Meet Jamie Padgett of Padgett and Company in West Rogers Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Padgett.

Jamie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Graduated from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. Muddled around for a few years. Realized I needed to get experience as an assistant photographer to learn about lighting and composition and the actual business of being a photographer.  Had the good fortune of assisting Barbara Karant (among others) who is one of the best architectural photographers in the city.  She eventually hired me to photograph and I worked with her for about 10 years. She has an amazing “eye” that I learned from in terms of creating depth in a two dimensional surface. She also absolutely excels with lighting.  In 1997, I began Padgett and Company with an emphasis on architectural photography: exteriors, corporate and residential interiors, retail stores and exhibits.  As time has gone on, I have hired additional photographers for my firm.  Currently Tyler Lundberg shoots and assists for me.  I would say the majority of our work these days is exhibit photography: photographing exhibits throughout the country and occasionally the world.

Has it been a smooth road?
Each recession that we have weathered has been trying. The 2008 recession took a number of years to get back to comparable revenue. September 11th, 2001 was a killer. The rest of year we did not earn a dime, not even a nickel, but I was able to hold on to my office manager and additional photographer by paying them out of personal funds.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Padgett and Company story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in architectural photography with an emphasis on large-scale custom exhibits.  From a product standpoint, I believe what sets us apart is that we still drag fifteen lights and collateral accessories to shoots, using lighting to emphasize particular design elements.  Additionally, our attention to detail in each environment helps to create marketing materials for my clients that they can use for years.  But perhaps most importantly we excel at customer service before, during and after the shoot, which helps us to have an excellent history of holding onto clients for many many years.

I have never had more than four employees at any one time but they become part of my family, a team. I do provide health insurance and bonuses and try to pay a living wage. My employees and freelance assistants are never treated as some interchangeable part towards a revenue goal. I like the people I hire.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It is a trying time in any creative field these days, new technology has wiped out whole industries.  Now everyone on the planet thinks they are a photographer. The quantity of images shot each day has exploded. As the iPhone and androids keep getting better and Photoshop continues to automize, more and more clients believe they can get usable images for far less cost than twenty years ago. Digital has brought the quality of photography down industry-wide.  With quantity as the new mantra many of my clients now view photography as just “good enough”.   As a result I have to constantly sell our quality, detail and expertise.  I literally have to visually show my clients what we do and why, so they understand where our costs come from. Not an easy sell.  And now I have to constantly find new clients as some of the older clients get winnowed away by in-house designers that have a good eye and know Photoshop.

The days of a photographer seemingly being a magician are gone. I am happy I learned my craft during the age of film, using large format cameras and being sure that just about everything is perfect for each shot while on location— since retouching transparencies was a fairly expensive thing to do.  Now Photoshop can do a whole lot, even adding lighting to spaces.  But it is just not the same.

Hard to say what a photographer might become in 10 years, more likely part of the process of creating an image.  The person at the computer might have just as much influence as the photographer. There will always be a high-end in photography as well as clients who value a photographer’s vision and skill.  But increasingly it is a shrinking market.

Contact Info:

• Website: padgettandcompany.com
• Phone: 773 508 5846
• Email: jamie@padgettandcompany.com
• Instagram: padgettandcompany

Image Credit:
Padgett and Company

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.