CATCH UP WITH JON TREND
Jon Trend first caught our eye as a young photographer hanging out on rooftops taking (slightly scary) photos. We finally got a chance to catch up with him about his work, where we like to spend time in Portland and which photographers he pulls inspiration from. Make sure to stay up with all of his work on his popular Instagram account! Keep scrolling for tons of photos of his work & our interview.
E+E: Give us a brief rundown of how you first got into photography.Jon Trend: Well I have only been shooting for about 3 years now so it’s all happened kind of fast. I bought my first camera on my way to the coast with my family. I just walked into best buy dropped some money on a Nikon d3200 and headed out. I had no idea what I was doing, I was just walking around taking pictures of what I thought was cool. It wasn’t till last winter that I started taking it seriously. This really started picking up for me about August of last year and I started getting called to do paid gigs. It’s crazy really, one of my first actual paid gigs was for Hypebeast so that was kind of surreal. Yeah, now I’ve fell into my own style I’m ready for my real beginning. I’m only 21, and I’ve only been shooting for 3 years so my journey has only just started.E+E: Many of your photos are the perfect mix of urban and raw beauty. Is there a source of inspiration you go to when shooting around the city?JT: As photographers we are drawn to certain things. We tend to shoot what we can relate back to ourselves. That being said, when I am out shooting in the street I look for myself in my subjects, and that’s beautiful in itself. But whenever I am feeling uninspired I open up a Vivian Maier photobook, and I am instantly back out on the streets.
E+E: What camera/s are your go-to's?JT: Right now I shoot on a Canon 6D but currently I’m looking at picking up a Sony A7-S. E+E: What projects are you currently working on?JT: Right now I just started on as the visual marketer, photographer at Compound Gallery and I’ve been doing that for about 2 weeks now. Other than that I have been taking a break from personal projects, but I have a few ideas on the back burner that I’m waiting to release.E+E: What photographers do you pull inspiration from or look up to?JT: There are quite a few but recently Eric Kim, Vivian Maier, Ansel Adams, and Tim McGurr (13thWitness). 
E+E: Where if your favorite place in Portland to hang out?JT: Oh shoot, haha. This is going to sound really cliché but I spend a lot of time in the upstairs of the Ace Hotel. Just something about the vibe allows me to focus on my work. I also kick it on my roof top a lot. Living downtown has a few perks. Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time at Compound Gallery, mainly because I started working there...Keep up with all of Jon Trend's projects & photos on IG!
