Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Soria.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
I have always liked photography, video, and cameras in general. Ever since I was young, I remember having a camera in my hand and going around the house taking videos with my friends, and I think that’s where my love for photography and videography began. I have also always loved sports. My brother was the one who got me into Basketball and other sports as well. As the years went on, my love for photography continued to develop. Throughout my middle school years, I bought secondhand cameras, used them for a while, and then sold them online to upgrade to a newer, better camera. Finally, in the summer of the 8th-grade year going into my freshman year of high school, I bought my first DSLR Canon Camera. It was a Canon T2i.
Sadly, most of my freshman year was moved to online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, I had the idea to take my DSLR Camera and bike over to my friend’s club baseball game and try shooting baseball since I had nothing else to do and I was bored inside of my house for most of the time. I remember shooting that baseball game and thinking to myself how much I enjoyed doing it. After that day, I continued to photograph other sports. The next sport I shot was Soccer at my previous high school, and I also joined the yearbook club there to involve myself more with photography and school sporting events.
I continued photographing sporting events for my high school yearbook club at North Saint Paul High school until late sophomore year, when my family decided to move to Saint Cloud, Minnesota. After we moved to Saint Cloud, I was determined to continue shooting sports, and I had the goal of making it into a business. I transferred to Apollo High School, where I met Apollo football coach Beehler and spoke with him about making his team a hype video for their upcoming season. He agreed to it, and I made the video in the summer of July, going from sophomore to junior year. Shortly after he posted the video, the activities director from Apollo, Ms. Badger, messaged me about creating more content for the Apollo sports teams throughout the upcoming school year. I, of course, said yes!
Since then, I’ve been working with my Activities director to create content for the school, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming school year where ill be working for them as a Senior. Along with working for my school, I have clients I’ve been lucky enough to work for, such as MM Basketball Training, West Central United AAU Team, Saint Cloud Area Youth Basketball Association, and others. I also recently started working for the Social Media Marketing department at Saint Cloud SCHEELS, where I make videos and take pictures of sporting goods, clothing apparel, hunting/fishing gear, etc.
I am very thankful for all the new people I’ve met In Saint Cloud and for how they’ve helped me work and achieve my goal of running a sports photography business on my own. My parents, who are supportive of me and my entrepreneurial skills, and my brother, who is also an entrepreneur and has taught me so much about running a business and dealing with clients.
I am still very new to Sports Photography/Videography as I’ve only been doing it seriously for about 3 years now. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m excited to continue developing my skills and business.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So far, it has been pretty smooth, in my opinion. The most challenging part so far was when I had to save up enough money to buy professional camera equipment as I had to work and buy it all on my own. Ever since I bought my camera equipment, I’ve been able to make money back by using it to create content for clients, which I’m very grateful for. Another challenge was figuring out how to use my camera equipment correctly and finding my own style of editing to set me apart from other photographers.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Jason Soria Photography?
Jason Soria Photography Is a freelance photographer/videographer working with sports teams/programs and helping them by capturing images & making videos that capture the overall atmosphere while displaying the intensity of the game and the crowd’s emotions, athletes, and coaches. Jason thrives on completing client projects as quickly as possible while maintaining exceptional quality. The way I edit my photos sets me apart from others. I like to make the colors pop and show the contrast and clarity in my sports images. I’m proud of my brand because I started it from scratch with a simple idea in mind and a camera in my hand.
What’s next?
I’m looking forward to continuing to grow my business and relationships with my clients, as well as working on improving my video editing skills and buying more photo gear as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: Jasonsoriaphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonsoriaphotography/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/jasonsoriaphoto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JasonSoria
Image Credits
Luke Schmidt
Jason Soria
