There has always been an argument of whether photography is art or not.
With photographer Jason Paul Hermann, there is no debate. His work blurs boundaries between art and photography. Jason is a digital artist, he paints people with his photography into mythical scenes and mystical places.
Jason is a South African artist based in Cape Town who has been practising photography for the past fifteen years. He studied photography and design at Liverpool Art College in England, where he thrived with portrait photography.
“I’ve always known I wanted to do it but I didn’t understand why. I was just kind of organically doing it. And then I had a soul awakening. Then I started seeing people a lot deeper and a lot clearer, which was beautiful,” Jason shares.
As soon as you see a piece person’s soul – you’ve got it. By Jason Paul Hermann.
Jason endeavours to capture the soul in his photography. His biggest inspiration is National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, who “could see into the soul of people’s eyes”.
“Most of my photos are grounded in people, I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face,” Steve McCurry.
Like Steve, Jason is interested in the raw essence of a person. “I’m not interested in the layers or anything like that. I want to know who that person is. And photography is an amazing medium for that.”
By Jason Paul Hermann
“It’s not a photoshoot, it’s an experience. It’s an experience to be vulnerable, to be open, to experience yourself. Let go of any conditioning and beliefs, any shame.”
Jason offers an opportunity for people to be photographed in their natural essence. To him, women are beautiful creatures who need to be appreciated. He hopes to awaken their inner goddess, to help women find their strength and draw it out, so that they may see themselves as they never have before.
“The body is beautiful and we are all beautiful in our own unique ways. And this is what I want to show people.”
His subjects are often people he has been drawn to. Many of those people need a lot of healing. “It’s a lot to do with my photography – it’s more a healing tool, that’s what it’s become.”
Creating his artworks is a long process, Jason explains. Once he finds his subjects he envisions a story for them, picking out their character and exploring locations for the photo shoot.
“I don’t see it as a photo shoot either. It’s an experience. I take you on a journey. And we go and have a journey together. We go and experience something, and you get to experience yourself in a way you’ve never experienced yourself before. And I help you break down any boundaries and inhibitions. And that’s the point of it. So I help you break those layers down.”
“It’s very spiritual. It takes a lot of energy. It’s a lot of giving.”
Much of the work that goes into creating his paintings are in post production. Once the shoot is finished he uploads the images and mercilessly selects only the top few. “I keep the ones that really speak to me,” Jason says. “It’s really tough because so many of them are beautiful.”
One of my personal favourite works by Jason Hermann.
Then Jason studies the photograph and connects with the image. “Then I’m really looking at a person. I am seeing those angles and things I didn’t even really see when we were in the shoot. Because the shoot sometimes is just a flow – it’s a flow of capturing things.”
The alchemy begins, and Jason lets his fingers do the painting from there. He uses Adobe Photoshop as the tool and medium for his digital painting. “Sometimes I’ll edit the pictures and take an hour or two hours or so and I get completely lost in it. And the end of it I will look at it and go wow – did I just do that?”
“It’s very personal. It comes from a deep love of people. And a deep love of wanting to heal people. But healers have to admit that they have to heal themselves too. ”
“Picasso said find your gift then give it away, basically. And this is a passion for me, and this is a gift that I want to give,” says Jason.
To see more of Jason Paul Hermann’s work:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasonpaulhermannphotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonvonhermann/?hl=en
Website: http://www.jasonpaulhermann.portfoliobox.net/portraits
