My name is J.P. O’Donnell; I have always been more of a "right brained" sort of person. I have always loved to draw, paint, and do anything that involves art. Photography has always been something special to me, I was fascinated as a kid with how and why pictures are taken. Growing up in a more "left brained" family, only motivated me more to be interested in this art form. Freshmen year I got super into dance and photography and recently I have decided that to be my career path. I hope to double major in dance and photography at an arts school. Live on the coast and make a name for myself in the industry as a dance photographer. But also specialize in wedding photography, portraits (senior pictures, headshot, graduation, family, school dances etc) , theater photography, and sports photography. I hope to get more into still/landscape photography, wildlife photography and street photography and increase my experience and skill level in those areas of film work.

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My photography style is very out of the box, abstract and interesting, I love to make people think when they see a photograph of mine. Personally it means more to hear a "how?" rather than a "wow!". Taking chances and risks is very important to me. I love to be challenged. I think this is a very competitive and scary industry and you have to stay one step ahead of yourself. Photography is a magical thing and it’s so crucial to society that it doesn't get taken for granted.

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My goal for photography is to be the best version of myself I can be and to never give up. Even if I do become successful someday I wish to never forget how much work it really takes to achieve success, and to always keep working harder and harder. I love to shoot portrait and dance photography in nature/outside in very contrasting environments, I want to do things no one has ever done, If it works, I will have reached my goal, if It doesn’t work, shame on society, but I will keep trying and working until I can’t hold a camera anymore. Money isn’t important to me, but art is.

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I have so many ideas for dance photography. I want to do projects like “Dancing with Light” the idea being long exposures of dancers drawing with light sources, or dancing around light. I want to use my photography as a voice and paint a paragraph in a photo. If I can inspire one person to be the best version of themselves, then I can say I have achieved success as a photographer. I won’t let limits slow me down right now, like camera budget and location budget, because that shouldn’t be an excuse. You can make a more meaningful piece with an old film camera in Kansas, then with a 1D-X or D5 DSLR in Hawaii. One of my favorite quotes was said by Ansel Adams, and that is “You don’t take a photograph, you make it” and that speaks volumes.

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One day I hope to change the world or even one person’s appreciation for not just photography but all of art. Dance, painting, drawing, architecture ect. Because art is alive right now and its everywhere. You look to your left, architecture, look to your right fashion. You can’t go a day without seeing art. I think I’m so passionate about photography and dance because it allows me to express myself without being judged. I don’t have to hide when I’m dancing and I don’t have to hold back when I’m photographing. I can go at my own pace, as long as I’m still with the music, but other than that, my pace…I’m so excited to take my first step into following my dreams. I can’t wait to show the world that first step and the last one. I just hope those footprints stay. 

Email: jpodonnephoto@gmail.com

Portfolio: http://jpodonnell.foliohd.com/all