Jay A. Rickard lives and primarily shoots in Indianapolis, IN. Is capable of traveling on ocassion but rarely.
"My good friend Jay is a creative soul who likes to bare it all before the camera, at least many of his models bare it all because they are terribly comfortable with him and his vision, and the results are clearly a collaborative effort of clarity, light, sensuality, and evocative emotion. I know when I see an image created by Jay that it will be a visual embodiment meant to take the viewer's eyes on a journey of personal artistry. Keep an eye on Jay; he will never leave you lacking inspiration."
"It was approximately three years ago that I worked with Jay Rickard. I didn't think too much of it then, but now that I have looked back on the images we took together, there was an essence of fear and somberness to the photos. From what I recall during our conversations at the time, Jay had told me he had been hurt by someone very close to him, someone that had left him because they could not agree on where to be in their relationship. Likewise I think the pain from that experience was certainly brought into those photos. I was never asked to smile when we shot, and in photos such as the child-hood innocence one Jay painted the clown face on me with a tear and a frown. The indian screen photographs display a sense of uncertainty, as I the model appeared either in a sense of curiosity looking outside the screen, or touching myself from behind the screen, but not in such a sensual way, but more so in that sense of uncertainty I was referring to. Likewise in the photos we did of Shiva painted on my torso, even thought the background was rainbow and I was accented with a gold shawl, the best photos in that set where the ones where I was looking down. I think overall Jay really has that ability to capture the somber and broken side of the human psyche, and as a fellow artist I think that's overall what all artists strive to eventually display in their work. Congratulations on your acheivements, Jay."
-Joel Evan, recording artist
"Working with Jay was like playing tag on my elementary jungle gym. He carries a gentle and imaginative air with a creative focus that tweaks the photos to perfection. He was willing to hear my ideas, and together, we made synergetic magic!"
"Jay is the first photographer I ever worked with. He is very professional and technically competent. More importantly, though, he is exceptionally creative. He never failed to have new ideas and twists on concepts for a photoshoot. I've collaborated with him on several shoots and every one has produced great images for my portfolio. Jay is also very skilled at making the model look good in his images with proper lighting, angles and composition. Every chance to work with him is a treat!"
"I have known Jay as a lover, a friend, a student, a teacher a competitor and as collaborator. It is odd at times though, because in many ways I don’t feel like I really know him at all. We are all a mystery and most of the time that is because we are all constantly changing.
Jay has a passion for photography that I have rarely seen in all the others I have shared this medium with. I first met him behind the counter of a camera supply store I hated going into because they had no clue what they were talking about. I have to say I was enamored just to have someone to talk to who knew what he was dealing with as well as to speak with someone with such passion for the art form of photography. Who would have ever expected that young man with a gleam in his eyes would be as close to me now as he is.
The reason Jay does photography is because he doesn’t have a choice. He uses it to speak his mind about the injustices of the world and also to remind us of the joy and passion that make it worth the journey. Jay’s models are not models, they are Jay, they are the physical form and expression of his inner most fears, dreams and regrets. His photography is not about capturing the essence of the model, it’s about placing his consciencness into their body and taking it over for a period of time. It’s about taking an idea from his head and then making a statement for the world to see. I guess they are almost empty vessels for his vision to fill.
His work is as diverse as the person he is. I have worked with Jay for 7 years now and constantly amazed by the creativity and vision he shows in his images. His images always evoke an emotion in me, whether it be what he wanted might vary. Jay and I share one major trait when it comes to our photography, when we see an image we want to create it stays with us until we can express it in some manor and we usually dream about the shoot and complete it our minds before we ever actually do the session.
Jay’s passion for his work shows in every image he creates, he is constantly growing as a photographic artist and is not afraid to tackle any subject matter. I can’t really compare Jay to any other famous photographers, perhaps Helmut Newton, as he is the only one I can think of why used his models more like props than anything else. Unlike Robert Mapplethorpe, who was more interested in capturing the soul of his subject, Jay uses his subjects to show you a part of himself. "
"I love your Blogspot! Thank you for sharing with me :) You are so talented at featuring the male figure. I'm not into boys, but boy you sure make them look good ;-)"
"Iʼve known Jay for over 5 years and his work keeps getting better. Jay is always very easy to work with and makes sure that the model is comfortable. He is always open to feedback and is always striving for cutting edge feel in his work. Every time that Iʼve shot with Jay has been a blast. Jay likes to look for the next barrier to break in his own work, itʼs an interesting ride to be apart of and the images produced are nothing short of intense! "
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