Solace

“Finding peace has been at the forefront of what I’m earnestly chasing “

I have learned throughout my 41 years in life that we inevitably reach different and unique phases of life. Currently, I am still in the process of deeply discovering what particular phase of life I am in at this current moment and am actively trying to figure out what that truly means for me. A few things are certain for me; I am proudly a husband, a devoted father, a caring son, and a supportive brother, and I am passionate, beyond measure, behind my camera about capturing beauty, whether that’s of an actual subject or an awe-inspiring landscape. My overall outlook on this world and everything that’s in it tends to shift and evolve from year to year, but I genuinely believe that such changes come with the wisdom that age brings. However, this year, I can distinctly sense a shift in where I am mentally, and I am also experiencing a noticeable transformation physically. Finding peace has been at the forefront of what I’m earnestly chasing for over a year now, and I’m continuously discovering new and effective ways to achieve that inner peace. Writing is gradually taking on a newfound solace that I never knew could potentially exist for me, but I can wholeheartedly say that it brings me immense joy to write about my deep passions in photography.

Let’s take a moment to backtrack and delve a little deeper into the origins of this journey. I made the significant purchase of my very first camera back in the year 2013, initially to film videos, as I possessed no particular interest or inclination towards photography at that stage. Without getting lost in that narrative, let’s fast forward a bit. By 2015, a spark ignites within me, and I contemplate the idea of trying my hand at photography for the first time. After giving it a shot, I find myself enjoying the process, so I decide to embrace it further. By around 2017, I find myself fully committed to the identity of being a photographer and gradually start to set aside my filming endeavors. Fast forward to 2019, this is when I officially establish J Bell Visuals, fueled by a desire to pursue this passion full time at some point in the future. From 2019 onward, I begin to focus intently on refining my craft, truly evolving into the professional you see today. During this transformative period, I dedicate myself to continually learning the intricacies of both photography and the business side of things. Interestingly, around this time, I notice that Instagram seems to be sitting at what I perceive to be the tail end of its peak popularity. Taking full advantage of what Instagram has to offer, along with other social media platforms, I commit to posting content daily, fully immersing myself in the world of a content creator. I manage to cultivate a decent following and have the privilege of meeting some fascinating individuals along the journey (but I promise I’ll touch upon that topic more in this blog). Fast forward again to early 2023, and I begin to observe a significant shift in the algorithm governing Instagram and Facebook. Consequently, I start encountering a noticeable decline in the visibility of the content I genuinely enjoy, alongside my own engagement numbers dropping as well. Additionally, I witness a strong push towards video content (specifically reels) as TikTok starts to rise in popularity. At this juncture, I find myself grappling with a critical question: Do I want to remain part of this evolving landscape, or should I explore other avenues? Unfortunately, I don’t have a definite answer to that question yet. Up until this moment, I’ve been heavily reliant on showcasing my work through social media, feeling an immense pressure to do so. While I did maintain a blog on my website to display my content, I wasn’t actively promoting it as much as I truly should have been. The most significant challenge for me during this enlightening realization has been the feeling that my content deserves far more recognition and value than what social media seems to be providing it, a sentiment I continue to hold strongly to this very day.

Remember how I mentioned that I would touch on the truly fascinating individuals that I encountered along this inspiring journey? At the very beginning of J Bell Visuals, in walked the remarkable Ms. Deja. Our paths crossed through her being a mutual friend of one of my close acquaintances. If you’ve been following my work over the years, you’ve undoubtedly seen Deja appear in many of my projects! She and I have collaborated countless times throughout the years, and she is absolutely what I would call a day one in this adventure. She has tirelessly stayed by my side, helping me navigate through the range of my work, from the less impressive to the higher quality pieces that I am proud to showcase today in my profession. While we may not connect for our photo sessions as often as we did in the past, whenever we do get together, we share many of the same sentiments about how we feel the industry has transformed over the years, especially with all the shifts brought on by social media.

As we meticulously planned for this session, I took a moment to mention to her that I envisioned taking a distinctly different approach towards how we would display these captivating images. This was well before I had even the faintest idea of how this session would ultimately unfold, but I had unwavering trust in the creative synergy that we had cultivated together over the years. I believed this session would be incredible enough to inspire and motivate me to place a much higher value on this remarkable set of images than ever before. Collectively, we truly didn't disappoint in our efforts and dedication!

I treated this particular group of images quite differently from any other set that I’ve worked on before. For one, we carefully selected our favorites together, which certainly isn’t a typical process that I usually follow. Secondly, I didn’t even begin to edit them until a few months after the session, which is incredibly strange compared to my usual approach towards a photography session. My reasoning, while simple, was also quite complicated; I wasn’t entirely sure how I wanted to handle these images and I understood that I couldn’t just throw them out into the masses where they would inevitably get lost in the relentless social media junkyard. During the session, I had a detailed discussion with Deja about how I was planning to approach these images differently, but I wasn’t 100% sure what that would ultimately entail.

As I mentioned earlier, writing has provided me with a profound sense of peace lately, and the opportunity to express my thoughts about my pieces while also sharing them in the way that I desire is truly all that I need. Discovering this creative outlet has been a journey of growth and development and continues to be an endeavor that I am actively working on improving. However, collaborating with individuals who share similar values regarding the significance and impact of the content we create has made this transition a great deal easier and more enjoyable.

“Writing has provided me with a profound sense of peace”

I am genuinely excited and look forward to sharing even more engaging and inspiring content in this way as I continue on this remarkable journey. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Deja for joining me on this significant chapter of my adventure. I have a multitude of fresh and creative concepts that I intend to shoot in the coming year, and I am eager to discuss them as I unveil these ideas. Deja and I currently have a few of those exciting concepts brewing, and you definitely won’t want to miss out on the upcoming releases! Thank you for taking the time to read this passage, and please stay tuned for my next photography endeavors—they promise to be extraordinary!