Behind-the-pages: Jeff Noon

We LOVE photos. Anything that captures a moment in time and preserves it forever is cool in our books (pun very much intended). In fact, one of the perks of our job as printers and binders is regularly being wowed by your creativity and skill behind the lens and computer. We get to see so many unique combinations of style and shooting that it is truly inspiring. If only we had more time…

Which got us to thinking: why don’t we start sharing some of what inspires or wows us with you? So that’s what we hope to be starting here. A regular blog and email blast where we feature on of the amazing photographers we are privileged to work with and a key piece of their work. Our hope is to not only give a well deserved shout out to our amazing clientele, but to inspire all of you to shoot creatively, work passionately and share your work often.

The first photographer to be featured in our behind-the-pages series is the talented Jeff Noon. We recently had one of Jeff’s killer eye-catching grad albums come through the bindery and we thought – why haven’t we seen more grad albums? We reached out to the photographer behind the album and he agreed to a brief chat to share his passion, why he shoots grad work and a hint of the secret sauce behind selling albums to high school grads.

lta: How long have you been working as a pro photographer?

JN: I’ve been a Graphic Designer by trade and started my first company, Cleer Concepts and Design in 2002. People started liking the way I would shoot for my design work. At the time, it was still predominantly studio photography that was the norm. When people saw the candid nature of my work, even using prompts to get the emotion I like to capture; I could see that I offered a refreshing change to what was “normal”.

I went full time with professional photography in 2009 when I joined the Professional Photographers of Canada and took home my first National Award for Wedding Group. Since then, I’ve won 2 more National Awards including Portrait of the Year and Photojournalistic Wedding. I’ve had work selected, on two different occasions, to represent the Team Canada submission to the World Photographic Cup. (https://wpcteamcanada.com/team/jeff-noon/)

lta: Why grads?

JN: Grads are so willing to try new things and look and feel great in the process. Everyone loves the attention I give them and I treat each session as though it were a shoot for a magazine cover. With my graphic design schooling, I can’t help but make grads feel like a cover model with the use of typography, overlays or additional vector graphics. It’s super rewarding to be able to design something unexpected for clients who haven’t been exposed to my style of commercial work.

lta: Two part question:

a) We find your albums particularly eye-catching. Why albums for a grad shoot?

JN: I love laying out the story the way I see it as a designer; not just the photographer. I really love working with my own images and it’s my job as a high-touch creative studio to provide products that will impress my clients and give them something of irreplaceable value. The types of clients I attract love that they can take these books with them or feature them on their coffee table for when they entertain their close friends and family. I’ve also been a huge advocate of tangible products.

lta: b) How often do you sell an album in a grad shoot?

JN: I pretty much sell an album for each grad session. I don’t overbook my seasons (I typically shoot up to 10 grads per season) because I do spend a lot of time refining my work and walking my clients through the decision making process. If a client doesn’t want to buy an album, we’re not very likely to be a good fit. At the very least I like to sell large wall portraits but when I show them what an album could look like for them, they typically fall in love.

lifethreads albums are built so well and have just enough cover and paper customizations to offer options without being overwhelming and still look incredible.

lta: What is your favourite album size, cover style & “just right” number of spreads?

JN: I keep it simple and average approx 3 images per spread. I like the 10 pg (5-spread) base option and up to 20 of the best of the best images from our session. It’s rare I have to add more pages. However, it’s so affordable to add spreads that I’m not afraid to add them if I need the extra room. I like the 10×10 album, but lately have been upselling the 12×12 version which is always impressive.

lta: Favourite thing to do when you’re not behind the lens?

JN: I love spending time with my wife and kids playing disc golf, swimming, going for walks with our shorkie Penny.

A huge shout out to Jeff for being awesome enough to take the time to talk with us and share his passion for shooting grad portraits and showcasing these budding stars with baller style. If we have one take-away from this chat it’s this: know your style & be passionate about what you do, be selective in your shots, present the best in your unique style – and it usually impresses the client and sells itself!

If you’d like to see more of Jeff’s work or reach out, please check out his site and his instagram: