Art & Life with Jacob McCready

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob McCready.

Jacob, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When I was in middle school, I was obsessed with sports. At one point I was going to football practice every day and then immediately going to soccer practice. My legs were pretty much mush. But, even though I was just some moody teenager, I still wasn’t that happy with the life I led. One practice I just so happened to break two bones in my forearm, and I never played a single down after that. Since I couldn’t play, I had to find a different passion to distract my always hustling mind. When my Dad bought me my first FujiFilm camera, I immediately fell in love with the thing. The simplicity of pointing and shooting intrigued me. And served as a coping mechanism, during the months of my grueling physical therapy. The more I was out of commission from sports the more time I had to explore the features of my camera. Pretty soon I developed the fire and desire to show the world my angle and vision on things. The beauty of photography is, it allows you to hypothesize different scenarios to get the perfect shot. And what household items could be used as a makeshift filter. Photography has opened up my vision to a whole new world of imagination and open mindfulness. Not only does this apply with my camera, but with life in general. Being the guy that captures all the wonderful moments in life, is really special.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I take all sorts of photographs. I try and not limit myself to one art form. I experiment with my camera, and try and get out of my comfort zone. If you’re too comfortable with your picture taking, then you’re going to produce the same images every time. I mainly shoot concerts with bands in and around Houston. I try and add a touch and taste of Houston in my pictures. Through my images, I hope that I can achieve not only my dreams but the dreams of all the young artists who want to make a splash in the music scene. I look at people like Greg Noire and take inspiration from some aspects of their work. But, in other aspects, I try and produce the total opposite. In concert photography and other fields, I hope my work is a breath of fresh air, something someone has never seen before. I hope people can understand that I’m trying to not be compared to any professional photographers. I want to be myself and have my own form of photographs.

Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
Since everyone is running around with iPhones that produce very high-quality images, and everyone is so engaged in Instagram and Twitter that make the pressure to succeed all the more difficult. Cities should embrace this change and trend in technology. Artists should feel welcomed to express themselves and their artwork. Magazines like Voyage should encourage others and discover artists who deserve the attention and offer their support. There needs to be more great Houston artists. Our city should be proud of our artistic community.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Right now I am only on Instagram. However, some of my work can be found on my school’s newspaper website, pantherpressonline.com. I mainly take theater and sports pictures for my school’s yearbook as well, the Oak. My handle on Instagram is @jacobtakespixs. All I ask of people is to like it up on Instagram and follow me and support my work.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 832-707-7441
• Email: jacobandrewphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: @jacobtakespixs

Image Credit:
The picture of me in the fur coat is by my friend Ben Stewart.

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.