For many people, discovering their passion is a life-long journey. For Jake Freeman, this search ended after a whirlwind trip to New York City that included a guerilla fashion shoot, a run-in with the law and a password-protected industry party. He was only 15 years old at the time. Not bad for a high-school freshman.
Only three years later, Freeman’s interest in fashion has turned into a full-fledged photography business, one that has him attending Edina High School by day and shooting high-fashion photography by night.
Freeman’s interest in photography began at age 12, when he began snapping pictures of nature to cope with his parent’s impending divorce. “I always thought it was beautiful the notion that you can hold something in time,” he says. “It really captures the essence of an era.” Though he always enjoyed fashion (an interest he inherited from his mother), Freeman didn’t consider branching into fashion photography until one of his friends (also a local model) raised the idea. “She showed me this one photographer Jen Cress’ work, because she was going to shoot with her,” he says. “So I decided to send her an email and asked her if she would take me under her wing.”
Cress, a well-known photographer, happened to be in the process of starting her own magazine, creem, and immediately responded to Freeman’s request for a meeting. “To actually be able to make a true impact creatively and as a mentor, you have to have the right connection,” she says. “For me, that starts with understanding that someone is sincere and willing to work hard.” Only three days after meeting over lunch, Cress invited Freeman to come to New York City with her, where she was shooting designer Ken Chu’s resortwear collection. Though he was new to the scene, “I knew he had the maturity, self-awareness, drive and passion to really get a full experience out of Fashion Week and New York City,” says Cress. For Freeman, the trip proved life-changing. “It was a really big learning experience photography-wise, but also on a personal level, because all of the things I experienced really gave me a focus and a drive,” he says.
Upon their return, Freeman continued working with Cress, whom he says “is there to listen to you whenever you need to talk to her, but is also there to teach you and crack the whip.” Freeman served as a photo and editor’s assistant at creem, helping the team with the photo shoots, layouts and marketing of the magazine. Freeman also credits Cress with teaching him the mechanics of photography. “We’ve sat down a number of times and gone through all the lights, methods and ways you can shoot.”
Nearly two years after starting with Cress, however, Freeman began to dream about starting his own business. “I realized I had enough connections at that time to go off on my own, and I had enough skills to do it,” he says. With Cress’ blessing (she even gave Freeman clients whose business she didn’t have the time to take on), Jake Freeman Photography was born. Though exciting, finding his personal vision as a photographer proved more difficult than he expected. “It took a lot longer than I thought because I’m still young and I was very timid,” he says. “I was working with these professionals who had been in the industry a lot longer.”
As Freeman found his confidence and his vision evolved, so too did his photography style. “When I first started, I was very clear-cut,” he says. “Now I move around more; I try a lot of crazier things. I’ll throw out a weird pose just to see if it looks good.” Freeman cites isolation and loneliness as themes throughout his work, and prefers to use natural lighting with little post-editing work. Besides shooting weddings, senior pictures and family portraits, Freeman has collaborated with numerous modeling agencies, stylists, boutiques and hair/makeup artists in the Twin Cities. He was also picked to exhibit his work in the teen-based SooFuse exhibition at the Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis.
But balancing a full-time business while maintaining a remote sense of normalcy as a high school student is not always an easy task. “I’ll study for fours hours and then I’ll edit photos for five hours,” Freeman says. “It’s intense.” His unusual after-school activity has also forced him to lead a quasi-double life. “People are really supportive, but my friends don’t quite get it,” he says. “Nobody really shares my interests, so I kind of keep them separate from each other.”
As he finishes his senior year at Edina High School (where he also serves as the Zephyrus’ lead photographer, opinion editor and blogger), Freeman has set his sights on colleges in the New York area, where he hopes to study business and eventually work in the fashion industry. As for his advice to other young people looking to start a business, “go for it,” Freeman says. “Age doesn’t mean anything. If you have a passion, there’s no limit.”
Photography: Jake Freeman, Creative Director: McKenna Little, Styling: Sarah Edwards, Hair & Makeup: Amber Rose, Model: Bella @ Arquette and Associates, all clothing courtesy of Rewind Vintage.
