Fashion Photography, Blogging and Beards: An Interview with Jonathan Pryce of GarçonJon.com!

Successful Scottish fashion photographer, Jonathan Daniel Pryce, sprung onto my radar back in December 2013, with the launch of his book, ‘100 Beards: Edition Two’. The book marks Jonathans goal of photographing a second assortment of 100 bearded guys over 100 days and I was lucky enough to attend the launch at London’s Red Bull Studios, where the talented photographer documented my rather modest beard (fourth row down, far right).

Since then, I’ve relished the chance to keep up with the work of “GarçonJon”, as he is more popularly known, and delight in seeing his latest feature pop up on the blog. Jonathan was kind enough to answer a few questions about his work, how blogging has influenced his career, as well as hinting at what the future holds…

First things first, can you tell us a little about yourself and your work?
I’m a Scottish photographer based in London with a focus on fashion and street photography. I shoot a lot of menswear and many of my clients are in that sphere – like MrPorter.com, GQ & Esquire. I cover a lot of the mens style I encounter on my blog GarconJon.com took that further by photographing the beard trend on my blog 100beards.tumblr.com

So, you started back in 2009 with Les Garçons De Glasgow, and since then you’ve moved onto GarçonJon and 100 Beards. How has blogging helped showcase your work?
Digital media has been an invaluable promotional channel. I’ve worked with some incredible people and for some wonderful clients – the majority of whom know me through my blogs and social media. I still regularly have new clients approach me on Twitter and Facebook.

100 Beards had a very successful launch back in December. Can you tell us a bit about the project and its inception?
I love spotting trends as they occur and in early 2012 I noticed how popular beards were becoming. I set myself a challenge to photograph one a day, every day for 100 days in London from July until October & it really took off. Beards have this magical power of bringing people together and I’ve now exhibited across Europe and have released two beard books.

By now you’ve had plenty of blogging experience; do you have any tips for our bloggers?
It’s all about authenticity. Write about things you’re passionate about and it’ll come naturally. Don’t seek attention or praise too much, the audience will come naturally. It takes a long time to get into the swing of blogging so experiment a little. Once you’ve found your groove be as consistent and concise as possible. Also, only post content you’d genuinely be interested in reading yourself.

And how important do you feel it is for fashion brands to work together with bloggers?
It’s a great way for brands to connect with their audience in a fresh way. Bloggers create some of the most exciting unique content on the web and it’s the perfect opportunity for each to build the others reach. Some of my favourite blogging projects have been creative brand collaborations.

Now, what’s your favourite thing about the work you do?
The variety and the people. Every day is different for me and I meet so many amazing people on the journey. I feel very lucky to be paid for making images every day.

And what about your project plans for 2014; another great 100 Beards book, or are you headed somewhere different?
I’m still shooting beards which will be going up on 100beards.tumblr.com and I’ll be promoting the book across the UK over summer. I’m currently working on a new project focused on Great British industry… that’s all I’ll say for now.

Finally, do you have any all-time favourite bloggers?
I love BackyardBill.com and Richard Haines illustration blog http://designerman-whatisawtoday.blogspot.co.uk/

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