Jason started his career in NYC working as an assistant to some of the most celebrated photographers. He honed his craft over a decade before emerging as a true talent in his own in 2008. The Fashiongton Post is excited to let you know more about this amazing fashion photographer from our recent conversation resulted in a breathtaking interview with Jason Kibbler.
The Fashiongton Post: Jason, has your first camera been given to you by your parents?
Jason Kibbler: Yes, they gave me a 35 mm NOVA camera when I was 10 years old, so I could document a month long trip to Papua New Guinea. I went on the trip with my parents at a time when the country was still very untouched by our culture and the experience of capturing that trip triggered a love of photography.
F.P.: What did you want to be when you were a kid?
J.K.: I wanted to be a photographer since I can remember.
F.P.: What do you most vividly remember from school years?
J.K.: Art class, spending hours and hours in the darkroom developing and experimenting. My school girlfriend used to dress up in my mum’s clothes and we would have fashion shoots which was my first “training”.
F.P.: If you could talk to your ten-year-old self, what would you like him to know?
J.K.: “Don’t worry it’s all going to work out amazing”. Growing up can hold so much anxiety about the future, if I could go back and reassure my childhood self that our dreams would come true that’s what I would do.
F.P.: What do you think is a key skill essential to working in the fashion industry these days?
J.K.: Will, Persistence, Tenacity and Personality. I will also say that being social media savvy can really help to grow your business.
F.P.: What do you consider to be your biggest satisfactions and dissatisfactions with your occupation?
J.K.: I try to remain positive and just love creating amazing new fresh editorials with amazing teams. I’m a naturally optimistic person and have always been able to manifest lucky with the power of positive thinking.
F.P.: Would you say you are adventurous? What is the greatest adventure you’ve been on, and what would you like to do?
J.K.: My greatest and most important adventure was moving to New York from Australia with only a $1000 to pursue my career as a photographer. I made a huge leap, packed a small bag and headed for New York. I stayed at the YMCA and cold called photographers looking for assistant gigs. Looking back what I did was very brave and a big gamble but at the time I felt very called to follow my passion and listed to my intuition about where I was meant to go. I just stuck to what I wanted to do and worked very hard.
F.P.: Being famous for a while now, you would have had to develop a thick skin. In what ways are you tough, and in what ways are you sensitive?
J.K.: I am a tough negotiator but my wife will tell you that I’m a big softie and very sweet.
F.P.: Your favorite item in your closet is…
J.K.: I’m a jeans fanatic and recently switched from Acne to Rag & Bone jeans.
F.P.: Do you make new friends easily?
J.K.: I find it easy to make new friends, I meet so many new and interesting people every day but to be honest I’m a bit of a loner and love just hanging out with my family.
F.P.: When you’re not taking photographs, we’re most likely to find you at.. ?
J.K.: At our upstate property. Being from Australia, I have a naturally green thumb and love to grow things. We have a big garden and grow lots of veggies.
F.P.: What is a perfect day for you?
J.K.: I love getting up early before anyone is about for a good cup of coffee and to get set for the day. Being near the water to enjoy friends and family make for a perfect day.
F.P.: What’s for dinner tonight?
J.K.: My fav thing to make is a rotisserie chicken on the charcoal BBQ with deep fried mozzarella stuffed zucchini flowers that I grew in my garden.
F.P.: Something about you we should know but don’t.
J.K.: My father was a builder, so having that around me growing up I learned a great deal about construction and building things. Now I love to build anything from my own shoot sets to modern furniture. I love dealing with finishes of all kinds, wood, concrete, ceramic, etc.
F.P.: Your piece of advice to the readers of The Fashiongton Post?
J.K.: If you’re really passionate about something, take the chance and just do it. You are passionate about it for a reason.
