Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: John Kaminski @johnkaminski

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

I’m a photographer based out of central Pennsylvania. I am self taught and focus on portrait, glamour, and fashion photography. I travel a ton and love working with new people and various brands

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

Although I photograph a lot of different styles, my instagram is mostly for portrait and glamour photography. I have a low-key lighting style that has become my signature, but I like to mix it up once in a while.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

That’s easy. It’s my name.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

My routine for photo editing has been crafted over the years and now I have a definitive workflow. I bring images into Lightroom and make some minor adjustments to the RAW files before taking them into Photoshop. I use a few plugins like Portraiture and NIK software (occassionally), but most of my editing is done using Photoshop.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

There are a lot of models and photographers on Instagram that influence me in the sense that I like their style and work. Of the photographers, I would say my top three are @santiagopgm, @jackrussell_photo, @sean_archer_photo, and @joeywrightphoto. For models, there are even more that I love and would love to work with, but some on that list include @marooshk, @elizabethwheeland, @juli.annee, @julia__yaroshenko, and @sierraaaskyee. Honestly, there’s just too many people that I like on Instagram. They’re all great.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

Well for the models that follow me, I think they should all try shooting with me. I have a lot of fun and just love interacting with new people. For the photographers that follow me, you should try sitting in on one of my live editing sessions. I find that when I watch others edit I learn all sorts of tips and tricks that can save me time. As for the guys that follow because I post a lot of images of beautiful women…well many of them should try being respectful. There’s a lot of trolls out there.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

I’m not sure I’ve ever considered myself an influencer. I just really love what I do and thankful that I’m given the opportunity to work with new people all over the world and share the images we create with everyone on Instagram.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

I think that organic growth is really good. I like when people genuinely like a product or brand and post about it. When I see hundreds of detox teas or coffee scrubs, it’s obvious that it’s pushing too hard. I’m sure as a brand that’s one way to do it, but I like when companies reach out to me and give me the creative freedom to shoot their products. I don’t mind putting products in my shoots and even encourage it, but I like to have some freedom to come up with the concepts especially if it’s just for free products. If I’m hired for a commercial shoot, I still want to bring my style, but also like working with the creative directors to meld my style with their brand and image. It’s a good partnership.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

Who’s original anymore. I feel like almost everything has been done before. Having said that, I try to create unique and original images every time I shoot. I like to be inspired by others, but in the end I want to put my stamp on each image. In terms of quality, the key in my opinion is to only release your best work and update your portfolio often as you get better. I know that not every image I take is going to be the money shot, but I’m smart enough to keep those in my archives and not release them to the general public.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

I like the team environment around working with brands. I do a lot of research on their products and their style and their philosophy and then try to create work that incorporates their goals with my style. Usually everyone I’ve worked with has been a lot of fun too. A friendly environment and open communication is key. Like anyone would like, it feels great when brands reach out to me to work with them. It means that I’m producing work that they are inspired by and that makes me want to work with them even more. In the same respects, when I reach out to brands directly it means that I really love what they’re doing. I may not have even tried their product, but sometimes their instagram accounts or the people they work with or the philosophy of the company inspire me to want to work with them. That means they’re doing something right!

Topics:

• Art
• Celebrities
• Fashion
• Hair & Beauty
• Health & Fitness
• Photography
• Travel

Country:

United States of America