Classic opening question, How did you get into photography? 

Limewire Downloaded Kick Push forcing itself through a pinhole speaker on an old Telecom XT brick phone, second hand trucks and a cracked Cheapskates board, blood stained elbows in hoodies and pinky toe holes in Vans Shoes, I sure did fit the bill, but what the fuck was I thinking? I couldn’t live up to the 5 stairs and public benches that the older, taller, sweatier version of me was pulling off. If only hand-me-downs worked with skating skills (laughs, but ultimately knows how desperately lame I was). I had my best mate Gabe along for the ride and… what’s this? His Mums Pink Lumix DMC point and shoot? Why am I carrying this fucking thing all the time? I’ts not even mine, Oh… wait… this is kind of cool… it zooms? Why do movies have black bars on the top and bottom? What does a camera cost?…. Six months of groveling at the olds, and baby sitting apparently. Pulling the little circle tape off of the box tabs. What are these instructions for? I know everything already. Oh Fuck, I’m addicted to cameras now. From 16 to 28. From Movie maker edits to Director of Photography for a Marketing firm that survives worldwide. Time flies Don’t it?

At what point in your photography journey did you realize you could make a career out of this?

 I pulled a sicky (nerves about my old employer seeing this grow) and my friend who owns and operates a marketing firm had just got a flash new office in the centre of town. I went in to check it out, stunned at how much I was missing out on. He said he had been waiting for me to ask for a job, and the rest is history. This was for me!

How did you feel during your first paid shoot?

A sweaty 17 year old with a 600D and 1% of a drop in the bucket of knowledge on photography. Someone wanted to pay me to shoot their wedding? What the fuck? Blown out highlights and crushed blacks (a sign of the times) and I had received my first pay for a legit shoot. Fuck yeah! (in the following years I would be crippled by deep dissatisfaction with my own work because of this shoot)

Favorite shoot you’ve done?

When my son was born, I had to drive from Tokoroa to Hamilton for work everyday for a while. This ate away at my soul. I didn’t take many photos for a long while. Then COVID happened. Forced inside, I grew a deep passion for capturing the joy my son had for the unknowingly fucked up world we live in now. The client paid shit. Not many people saw the photos. But I definitely enjoy that the most. 

Biggest pet peeve when working with clients (pre, during or post-production)?

Everyone is human, and sometimes people don’t know what they want until you show them what they don’t want. That… That is my biggest pet peeve. But again, everyone is human. So no grudges held.

Weapon of Choice? (Camera of choice)

 Don’t you fucking dare let me go down the rabbit hole of cameras. Have you ever held a camera in your hands and found your true love? Neither you fucking creep. X-Pan. (Drools)

Bro seriously - How did you make the inside of a Subway look interesting?

Aah the subway photo. Waihi has a whole mine and I choose to take my photos of the shops around town. I would say, slow enough shutter speed for the fans to have movement but not too slow as to take a blurry photo. Everyone loves some film plume action.

You’ve worked with a massive variety of subjects (people, houses, landscapes) - do you enjoy the variety your job brings you?

Man I love my job, I’m not incentivised to say that (my boss doesn’t have a gun to my head while I type this)but I really do get a profound satisfaction from capturing such a crazy stack of photos and videos over a wide range of subjects. From Cow Shit to Sheer Curtains.

Not to pick a favorite child, but what do you like photographing most?

 I love all my genres equally. My children play blissfully in the garden of photosites……………  Portraiture.

Is storytelling just as important in commercial photography as it is in other styles?

If you have even seen a photo by Gregory Crewdson, you would know that story is paramount. One photo, one message. One chance, one opportunity, to seize eve…. (clears throat) …. Without story, you don’t have a photo. It’s like… choosing a colour for a car that doesn’t exist. You can’t drive Gun Metal Grey. You know what I’m saying? 

What devil contract did you sign to get such good weather in all your photos?

Where there are bees there is honey. Be there or be square pussy. (psst, its just luck)

Have you got any tips for readers interested in commercial photography, specifically?

The hardest thing about being a commercial photographer is that you have to prove you can do it. Some backwards shit let me tell you. If I can’t get anyone to trust me to take good photos, how will anyone ever see that I can do it for them as well? There are things called Spec Ads. This is when you do a shoot for a company that never asked for the deliverables and doesn’t know you exist. Take them those Photos and show them what they could get from you. Things are scary but they ARE possible. You will fail. But not forever.

If you decided to pick up and learn any other art medium, which would it be?

Secretly I am very into music. It is the moon to my tides I swear. It’s just a matter of time before I buy a drum kit and piss off my neighbours. 

Okay, largest animal you think you could take in a fight?

10/10 would show these hands to a…. We don’t support ”Yo Mamma” Jokes here.

Where can our readers find you? 

You will either find me on a stinky farm or @Jneilvan on insta. 

(Note for the readers. Do Not Ad Bracket To Print). You as an artist need to take the time to decide who deserves your love and effort for photography. Money is nice and I love my job, but I have lost a lot of my spark that I once had. Do lots of shoots for free… Do it. You will soon find out what matters to you and what you would rather be paid for. You have so much time to do the things you love. The best things in life are free.