Flexibility Is Essential for Any Photographer

Photographer and Director, Jason Lindsey Shoots With a Cinematic Documentary Style for Zoetis

Jason Lindsey ?approaches all he does with a delicate balance of strategy and creativity. He was like that as a kid and has found his niche in photography, which allows his artistic mind to flourish while appeasing the more calculated side of Jason. This duality is why he is drawn to agriculture work. While it is rooted in science, there is an art to cultivate a prosperous crop or livestock.?

Zoetis, a pharma company that specializes in animal medication, sought Jason out for his documentary style to follow real farmers on their day to day duties. Jason is drawn to agriculture work because of the reality of it. He likes the down to earth nature of the work and as someone who grew up around agriculture, he identifies with the people behind it. We sat down with Jason to learn more about this project. Read on to hear of the flexibility needed when working on a farm, and how you should always have an extra shirt on hand, in case you too come across a hungry cow.

What did you learn on this project?

This project was all about being flexible and adapting to the situation. We shot in a documentary style and had a second shooter for stills. It is amazing how much content you can create when you have creative flexibility to adapt. We shot these campaigns on farms in Wisconsin and Iowa, so unpredictable weather presented us with a variety of issues. Since we were following these farmers on their regular work day, we had to adapt to what they needed to do in order to maintain the farm. We ended up setting up under the cover of the barn as opposed to being out in a field.

Memorable moment from this project?

The first time a cow tried to eat my shirt was pretty memorable. Unfortunately, I kept getting so wrapped up in the shot that I would soon forget and they would try again.

What do you want people to know about you and your work after seeing this project??

I really enjoy cinematic documentary style shooting and working with a team to tell stories. This shoot was shot with a smaller team, so I was director and DP and then we had a second shooter who shot stills. This type of shooting and the parameters of this shoot highlighted my role of a director. I like the flexibility that smaller shoots like this one present.

Follow Jason on?Instagram ?for more stories that take you deeper.

Heather Elder is the owner of Heather Elder Represents; an agency dedicated to representing photographers and directors. Steeped in service, she is inspired by those with the gift to craft moments, tell stories visually, and who do it for a living.