Jake Callahan’s Photography Brings Split Rock Lighthouse To Life

I was introduced to Jake Callahan accidentally, through drone photography he did featuring Princeton's Holiday light display this past year, where people could drive through the beautiful lights in Princeton at the park during the Christmas season.

His photography business is called J.Callahan Photography, and Jake had taken some beautiful drone photos of those lights, and I thought..wow..This individual has an eye for photography!

RECOGNITION AS A FINALIST FOR LIGHTHOUSE PHOTO

He was recently recognized as a finalist by Destination Duluth, after his amazing drone photo of Split Rock Lighthouse was viewed over 71,000 times! I asked Jake about the recent experience.

KELLY: Jake, I've seen your artwork before, and you do such a great job. How did you hear about the Destination Duluth Photographer event, and can you tell me what happened there?

JAKE: On Monday night, I attended the 'Destination Duluth Photographers Celebration' at the DECC (Duluth Entertainment Convention Center), honoring all the featured photographers on Destination Duluth over the past year. I was honored to be selected as one of the finalists and have my photo of Split Rock Lighthouse displayed in the skywalk outside the harbor side ballroom.

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We were also presented with a certificate letting us know how many times our photo was viewed on Destination Duluth; mine was viewed 71,045 times. I truly felt blessed to have my photo displayed with so many amazing photographers in the skywalk.

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KELLY: Jake, when did you get interested in photography?

JAKE: I started taking landscape photos 11 years ago, a few years after graduating from Metro State with a Bachelor's in Screenwriting. I was working my day job full-time, so I needed a creative outlet that took less time than making films requires.

KELLY: Jake, are you a self-taught photographer, or have you pursued education in photography and drone photography?

JAKE: I have always loved photography and exploring backroads, so I decided to get a decent camera and see what I could find. It has been my passion ever since. I was self-taught at first, but I did take photography workshops as well. I got my first drone nearly 5 years ago, and that has led to doing videos and photos for businesses, farms, and so many other things I couldn’t have predicted. It’s a lot of fun.

KELLY: Has your artwork been displayed in other locations as well?

JAKE: I have had my photos displayed in art centers, on the walls of businesses and homes all over Minnesota and beyond. Anytime someone wants to buy one of my photos, I consider it an honor. I have also been awarded four Artist Grants from the East Central Regional Arts Council for my photography.

KELLY: What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a photographer?

JAKE: If I could give any advice to someone who wants to be a photographer, it’s just... go explore... and take as many photos as you can. Don’t worry if 99% are bad at first, because there is nothing better than getting that one good photo you can be proud of. You will get better, and opportunities will come.

Jake's goal is to become a full-time photographer in time, and surely, with the talent he has, he will reach that goal.  If you see photos that say J.Callahan Photography, you're viewing the beautiful work of Jake.

If you'd like to reach Jake and would like to hire him for drone photography, or if you would like to order prints of his works, you can click HERE for more information.