From the Mind of JScott

We'll only be accepting 40 seniors this summer so ACT FAST on scheduling your session before all slots are gone! Greetings! I am proud to share that JScott Images is officially open and ready to rock the greater Cedar Valley area! For those that don't remember, I was the crazy guy that used to travel around to various high school sporting events thanks to an award winning social media contest called "We Want JScott" that set the Twitter world on fire. In a matter of a few years I went from being a relative unknown photographer in a large pool of photographers to becoming one of the most well known and sought after photographers in all of Eastern Iowa. A group photo of me and some crazy fun students at Wapsie Valley High School that were one of the many winners of my We Want JScott contest that had me traveling all over Eastern Iowa a few years ago. After a three year stint that saw my family's life go from Waterloo to Manchester and back to Waterl...

It's about that time again!  Time for the craziness that is the senior photo season to get underway! Thousands of high school juniors across Eastern Iowa and the rest of the state will have to start deciding what photographer they want to go to for their senior photos.   I know that we haven't even hit March yet and there's still tons of snow/ice on the ground but it seems like every year things kick off sooner and sooner...with all this said, let's talk about what to think about when considering a photographer to take your senior photos! I'd like to offer my opinion on what you should look for when shopping for a photographer to take your senior photos. This is both for seniors-to-be as well as their parents too! 1.  Uniqueness: One would assume that price would be the #1 option here and in many ways, it is #1 because let's face it, things are tough and there are enough more important things than senior photos to think about. But, if you're in...

If there's one thing out there that I love to do as much as if not more than photography it's speaking to others about photography. I love to try to inspire others to really invest their time and energy into photography and perhaps a lifelong career in a photography related field. So when I was contacted recently about speaking to University of Northern Iowa photojournalism students I jumped at the opportunity. I didn't have much time to really think about it as I was asked about an hour before the class met. Short notice or not, this was too awesome to pass up. During the class I presented some examples of my work and discussed how I got to where I'm at now. I stressed that my talents didn't come overnight nor is photography as glamorous as it appears in movies or on TV; there is a lot of work involved, especially before and after a shoot/event. While this was a photojournalism class I also shared with them some of my portrait work and other work from ot...

The moment was inevitable. The season was going to have to come to an end at some point. And while this ending included a trophy, it wasn't quite the one the players had wanted to hoist above their heads. With a 59-44 loss yesterday, the 2012-13 Maquoketa Valley girls basketball team secured its spot as one of the top-four basketball teams in the state in Class 2A. It's understandable that the Wildcats probably wanted to finish even higher! Maquoketa Valley finished its season 20-6. The team that beat them yesterday, Lawton-Bronson, will now face No. 1 ranked and defending champion Western Christian (25-1) for the title at 6 pm on Friday. OK, onto something more positive! =) To the players and coaching staff from JScott Images,  CONGRATULATIONS on an awesome season including your trip to the state tournament!!  I want to personally thank the players, the coaching staff, the parents and the fans for embracing me as much...

Years ago, I was just a kid with a camera and a desire to shoot sports. I got my start in a Photography class that I took as an elective while in high school at West Delaware High School in Manchester (great school by the way, 2000 graduate!). The year was 1998. Or maybe it was 1999. I guess I'm getting old as my memory isn't working well this morning. =) Well anyway, the point is, Facebook and the age of social media was years down the road. So even though I hadn't thought of myself as a business just yet I was laying the groundwork to where I'd hope to be down the road. But to think that one day I'd have over 2,000 people that would not only declare that they like my work but that they'd like it enough to get updates about it so they could see it (and I'm sure judge it) on a daily--and hourly--basis...now that's just crazy talk! I can remember a time when I'd shoot a high school basketball game and get a rush if any of the players ...

Congratulations to the Maquoketa Valley girls basketball team for punching its ticket to the state tournament in Des Moines with a 39-30 victory over North Butler! The Wildcats (19-5) and ranked 15th in Class 2A overcame a slow start and knocked off the 5th ranked Bearcats in the Class 2A Region 4 final. I had the opportunity to photograph this exciting night for the Wildcats and it was awesome to say the least. The anticipation could be felt from both sides of the gym from the moment I walked in. Both sides filled the gym with bodies and a buzz that is hard to put into words. Even during warmups you could tell these fans were ready for the game of the year for their teams. **** As a photographer, I try not to get caught up in the game. I'm there to capture photos. But then again, I'm human. I have had a connection to Maquoketa Valley for almost a decade now and I cheer for them as if I an alum. I used to work for the Manchester Press as well as th...

Haven't you ever wanted to get so great at photography that you get to shoot inside an old camera? Thanks to my buddy Josh for jumping inside this one for this image! I get asked all the time "How do I take better pictures" or "How do I take pictures like you JScott?" or "How do I better do what I do the way you do?". Okay, so I made that last one up. But in all fairness, I think that essentially that's what I'm being asked by photographers of all levels. Before I get started let me make one thing perfectly clear: If you're not a full-time--or even part-time--photographer right now or you're not even charging people for your photography (and even if you are I guess), I'VE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES.  I'VE BEEN that person with a fancy piece of machinery in front of me called a camera and had no idea how to make it work. I'VE BEEN that person watching other photographers' work (even as far back as the days before F...