to capture what I was seeing as best as I could with people back home, friends and family.
And, um, yeah, I think from there it became a hobby to kind of an obsession. Trying to make everything, everything perfect and capture, you know, things that would really make people just like have the wow factor. And just, yeah, being able to share the beauty as best as I could.
And, it's been a journey since then. So you didn't,
Matt Lavinder: you didn't grow up with a, a, uh, you didn't grow up with a camera in your hand, like that was not your original passion. It was just,
Jared Kreiss: yeah,
Matt Lavinder: it was just the outdoors.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. I mean, I had no idea.
Matt Lavinder: And so when was this that you, when was this that you picked up the camera?
Jared Kreiss: It's 2018, so that's been about, yeah, six, six or seven years ago now.
Matt Lavinder: So you had just, you had just finished college?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Like you, so you, you didn't go [00:03:00] get a photo, an arts degree or a
Jared Kreiss: photography degree? No, I actually studied, uh, exercise and nutrition thinking I would maybe go into physical therapy or some kind of nutrition dietician role or, I don't know.
And then, yeah, I took a, I took a, I worked for about a year post college. I was a chiropractic assistant, so I was kind of in the field. And then, um, I don't know, just like I feel like I need to explore myself a little more. I'm not, I'm not really sure. You know, if this is where I need, where I want to be heading.
And, um, so yeah, I sold everything. I owned my car to get me enough money to get a, a plane ticket back to New Zealand. And yeah, so I was there for like three or four months traveling around and then ended up in Australia after that. And that's, yeah, that's kind of where it all, where it all started.
Matt Lavinder: Take, I want, I wanna go, I want to go a little bit deeper into that chapter. That's an important chapter, man. Yeah. Like, you had gone to school, you had gone to school for something, you had a, you had a degree.
Jared Kreiss: Yep.
Matt Lavinder: You had a [00:04:00] job. It's, it wasn't your passion, but it was, it was a job. Yeah. It was a path to stability in a field that you knew.
Yeah. But you weren't, you weren't satisfied. You knew you weren't satisfied.
Jared Kreiss: It's not that I wasn't satisfied. I, I don't think I was ready to settle. I think there was kind of a, a fire in me that I wasn't. Listen, I wasn't listening to, I guess or something, so there's like a, a spark there that I needed to follow a little more and listen to my, you know, intuition and kind of go after and, and see what else was out there before just following the kind of a traditional, you know, climb the ladder path.
And I think I've always been a little different in that sense. Mm-hmm. Um, kind of, more of the freedom mindset and, um, yeah, less, less traditional path and living by experiences and stuff. And I think that mindset and mentality kinda, not that it, not that I, it wasn't fulfilling, like I did enjoy that role and, and learning all about that.
And I still enjoy that stuff. But I think, yeah, just, um, that [00:05:00] kind of, that mentality in me, just the spark to, to learn and experience like as much as I could. Yeah. Took me over there.
Matt Lavinder: I think a lot of people have that spark, like they want something more than what they're doing. I think very few people ever make the leap.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And I have said, I've said before there's no good day where you wake up in the morning and think, yeah, today is the day I'm going to leave my W2 job.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And, and put myself out there. Right. But you, you did that. Yeah. Like, so how, and did you have photography skills at the time or did you just have this idea?
Jared Kreiss: I mean, it, it really didn't even come to me until, a year or so after being over there just, you know, seeing all these beautiful places and I'm, I'm like, I've gotta find a way to, to capture this and share it. And it started with, you know, my phone a GoPro. And then from there it progressed like, how can I make this better?
Like, how can I, and [00:06:00] I saw an opportunity eventually like, hmm, maybe. You know, people are really enjoying this, what I'm sharing. Like maybe there's, maybe this is some kind of path. And, um, I think growing up I was a little more on the artistic side. Mm-hmm. Um, wasn't like more, I was less book smart and more creative and artistic.
So I kind of leaned into that. And yeah, just once, once I, once I started with it, it just kind of, yeah, it just kind of, came into session. And
Matt Lavinder: do you remember, like, when you were young, did you, were you aware that you had a certain, that certain kind of artistic gift Yeah. Or were you focused on what you felt like you didn't have in the classroom?
Jared Kreiss: I mean, I've always been hard on myself. Yeah. So I think I, that was, I was always aware of what I wasn't good of good at. Yeah. But yeah, definitely, you definitely could tell that my, my passion and interest shined in that area. Just using my hands yeah. Drawing, painting any, anything kind of creative or [00:07:00] like woodworking.
Any, any of that kind of stuff was always more of my alley than,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
I think it's tougher. I think it's, it could be tough for young, young men who don't fall into the typical, the typical roles.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You know?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. It is.
Matt Lavinder: And it's like, it can I suspect it can be it can be lonely. Yeah. In a, a world without any kind of real mentors,
Jared Kreiss: right.
Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You having to figure it out, figure out a lot of that stuff on your own.
Jared Kreiss: It is tough. And, and, and especially back then, you know, it's like before. Social media and, and the online space was really, really, there was much opportunity there. It was kind of still very new.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: And, you know, people were a lot more focused and set on the traditional path, and if you had other ideas outside of that, they kind of, I don't know.
They didn't believe in you almost, so it was hard to get support.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: So, you know, obviously like my grandparents and stuff, it was, it was, it was kind of tough. Like they were more traditional mindset and, um. So, yeah, it's, it's, it [00:08:00] is a bit of a lonely road in the beginning, but I think that's how it is for most entrepreneurs and, and most people they don't always see the vision that you have.
It's just really about believing in yourself. Um, and then, you know, eventually you start having some successes and people like, all right. Like, yeah, most of it's out of care. You know, they wanna see you do well, but
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, you just have to, yeah.
Matt Lavinder: I think that's, I think you hit it like if you're waiting, no matter whether you're in photography or whatever if you're waiting for someone else to believe in you.
Jared Kreiss: Exactly.
Matt Lavinder: You may never,
Jared Kreiss: yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You may, may, it is ultimately like to make that decision and leave the security you, you have to believe in yourself. Yeah. Ultimately yourself.
Jared Kreiss: Yep. And you have to take that leap of faith too. And,
Matt Lavinder: and what's interesting with you is like, you didn't have. You didn't have the skills, like you didn't have the business.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: At that point you didn't have that. Yeah. No. Yeah, yeah. Any of that. You literally only had yourself in some
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Kind of [00:09:00] sounds like some kind of vague passion for the Yeah. For the outdoors in New Zealand.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. I think it was a bit of being young. Yeah. At that age where I'm just ready to experience things.
And I think if you follow your intuition and follow that, that voice inside of your head, even if you don't know what you're going to do or have a feeling, I think if you follow that, it'll, it might lead to that. If you follow that, that instinct and that intuition, you know, like, I feel like I should be doing this.
I don't know what's gonna come from it. But you know, you don't know what doors that could open by following that voice inside your head. And I think that's kind of what I did.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. So that, so and so, it's that, uh, it's that belief. It's that ins it's that inspiration.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And then there's the actual work of it.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: So you, you say you sold, you sold everything you owned.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Here in America you get a flight back to New Zealand.
Jared Kreiss: Yep.
Matt Lavinder: What do you have when you get off that plane? Like what's in your what do you own?
Jared Kreiss: Um, I think I had about three or $4,000. [00:10:00] Um, and we did, we did have some family friends still over there, Uhhuh.
So I, I kind of had a little sense of security, at least in New Zealand.
Matt Lavinder: You had a place to live.
Jared Kreiss: I had a place to stay. If, to stay. If all, if, if all failed, all else failed. I was like, okay, Uhhuh. I had a little bit of a safety net.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Which, which was nice. But, so yeah, I, I had a, uh, like it's a group trip booked when I was over there.
So they did a, it's like a bus tour, kind of a, a month long tour. And that, that wasn't cheap. So I invested probably like 80% of the little savings I had to do that. And got to experience and see a lot of the country that I hadn't before. And so, yeah, that, that was kind of, that kind of sparked, sparked it all.
Um, I think after that trip I maybe had a thousand dollars and, and then, you know, I went back to my, my family's friend's place and I'm like, all right, now I kind of, I kind of need a plan now. You know, I've, I've been gone for, you know, a couple months. I don't really know what's next. And I just started thinking, you know, [00:11:00] there's, I heard Australia had some good, like, work opportunities and I hadn't been to Australia before and, you know, I had like a thousand dollars in, in, in my, in my bank.
So I knew I, I didn't have a lot to work with and it was, it was a risk, but, uh, I, yeah, I, I booked a flight over there and, um. Yeah, I, I had, I mean, I didn't have much to live on. I didn't know, I didn't have long, but I, I stayed in a, a hostel, which was maybe like 30 or $40 a night, and every day was just like putting out, uh, resumes, uh, trying to get work, trying to make it, trying to make it happen.
And ended up, yeah, getting, getting a couple jobs within a week. I think I had a couple hundred dollars left in my bank account at that point. Mm-hmm. Um, and I think, yeah, I think it just goes back to taking a little leap of faith, believing in yourself just following that, that intuition and that that instinct.
And yeah, I mean, thankfully it all panned out and it's kind of, if I didn't take that leap, that extra leap, um, I don't think I would be where I'm at [00:12:00] today with the photos and stuff. 'Cause that's, that's where I ended up. Picking up a camera for the first time. And I was there for, in Australia?
In Australia? Yeah. I was there. I was there for a year and a half total. So just, just working and, and living and seeing new things in places.
Matt Lavinder: So you pick up a, you pick up a camera. This is, it's cra it's really crazy to, to think about how quickly you've learned this.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. I mean, six a lot can happen in six or
Matt Lavinder: seven years.
Yeah. Well if you work.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Like if you work, a lot can happen in six years. It doesn't happen by sitting around watching YouTube
Jared Kreiss: videos. No. Yeah, yeah.
Matt Lavinder: So you pick up the camera and you just start figuring it out. How do you learn this? How do you learn this art?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Um, I mean, it's a lot of persistence and I think I've always been a little bit of a perfectionist.
Matt Lavinder: Okay.
Jared Kreiss: So, you know, I take a photo, I see something, I'm just like, how can this be better? And, um, it's kind of just with each photo, it's like, how can I make this better? How can I, you know, [00:13:00] make this in a way that resonates with people, tell a better story. And then, you know, the skills on top of that and you, you learn how to edit better.
You learn all, all the, the settings and yeah, it's just like a progression of like many different aspects of it. Um, over time, just a lot of repetition. And I was out there most days with my camera, like trying to, create an image trying to, get better in, in some way. And yeah, it's kind of been like that for six or seven years.
Like for the most part, most days I'm doing something with it.
Matt Lavinder: So you were learning and you were your own feedback, like you were your own critic, you weren't putting these out or were you
Jared Kreiss: On, on Facebook. Okay. You know, I had a family and friends. That's about it. I think that kind of the, maybe the turning point for me or the, the aha moment.
I mean, I, I had only been doing photography for about six months. I picked up a cheap uh, a mirrorless camera. And then I actually won a photo competition with it. They were hosting like a, they were hosting one in Brisbane, [00:14:00] Australia. And it was like a bunch of people got together and they basically walked around the city for, it was like half a day.
There's maybe like 50 of us. And the goal was to, to see who could like, capture it in the best way. And then at the end of the day, uh, they would all come together and judge the photos, ah, and the winner would win a camera. So I ended up somehow winning that, that competition and won a new and upgraded camera.
And that moment to me was like, yeah, kind of the aha moment where like, oh, maybe, maybe I'm, I'm all right at this. Like maybe, maybe I can do this. Um, and then now I had even a, even a better tool to, to refine my craft and to be able to do that. So,
Matt Lavinder: and how, at this point, how long had you been, had you been doing photography?
Like how long since you'd picked up the camera for the first time?
Jared Kreiss: When I between then and when I won the camera.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: It had only been like six months.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. It was real short.
Matt Lavinder: Uhhuh, but that was important validation.
Jared Kreiss: Yes.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, it [00:15:00] was. Yeah. Um,
Matt Lavinder: and so at what point in that, like you're working you're having to work to, to survive.
Yeah. And you're doing this, you're doing this on the side.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: At what point was it that competition that you thought, maybe I could make a career of this?
Jared Kreiss: No. Um, I mean, it was still very much a hobby at that point. And, uh, yeah, I was still working other jobs part-time, but any, any moment I had, I was always out, trying to capture and trying to share and trying to get make my work better, um, each time.
So it's, it's been a progression over the years. It wasn't, it wasn't like I won the competition. Yeah. And like, oh, like,
Matt Lavinder: uh, yeah, light went
Jared Kreiss: on. Yeah. I mean, let me do this. Like, I jump quit everything for this, uh, and pursue it. It was kind of, yeah, a little, a little more of a. Secure track, guess. Yeah.
But
Matt Lavinder: when you put yourself in that kind of situation of selling everything
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Jumping [00:16:00] outside your comfort zone into a new place. And I think that's, I think that's sometimes the most valuable thing about traveling outside your comfort zone. Yeah. Every time I do it, I learn something about myself.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: That I don't know that I would've ever learned in my co in my comfort zone.
Jared Kreiss: Exactly.
Matt Lavinder: So when you think back about those that year and a half in Australia where you don't really, you've put yourself, you've put yourself out there.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: What did you learn about yourself?
Jared Kreiss: Just, I guess my ability to adapt, um, and know that the unknown and the uncertainty, like, I, I can get through it, I'll find a way.
Matt Lavinder: Mm.
Jared Kreiss: So I think, I think just, yeah. No matter the circumstances, I feel like finding a way is what kind of what that taught me. Like, 'cause I, I went over there with pretty much nothing. Had no plan, had a thousand dollars. I mean, it's not gonna last too long.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: And I got through and I lived there for a year and a [00:17:00] half.
I, I found a way, and I, not only that, but you know, it got me to where I'm at today. So
Matt Lavinder: I think with that going outside your comfort zone and learning about yourself, the travel, those experiences also give you. Give you confidence.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: It's hard. It's hard to get, it's hard to get back at home.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Just believing in your, just believing in yourself.
And, uh, so you're in Australia for an a year and a half and then, then where, where from then,
Jared Kreiss: so I wasn't actually planning on coming back, but it was my, my grandpa's 80th and Kreissmas and Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving and Kreissmas were coming up and I hadn't seen my family in probably about two years at this point.
So I ended up going back for that. And then it was, my plan was just to work a little bit more back to the us Back to the us. Yeah. Back to the us. Work a little more and then save up to. Ultimately go back over there. But when I, when I was here, you know, I started sharing places and, and work from around here, and it started catching on a little bit.[00:18:00]
I wasn't over there. I wasn't really, it was still very early, so I wasn't really getting any paid opportunities. Mm. But like shortly after coming back here, I started seeing, some opportunities for, to get paid and actually potentially make it, make it work make some income. And so I kind of stuck that out a little bit and, it kind of kept, kept progressing and, um, I was like maybe, you know, maybe, maybe this could work.
And just kept kind of like sticking it out and writing it out and yeah. And it's kind of just kind progressed.
Matt Lavinder: It's one job, one job at a time. Yeah. And then you're also doing your own
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Passion projects in the, in the Smokies.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. So working, working part time for, for the most part, 30 hours a week and then.
20 or 30 hours a week.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Anything photo related.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Trying to get it off the ground.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: So I I,
Matt Lavinder: you still, are you still learning, you still learning something every day on this craft?
Jared Kreiss: Um, I feel, I feel like, yeah, I feel like, you know, it's, there's always a way to [00:19:00] improve or evolve.
I think, whether that's technically or just, you know, you change as a person and you tell your story differently. I think, you know, you grow as a person and that's gonna change and reflect your art and how you share things. And so, yeah, I think, I think, you know, I think I, it changes and yeah, I evolve as I grow, and obviously my skills are still, you know, there's always refinement to be done and always new ways to see things.
And,
Matt Lavinder: But it's not the growth in the growth in your work, it doesn't sound like it's so much technical. As it is just you have, yeah. You have grown. And that's reflected in
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, a little bit. I mean, there's definitely the technical aspect. Yeah. But I feel like you get to a certain point and once, once you've kinda got the fundamentals down, I feel like it comes more about just seeing things, um, just having the eye and yeah.
Just kind of the, the story you wanna share. Hmm. I think, yeah, after you get the final one is done, is kind of
Matt Lavinder: that, that technical [00:20:00] development has to be like, you've got that perfectionist mindset.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You've probably got, I'm sure you've got a lot of self-awareness, so you, you can quite, you can improve, but it's reps and it's a, it's a feedback loop.
Jared Kreiss: Yes.
Matt Lavinder: Are you putting those photos out and how do you, are you getting criticism? Does that, are there, is that part of the feedback loop?
Jared Kreiss: Most of it's self-criticism.
Matt Lavinder: Self-criticism. Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Not, there's not many people out there that. Judge my work.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, or criticize it, you put it out there. But I mean, it still is vulnerable putting, putting your work out there for it to possibly be criticized, but
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Most of it's self-critique. Yeah. Um,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Jared Kreiss: And then, and then, and then it's interesting because I go back and look at some of my older work, even from just two or three years ago, and I'm like, just like, it is just completely different than it is now. And I can, I can just see how far I've come and like in the moment then I [00:21:00] was, I thought I was like, I was doing all right.
But, um, I, it's just, it's interesting to see the progression even when, you know, I think I've got to a point there's always some way to refine it, some way to improve.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah. Man, so you're doing projects, you're doing projects around this local area. You're doing some paid gigs.
Yeah. You're developing, you're doing your own, you're doing your own stuff. Putting it on social media. Take me like these images, like you scroll through your when you scroll through your, your inventory of images Yeah. Your portfolio. And it's like everything is so good and there's so much, there's so much there.
Yeah. There's the Smokies, there's Bristol, there's downtown Bristol, there's the area, and then there's Alaska, New Zealand, and now you're into the, into marine photography is some of your best stuff.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Like it's easy to get overwhelmed [00:22:00] by the volume of. Images you, you're creating.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Matt Lavinder: But behind every one of those images has to be so much, so much work.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Can you take me can you, can we talk about a particular photo or a few of those photos and you take me through all that, went into capturing, capturing that.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's a good question. There's one that stands out to me about two years ago in New Zealand.
It's one of my, it's a, it's a dolphin photo. And I think I had like a week left in New Zealand and I, I hadn't visited this place yet, and I, I pull up to the, there's a beautiful bay and there's just like dolphins out there swimming around. They were like, pretty far off shore, maybe four or hundred feet off of shore.
And, um, so I was like, all right. Wow. I would really love to. Somehow be able to capture, uh, these, these dolphins. 'cause they, they kind of jump outta the [00:23:00] water. And it is just really cool. So I ended up going back into town and renting a paddleboard and, um, taking all of my camera gear out on that paddleboard.
No, there's no protection on or anything, so if it's, if I fall over or if I drop it, like it's gone. So I'm, I'm risking thousands of thousands of dollars just to get out there. So yeah, I'm, I'm paddling around for, you know, the first, the first day or so I was, I was probably out there for about eight hours and the pods just kind of kept swimming away.
Didn't really have much luck. So I was out there for about two or three days just baking in the sun with my camera floating around. Uh, there were a couple times where I was like, whoa. Like, thought I was about to go over a little wave. Oh yeah. Wave hit me. And I, I got a little, a little scared.
But yeah, I think, I think it was on the third day probably like 20 hours clocked at this point. Uh, I had a pod come around me, they were circling around me for maybe a few minutes and, uh, started jumping around me and everything. And I had my, my camera ready and snapped a few [00:24:00] shots. I couldn't really tell what I captured at the time, but yeah, I mean that, that image there yeah, it was just the risk versus reward.
Yeah, a lot of time went into it and know it's one of my, one of my favorite images to date. Just 'cause of the story behind it and just the experience, just being out there surrounded by the dolphins and just being in that moment was also pretty pretty incredible.
Matt Lavinder: So you didn't, you didn't, you didn't.
I wake up on Monday morning and think, all right, on Tuesday I'm gonna go capture a photo of a dolphin at this place.
Jared Kreiss: It was a very spontaneous decision. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Is that, is that normal? Like do you just, you just live and you're in these places and then it, it's like the opportunity finds you
Jared Kreiss: or, yeah, sometimes I, I mean, it, it's, yeah, it was a very spontaneous decision and, um, it's kind of like sometimes I'll just do anything for the photo, which, ah, you know, I guess sometimes that's what you gotta do.
I [00:25:00] mean, I, I had, if I wanted to get it, that's kind of what I had to do. But I think, I think for the most part I get to a place and I see it, um, I see the opportunity and then I can kind of visualize it. I'm not, I don't really plan too much ahead of like. Expectation wise of what I think I'm gonna get.
So it's kind of, kind of, I get there and I get a feel for the place or the landscapes or the, the animals and then, and then from there I'm like, okay, I would love a photo with, this bear and a meadow with these big, snow snowy mountain peaks behind it or something like that.
When I see, when I see everything together see how I can like, make it come together is kind of how it works.
Matt Lavinder: You have to do, you have to do, you have to be there for a bit? Do you have to immerse yourself in the, in the place before you know what that is, like, what story to tell. I
Jared Kreiss: don't think it takes too long.
I think, you know, just seeing the plays for the first time Mm. Um, just kind of inspires me.
Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful [00:26:00] landscape. Yeah, I think, I think, I don't think it takes, it takes too long to be able to see it all and kind of visualize like how I would wanna share it or make it look.
And I think part of that probably has to do with the repetition and the amount of time I've been doing it. At this point, at least I kind of know how I want it to look and how I want to share it. But earlier on it was probably kind of more, you know, it get to a place and take thousands of photos just in every direction, just hoping.
Mm-hmm. Hoping one would pan out. I think just that refinement over time has kind of like, created the style and what I kind of like shooting and, and how to shoot it. So I think, I think it's, yeah, more of a refined process now when I, when I get to a place.
Matt Lavinder: Be more professional, more, more efficient.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, a lot more efficient is the word.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. So when you, you say you find the, you find the landscape. Do you know, like when you go to a place, you're going for the landscape or do you go to a place and then you find the angles and you've, you
Jared Kreiss: [00:27:00] Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Work, like as a tourist, you go into a, and there's like 10 places in London where you take photos.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: It's not like that in the Smokies. Right, like it's, is it the light, is it the timing?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. So there's. Yeah, there is, you know, you gotta consider all of that. I definitely consider all of that when going to a place. Mm-hmm. I don't just book a flight and, wander around completely aimlessly, like, oh, like look at this mountain, kind of thing.
I kind of, I definitely do a little bit of research beforehand to kind of know where the opportunities might be.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, and then kind of go from there. I don't have like a super rigid plan, but I know Yeah. Where might be the Yeah. The best opportunities. And I think that's kind of where I start.
Matt Lavinder: So with the, with the dolphins, you're out there for eight. Eight hours a day.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: On a kayak. Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: On the paddle board,
Matt Lavinder: on the paddle, on the paddleboard. Not even a kayak on a paddle board for eight hours. That's, that's,
Jared Kreiss: so I will say I [00:28:00] wanted a kayak, but the, the company wouldn't rent to a solo paddler, which a kayak would've been a lot more safe.
Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: I was
Jared Kreiss: envisioning
Matt Lavinder: you being on a kayak, not on a paddle, on a paddleboard, like
Jared Kreiss: a, a lot more safe and stable, and that would've been ideal, but they wouldn't rent him, just me. So I was like, well, I, paddleboard is all I've got. I actually, when I posted that photo I had a lot of people.
Bashing me or, or giving me critiques. Like why, like why are you out there on a paddle board? Like, why not get a kayak or something? And I only had like three days, three days left in the country, so I didn't have time to even figure that out. Oh. I just, I just went for it. But it was pretty funny to see everyone, like basically calling me stupid.
'cause I was out there on a paddle board with all my camera again. I was like, well,
Matt Lavinder: wow. Wow. So you're in the, so when you're in the, when you're in the, the Smokies?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: If you want, if you wanna capture bears and this backdrop, like they don't show up on cue.
Jared Kreiss: Right.
Matt Lavinder: Is it the same kind of deal?[00:29:00]
You're waiting? Yeah. You're just waiting.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. So there's been a few times I'll book a campsite for a week or so.
Matt Lavinder: Hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, Cade's Cove is probably one of my favorites. It's probably the, the mo the best place to have those opportunities. So once again. Knowing where to go to have the most opportunity to kind of set yourself up.
So, you know, book a campsite there for a week, and then pretty much every day wake up, maybe eat some breakfast, and then I'm out kind of in the field.
Matt Lavinder: So take me into the, take me into that day. Like the bear photo?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Or pick a photo.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: What, like, what does that day look like? What does that eight hours look like?
Jared Kreiss: A lot of walking and, I take my bike around the loop and, you know, I probably clocked 20 or 30 miles just kind of seeing where the bears maybe hanging out.
Matt Lavinder: Okay.
Jared Kreiss: You know, I wake up seven or eight o'clock in the morning, grab some breakfast, pack some lunch, and pretty much be out from sun up to sundown.
Hoping [00:30:00] for, to see something, some kind of action. Yeah, pretty much just out there with my camera, just running around and figuring out their patterns and behaviors and maybe where I'll have a little bit more of a chance to see them. Mm-hmm. And it's a little, I mean, a bit of luck too, 'cause they kind of don't have too much of a method.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, so yeah, I mean, a lot of hours just out there. I don't always know what I'm doing. Huh. Just, yeah. Putting in the hours, putting in the work and eventually it usually pays off.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. A lot of time, a lot of time alone with yourself.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. You gotta be
Matt Lavinder: okay with that.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, most of the time I'm thinking about getting the shot, so I'm not really
Matt Lavinder: So you are,
Jared Kreiss: I don't feel like I'm alone.
I'm just like so focused on capturing the shots. Uh,
Matt Lavinder: so it's not a, uh, yeah. It's not like you're sitting in a field waiting for bears to come by. You are
Jared Kreiss: sometimes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If, if I kind of know they're, [00:31:00] know, they're around or, or I've seen recent, recently there are definitely times where I'm, I'm sitting there for, three or four hours just, you know, waiting for them to, to come back or,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Technical, technical skills in artistic, like talent aside, like there's a certain, there's certain personality traits that someone would have to have to capture wildlife.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. A little bit of patience
Matt Lavinder: A little bit. Yeah. Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Maybe a little bit of OCD as well. I don't know.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. It, it is not something that just anybody,
Jared Kreiss: yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Anybody could do. But you're you're still drawn to
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: The wild, the wildlife and that outdoor, that's still your favorite.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Your favorite subject matter.
Jared Kreiss: Definitely. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: The wildlife in particular, I think, 'cause it's, it, I dunno, it tells more of a story and it's harder to recreate, I think, than verse like a landscape.
You can make it a little different. But [00:32:00] I think with each wild, it's like wildlife photos, it, they all tell a very different story.
Matt Lavinder: Hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Hmm. Kind of
Matt Lavinder: Tell me about one of your favorite stories.
Jared Kreiss: Um, well, the Bear one and the Smokies for sure. The, the mom and the cub that kind of popped up out of the grass.
Um, I saw, I saw them off in the distance, kind of a ways off in the distance. And kind of waited around for two or three hours and just kind of seeing how they behaved. Seeing how they, you know, they would, they would kind of walk around a little bit and. And pop their heads up to, to see what was going on.
And I could see them doing that from far away. And, um, yeah, I don't know. I think it was just, just cool to see them in their, their element.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, and yeah, when I, when I captured the photo, they, they finally, you know, after a couple hours came up a little closer to me and there was only about one moment where they, they actually popped their heads back up again.
And I just happened to snap it at the right time and be, be ready. Wow. But, um, yeah, I think the [00:33:00] story behind that is kind of, cool. Wow.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. So during those two or three hours, were you in the same place or were you
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: In, okay.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. I was just kind of waiting at the, the edge of the field.
They were, they were quite far away to begin with, and
Matt Lavinder: Uhhuh
Jared Kreiss: just hoping, kind of watching, they would kind of move this way.
Matt Lavinder: A little bit of luck that they
Jared Kreiss: Yeah,
Matt Lavinder: they showed
Jared Kreiss: up. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: At that spot.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah,
Matt Lavinder: man, that, that photo is, is incredible.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: It's gotten a lot of, it's obviously gotten a lot of, uh, eyeballs.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely, definitely one of my, my favorites.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Where are where are some of your, like you were initially attracted to New Zealand?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Tell me about the places that have captured your imagination now.
Jared Kreiss: In New Zealand, or, or
Matt Lavinder: anywhere.
Jared Kreiss: Anywhere.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Uh, well, New Zealand is definitely up there
Matt Lavinder: still.
Jared Kreiss: Oh yeah. It's like probably my favorite place, Uhhuh on Earth. Uh, it's just beauty everywhere. It's so unique and inside, so diverse, the [00:34:00] landscapes. So it's literally a photographer's paradise. It's, it's so good. Before last year, Alaska was. Top of my list though, and was lucky enough to visit there in June of this year.
And, that exceeded all of my expectations. Just so wild, pristine, and untouched Alaska. Oh yeah. A lot. Alaska was just it's pretty similar. A lot of the places went to New Zealand and they also have, you know, the wildlife along with it. Like being 40 or 50 feet from a grizzly bear was pretty surreal.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: And so I, I don't know how I'm gonna top that, but that's, that was, that was a pretty incredible experience.
Matt Lavinder: Take me into that. That's not a family of black bears in the Smokies
Jared Kreiss: KS
Matt Lavinder: Cove.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, no. A little, yeah, a little more intimidating I guess. 'cause they're a lot bigger.
And yeah, I mean, I. We had a guide over there, so that, that helped. We were staying at a, a lodge [00:35:00] in Lake Clark National Park.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, which is known to have, you know, high concentration of grizzly bears. And, uh, yeah. One of the days our, our guides, he's a, a bush pilot as well, so he flew us from this, the Lake Clark National Park.
There's the lake, and then it stretches all the way out to the coast.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Uh, which I think is maybe 200 miles. So he flew us in his little Cessna, I think it was Cessna 500 Bush plane. We flew the 200 miles from the lake where we were camped at all the way to the coast. That's kind of where the grizzlies are known to hang out, so it's like a guar almost a guaranteed opportunity to see them.
Um, and just the flight out there alone was like nothing I've ever seen. It was. Unreal. Just the, how the landscape's changed. Um, so we're, we're flying fishing
Matt Lavinder: completely raw,
Jared Kreiss: raw, nothing out there, nothing but just wilderness for hundreds of miles. Yeah. So we, we get to this beach, it's called Hallow Bay.
There's no one around for miles and miles. And he just, he just, [00:36:00] it was maybe 15, 20 feet of beach, of actual beach to land on. So he just, he pulls down and we land on this, this pebble beach, which is just wild to me. I was like I can't believe that just happened. Pulled up this remote beach no one around.
And you know, you see, you see bears off in the distance. And so we just kind of started walking in that direction and spent a couple hours just in this remote and area surrounded by wild coastal brown bears. It was just, it was unbelievable. I, I felt like it was in a dream. It was unbelievable.
Like, how did we just land on this beach? And then all these bears just,
Matt Lavinder: is it just you and the guide?
Jared Kreiss: The guide and one other? Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: And we saw when we, we touched down there was a big bull moose, like Right. Maybe a hundred yards just in the, in the brush as well. So it just that, it was just like wild Alaska.
I was like, wow, this is, [00:37:00] I was like a kid again.
Matt Lavinder: So you touched down, there's grizzly bears and there's a bull moose.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Two of the most aggressive,
Jared Kreiss: you're
Matt Lavinder: two of the most aggressive creatures in North America.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, probably.
Matt Lavinder: And you've got a camera.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. I'm definitely more excited than nervous.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And you get outta the plane.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And you just start.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. What do kinda Yeah. Kind of watching their moves, seeing where they're going. Obviously you don't want to, you don't wanna be too abrupt. So you kind of, you kind of slow, very slow movements to kind of, to kind of work your way up to them.
And, um, yeah, there's, we walked out to this, we walked to, we walked to the, uh, along the beach and then at the end of the beach there was kind of like a grassy, grassy meadow. And, um, that's kind of where they're all hanging out and yeah, just kind of like grazing on the, on the grass. And then there's the coast also stretched around there too, so there was a few out there on the coast sticking for clams and stuff.
So we walked out there and we sat in [00:38:00] the grassy meadow. There was probably, at one point, probably six to eight, like grizzly bears just in every direction. You know, something like only 50 feet from us. You know, it was just, it was, it was crazy though. 'cause it's like. We're in their home. We're probably pretty foreign to them.
Yeah. I mean, they, they see people from time to time that do, that, do trips out there, but it's not
Matt Lavinder: Kate's Cove.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, it's it's not, it's not Kate's cove, that's for sure. So it's very humbling to just I don't know, to see them and for them to kind of respect us in a way where we're that kind of, that mutual respect where, you know, we're in their home.
But they're, they're still kind of unfazed and, and doing their own thing. They acknowledge we're there. Um, you know, you make eye contact at eye contact with it, and this thing could take me out if it wanted at any moment, but yet I'm face to face with it. And there's some kind of like understanding or wow, I don't know, maybe they maybe just, they just don't care or they're just [00:39:00] too, too busy.
But it's pretty, pretty incredible experience just to be there and feel that kind of connection there.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah, man, what an expect.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And did you ever, did you ever feel, did you ever feel threatened? Was it just, it had to been a surreal, it's just the whole thing had to have been surreal.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
I mean, obviously I, I'd never seen a grizzly before Yeah. Before this. So there were a little bit of nerves on how to act and, and what to expect.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: But I think once I got out there and, and just, saw them and I, all of them had seen us at this point, and they just look over at us and go back to what they were doing.
Mm-hmm. So I think that gave me. Some sense of peace. Mm-hmm. Like, you know,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Jared Kreiss: If they wanted to do something, they could, but they're,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Jared Kreiss: They're kind of just minding their own business.
Matt Lavinder: So how many hours, how many hours do you spend amidst in that,
Jared Kreiss: that, that day was about three hours.
Matt Lavinder: Okay.
Jared Kreiss: And I wanted it to be about eight [00:40:00]
Matt Lavinder: uhhuh.
Jared Kreiss: I didn't wanna leave, but we had to go back, unfortunately. Yeah. I stayed out there. Yeah. It was, it was incredible.
Matt Lavinder: Wow. So Alaska, New Zealand.
Jared Kreiss: Yep.
Matt Lavinder: Where else would,
Jared Kreiss: That I haven't been
Matt Lavinder: Well that you that you've been that just surprise that
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Maybe surprised you.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. I really enjoyed Costa Rica.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Um, very lush.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, the waterfalls and the, the greenery just very also diverse in the landscapes. And, uh, the people there were really. Really welcoming as well.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Which gave me a, it was a really good experience and really good taste in my mouth, uh, about that country cost R was Yeah.
Beautiful. And, and welcoming. So that's, that was definitely a highlight. Mm-hmm. Um, and I did a, I did a road trip through Europe, uh, booked a rental car and kind of traveled through, you know, Switzerland and Italy, Austria, Germany, [00:41:00] and that was, that was also really, really cool. Just the landscapes changed so quickly over there.
Yeah. Uh, just a lot of diversity and different scenery as well. Uh, that, that was probably top tier experience as well.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah. As you've as you've changed as a person, does the subject matter that you are attracted to is that, has, do you find that that changes?
Jared Kreiss: I think a little bit.
I think. Maybe being more intentional with how I'm shooting instead of just wanting something, something quick. I'm, I'm more, yeah, I guess trying to tell an even stronger story. Um, so just, yeah, just like being there with the grizzly bears or spending 50 hours in Cade's Cove trying to get one shot.
Um, versus like my earlier work, it was kind of just taking, see something, see something beautiful and just kind of snap that kind of right [00:42:00] away. So a lot of like more quick shots that maybe didn't have quite as much of a story to it.
But yeah, I really like to really like to try and focus on something that really Yeah.
Makes more, like, kinda makes an impact.
Matt Lavinder: You've mentioned several times that what you're doing is, is. Storytelling.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And telling stories.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Did you know that when you started, did you know that, did, was, did you know that's what you were doing when you were started? Or is that something that you've just over time become more aware that that's what you're really doing?
Jared Kreiss: I think that's what I've realized over time. I mean, that's ultimately what kind of makes a good photo. They say a picture's worth a thousand words. So yeah, just being able to, to share or to tell a story without telling a story through a photo, I think is what makes what separates a good photo from a great photo.
Matt Lavinder: Do you think [00:43:00] about whose story, like when you go into an environment like that, like whose story are you telling? Is it the wildlife? Is it the, is it the land? Is it your story? Like what are you, whose story is it?
Jared Kreiss: It's, yeah, probably good question. Probably, probably a bit of both.
Yeah. Because it's obviously a, a bit of what I see and how I interpret things. Mm-hmm. So I'm sharing my own, my own journey and my own vision with other people. But also with the wildlife and landscapes. 'cause, you know, some of it, it may not, may not be around forever.
And being able to capture and document that, you know, it's, it's always changing.
Like, I've visited a couple glaciers before and you know, they're, they're receding pretty quickly, so you know that photo might not exist in 20 or 30 years. So I think, yeah, I think that that kind of says, says a lot just in, in the photo itself, you know?
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah. You've done you've done a lot of work around here in Bristol.
[00:44:00] Yeah. Some of my favorite images of yours are around 4 21 in the, in the lake Yeah. And in downtown. Tell me about those, tell me about what, tell me about that story.
Jared Kreiss: Well, I mean, Bristol is a beautiful area.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: So that's kind of where it all started for me. And I had only been, maybe a year, a year into photography when I came over here.
So I was still very much experimenting and trying new things and, south Holston Lake and 4 21 was a great place to experiment with, experiment with that. Just with, you know, it's this natural beauty. So yeah, it's, it's. Definitely been one of my, my go-to places and I've taken a lot of, a lot of photos out there and made many, many trips out there in the snow in the fall in the summer you know, changes day to day even.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: So yeah. I mean, I, this area is, it's, it's, it's beautiful and it's a great place to Yeah. To kind of, capture Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Capturing the, the [00:45:00] snow. It doesn't snow that often.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. It doesn't,
Matt Lavinder: but man, you've captured some, capturing some great shots
of
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Of that area in the snow.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Whenever it did snow, it was for sure to, to run out there as, as fast as I can.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah. For, and the lake man, south Austin Lake is such a,
Jared Kreiss: yeah. It really is
Matt Lavinder: one of the best kept secrets.
Jared Kreiss: It is
Matt Lavinder: around, like that lake is just in the surrounding area. It's just beautiful.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, for sure. It's, it's a blessing around here.
It's. Love Bristol for that
Matt Lavinder: reason. For sure. Yeah, definitely. Definitely take it for granted. Yeah. I'm sure the people in Costa Rica take
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: That for granted. And
Jared Kreiss: yeah.
Matt Lavinder: People in New Zealand take that for granted. Yeah. Like it's the cool thing about what you do when you immerse yourself in eight hours in some way.
Yeah. Like, you really go deep in, we live, we so, we so often just live our lives so shallow.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Such a shallow way.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. I think that's the, that's also the thing is people feel like they, they have to go far, catch a fly overseas [00:46:00] to, to explore experience much. But there's, I've noticed being around here, there's a lot in your backyard even
That, you know, you can explore and discover. Um, there's always new things around here that I'm, that I'm finding and I'm, yeah, I'm always surprised by the beauty and I think, you know, this area especially has, has grown on me.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Um, I was always. Thinking the grass is greener, you know, oh, I, gotta go here to capture beautiful photos.
But the end, this there's a lot around, you know, and in your backyard just waiting to be explored, I feel like.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah. I think I'm still trying to learn that. I think the highest quality of life is deep.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Not wide.
Jared Kreiss: Right.
Matt Lavinder: And I think the world culture kind of encourages to mm-hmm. To have a lot of shallow stuff, shallow experiences.
Yeah. But the, the, when I think back on trips I've [00:47:00] made, places I've been it's where relationships
Jared Kreiss: mm-hmm.
Matt Lavinder: It's where you've gone deep.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Not wide.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And like we, we live here and we don't spend eight hours.
Jared Kreiss: Mm-hmm.
Matt Lavinder: I don't spend eight hours in one of these spots. But there's so much, there's, there's so much there.
Jared Kreiss: There is. Yeah. Yeah. You just gotta, you just gotta look. And it's the, this, the simple things, the small things, you don't have to have, it doesn't have to be grand or, um, you don't have Yeah. Spend a lot of money to do something or experience something cool.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Do you always work alone?
Jared Kreiss: For the most part, yeah. Most of the time out in the field,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Alone. Yeah. I don't know many people that would want to en endure the hours that I put in. Uh mm-hmm. Yeah. So, yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Lone wolf for the most part.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: And I think. I haven't mentioned that I've, I've kind of lived in, um, in a camper van or a van [00:48:00] for three or four years as well, which really, I also kind of, saw as an opportunity to put myself out there more and, and have more, basically have more opportunities to, to be out there in the field and capturing things.
Um, being able to wake up, on the top of a mountain, wake up for a sunrise instead of driving an hour and a half or two hours. It's just, yeah, just set myself up for success in that way,
Matt Lavinder: so now you are living, you are living that life like
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, it's, I mean, it's been pretty much full-time since 2021.
Uh, I built out like a 2000 Ford E one 50 just like a, a Conline van
Matt Lavinder: Uhhuh.
Jared Kreiss: And, um, for the most part, for the past four years, it's been my home at the exception of this year. But yeah. That's kind of, that's kind of how I've, another, another, another way I've kind of, I guess followed that inner nudge, that instinct, the intuition to [00:49:00] kind kind of lean into it.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, and yeah, just that little leap of faith and that trust and that, that belief in myself to try and make it work.
Matt Lavinder: It sounds like it's worked for you professionally.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Is it sustainable personally?
Jared Kreiss: Uh, uh, I definitely have my struggles with it. It's, it can be hard to balance everything.
I mean, there's, there's a lot more involved than just spending the hours and taking the photos. There's a whole business side of things, which is a whole nother ball game. It's a lot of learning and the industry evolves so quickly as well. It's hard to keep up. So I think I'm still trying to figure out the balance aspect.
Mm-hmm. Um. I don't think I was built to sit behind a screen, but I spend a lot, a lot of time behind the screen doing admin and, website stuff and yeah. All, all kinds of things that kind of make it work. Um, yeah, I expect you need a lot of different avenues, uh, just to [00:50:00] stay afloat. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm hoping, you know, over the years that I have more of a streamlined process where I can have a little more balance.
But yeah, it's, it, it, it can be tough, you know, just running your own business in, in general, I think
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Always comes with that challenge. Yeah. Feeling like it's hard to compartmentalize and, and separate your personal life from business. 'cause you're, that's all you've got, so you're kind of thinking about it 24 7.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah, I think there's a, I think there's a season for balance.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: I don't know that it's when you're. I don't know. It's the beginning of the story. Right. Like, yeah. I, I think some people I the balance, balance and balance in life, like that's. Been the Yeah. The word on social media for a, a long time.
And I think sometimes young people think it can have balance right. Outta the gate.
Jared Kreiss: Right.
Matt Lavinder: And that's not been my,
Jared Kreiss: yeah.
Matt Lavinder: It's not been my experience. [00:51:00] It's, I haven't seen that in the, in the most successful people that I know didn't start with a balanced life. Yeah. Like they were all in.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah.
You gotta be a little uncomfortable.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. And committed.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. And committed. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Fully committed. Yeah. Especially in the what you have. Yeah. Like if you were partially committed, you
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Just wouldn't, it wouldn't work, right?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. You gotta take your care of yourself a little.
You don't wanna run yourself completely into the ground and, try and get good sleep and eat well and still take care of yourself. But yeah, especially in the early stages, most part is pretty much focused on. Trying to make it work.
Matt Lavinder: So are you living your life in different places every week or do you have a, do you have a, a place where you're rooted in Yeah.
A community where you're rooted and then you just, you just go off for a month? Like what is your
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. So what does that look like? The past year or two, I've been, I've kind of had more of a home base. My sister lives in Boone, North Carolina. Mm-hmm. So I've [00:52:00] used that as a home base, but for the most part bouncing around week to week for the past, not this past year, but you know, the three prior to that mostly in North Carolina, South Carolina, moved around different spots in the mountains and Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Do you plan that out ahead for like three months, a month, a week, one week at a time?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Day by day, honestly. Wow. Yeah. So
Matt Lavinder: for many of us, you're living a dream that we can't even, that we can't comprehend.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. It, it comes with its challenges, but
Matt Lavinder: yeah. Yeah. It seems like such a, uh, it seems like such a, a freedom.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Which you mentioned that at the beginning, that that's what you, what you wanted in life.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. Um, yeah. I definitely can be a freedom. I think it's also kind of what I saw needed to be done in order to kind of make this work, keep my expenses low, and put myself in the, in the field [00:53:00] and just, just be out there in the elements.
So it was, it was, it was a little bit of both, but I, I do, I do enjoy the, the freedom and, um. Just, I do enjoy the lifestyle for the most part.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: But, you know, it's easily glamorized as well. I think people, what's shared is a lot different than the reality of it. You know, just finding places to sleep at night, you know, it's not always, it doesn't always work out.
It's not always comfortable, you know, you always, you never have complete peace of mind 'cause you're kind of out there sometimes
Matt Lavinder: and
Jared Kreiss: you're in the open and not really sure,
Matt Lavinder: mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: What, what can happen. So there's, there's definitely factors that you crave a little more comfort, um, and traditional lifestyle.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: When you look into the, when you look into the, the future, what do you, what does success look like to you?
Jared Kreiss: Honestly, um, just being, healthy is probably my biggest. [00:54:00] Idea of success, healthy and happy. And I think having a little plot of land somewhere in the mountains grow my food and maybe have kind of a something set up for, to host maybe workshops or retreats.
Kind of maybe where there's like some, some yurts or I don't know, something like that where I could kind of still build on what I have now. Yeah. And still share and still yeah. Do what I do, but, um, just with a little more structure, a little more of a home base.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Um, yeah, I've, I've always kind of liked the idea of living.
Sustainably.
So yeah. Yeah. That I, I feel like if I was, that, that would, that would be the idea of success for me. I think
Matt Lavinder: If you ever do that, I think you would have plenty of demand. Yeah. Yeah. I think there are many, many people out there that would love to spend a, a week in your life.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. It'd be cool.
Matt Lavinder: And learning learning a skill while they're, yeah. That would be really cool.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. [00:55:00] I think, yeah. I feel it's definitely a path I want to take. 'cause you know, a lot of my work is just behind through a screen and you don't really feel, you kinda lose that connection with people.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: And, um. I did some, some photo tours actually this year for the first time. And, and just being able to experience that kind of brought me back into the community aspect of things and mm-hmm. And, um, it was a lot more fulfilling and a lot more Yeah. Joy and, uh, with that. So I think, uh, yeah, I think that would be something I really want to lean into is how I can create things in the real world.
Just everything, this virtual world stuff is kind of so fleeting and I don't know, it's, uh, some way to, to really pour into to the community and actually make like real connections and things were really part of my definition of success, I guess.
Matt Lavinder: Do you ever see yourself with a, a physical studio?
Jared Kreiss: Uh, I would love a gallery honestly, at some point. But yeah, that would be, that'd [00:56:00] be a big dream.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: I, I would love, 'cause I don't, I don't really get to see a ton of my work in the physical space. Yeah. The physical presence. I mean
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. You say in you, you say in that just now about the digital world and how disconnected it can, it can make you feel.
Mm-hmm. Like all of your trans, all of your transactions are in the Exactly. Are in the digital, in the digital world. Mm-hmm. I would think it would be so satisfying to see the people face to face who, who enjoyed
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And valued your, valued your work.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Being able to actually share that is Yeah, definitely.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: And seeing the work in, in the presence as well. Yeah. I mean, it's expensive to,
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Jared Kreiss: To get this stuff printed. So I don't see, I don't see all of my work like. In the physical sense, which, I wish I, I wish I could, I wish I had a big space where I could hang my favorite pieces up.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. So tell me, tell me about the business side of it.
You got into this with your passion for the outdoors, [00:57:00] it led to photography. That's clearly your passion, but passion's come like, yeah, passions come with the business side that you've gotta, you've gotta learn those, learn those skills. Yeah. What has, what has surprised you? What has surprised you most on the business?
On the business side?
Jared Kreiss: Just how much is involved.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. It's just, like I said, it's a lot more than just taking photos and putting them out there and hoping someone pays you to, to do it. You know, there's the marketing side, there's you know, the networking and connection side. You know, being able to share your work in a, in a way that.
People can hire you. It's like a portfolio website.
So just, just the amount of avenues and and wheels that need to spend to kind of make it all come together is, it's been a, a process for sure. And it, it's still growing.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: Still trying to figure it out. So that, that's been that's been probably the most [00:58:00] surprising part.
Just how much, realizing how much goes into it,
Matt Lavinder: how many moving, how many
Jared Kreiss: moving parts. Yeah, exactly. And I don't think, I think, you know, I get a lot of comments like, oh, you have the best life and I wish I could do what you do. But I, I don't think many, most people don't realize the behind the scenes of how much goes into it,
Matt Lavinder: yeah, no doubt. No doubt. I'm
Jared Kreiss: sure you kind of know that as well as someone that's done endeavors.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. I think it's, it goes back to that deep. That deep versus wide.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You know, and and social media. Social media makes that so much worse. Yeah. Like you, you see these snippets. Yeah. You see these snippets of people's lives.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You don't see the depth. Yeah. You know, you don't see the, you don't see the struggle, you don't see the struggles, you don't see the trying to go to sleep in a camper van and Exactly. I find a safe place to park it. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. You don't see, you don't see that. Yeah. And we just don't appreciate, we don't [00:59:00] appreciate one another
Jared Kreiss: and I know
Matt Lavinder: the art, you know?
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. It's dangerous to only see that stuff and, and then you kinda getting that comparison mindset.
You think your life is, not how it should be. And I think it could be better or could be different. Someone else has it better.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah. And one thing I've like learned a lot of things from this podcast, but nothing.
Nothing is easy.
Jared Kreiss: No.
Matt Lavinder: Everybody that I talk to that has had success and they've had success in so many different areas. Yeah. None of it. None of it was easy. No,
Jared Kreiss: it's not much luck involved. A little bit of luck, but
Matt Lavinder: yeah.
Jared Kreiss: Obviously hard work and persistence.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. It's that day, that daily grind that never makes, it, never makes it to, never makes it to social media.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. And I think the people that complain about their lives are often you know, kind of saying it's luck. Oh, they're just lucky.
Matt Lavinder: Mm-hmm.
Jared Kreiss: They don't wanna take accountability for mm-hmm. Taking [01:00:00] those steps and doing the hard work.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: So everyone has, you know, an opportunity in some way.
You know, you've kind of gotta create your own. If you just have that drive and that focus, I mean, you'll get somewhere.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. It goes back to, it goes back to the beginning of your story as well. Yeah. Like it takes some courage.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, it does.
Matt Lavinder: It takes some courage to make to leave, to step away from the comfortable.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And this story, like none of this story would've ever happened.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Had you not made that choice one day.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Yeah. It's easy to get complacent, easy to get stuck in your comfort zone and all the luxuries of modern day life. Just thinking, you know, what would it be like without those, or the security job?
Security is a big one for most people.
But yeah, I think you would surprise yourself, if you have a little [01:01:00] belief, a little faith and persistence. Yeah, I think you'd surprise yourself.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. And what's so interesting, one of the most interesting things about what you've said today is that you did that before you even had the skills.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: You really just believed in your, you had yourself.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: And, uh, you figured you figured it out.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah.
Matt Lavinder: Man, it's a, it's a, it's a really, it's a really inspiring, it's a really inspiring story. And I love, like, I love your work. I'm not the only one though because I look at the likes on your photos and it's, it's getting crazy how many people follow your work Yeah.
And, and value it. And your, your story, your storytelling is really in really inspiring as is the story that goes. Behind it.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah. Well thank you. It, it definitely means a lot. 'cause I'm just used to hearing it behind a screen and it doesn't really, it's not really the same. So
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.
Jared Kreiss: It's easy to lose, lose that, uh, connection and that feeling.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah. So
Jared Kreiss: it's, I appreciate Yeah, I appreciate hearing that and
Matt Lavinder: Bristol is very, is very [01:02:00] proud of you, man. Like, you're what you're doing makes us, makes us all proud and keep going.
Jared Kreiss: That's the plan.
Matt Lavinder: Well, thanks for, thanks for being on.
Jared Kreiss: Yeah, man. Thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah, man.
Jared Kreiss: Love to have these chats.
Matt Lavinder: Yeah.