About Louis Jay:
Born in Philadelphia, he moved to London as a young manto study photography at Harrow College of Art.Inspired by Kertsz, Brassa, and other classic documentary shooters of the 20th century, he roamed the city with his Leica camera, taking pictures of life on thestreets.
Louis returned to the U.S. to continue his education with the great photographer Lisette Model at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Her mantra Never take a picture of anything youre not passionately interested in had a profound impact on him throughout his life behind the lens.
Taking a temporary break from photography, Louis entered New York University Graduate Film Institute, where he studied with the renowned Czech cinematographer, Beda Bakta. Following his graduation, he spent as an assistant cameraman on commercials and independent films in New York City. However, Louis clambered to return to his first love, photography. He subsequently launched a commercial photography business in New York City and began shooting portraits and working with advertising agencies.
His assignments allowed him to travel widely. Louis developed a particular fondness for Rio de Janeiro and relocated his studio there in the Gavia neighborhood in 1986. There he photographed ads, record covers, and editorial portraits forInterviewmagazine. During these years, Louis continued pursuing his personal projects photographing life and people in urban settings which resulted in two one-man shows in New York (Cafeteria Portraits) and Rio (The Lapa Exhibit).
In the nineties, Louis moved back to the States and established a studio in Miamis Design District where he continued to pursue commercial and portrait work. Throughout his international career, Louis taught photography classes at schools like Parsons, the Miami Ad School, and Barry University.
In 2011, Louis retired from commercial work, and returned to photographing people and their surrounding his true passion. A lifelong dream to curate a book of photographs culminated in his first publication,Passing Fancies(Luce Press, 2018), a meditative documentary of Louiss fascination with the spirit, mystery, and allure of his favorite places Miami, Paris, the Amalfi Coast, and Rio, to name a few.
To view more of Louis’s work, visit hiswebsite.
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