#SFGuide Featured Photographer: John Bevel
Each week we select and profile a photographer from our #SFGuide community on Instagram. We believe these photographers capture the everlasting beauty of San Francisco and the Bay Area. For a chance to be featured on our Instagram feed, or here, on 49Miles.com, tag your photos with #SFGuide.
This week’s featured #SFGuide photographer is John Bevel (@jbbevel), an IT Director from Texas currently residing in Loomis, CA. Scroll down to view John’s amazing work, and learn more about what inspires him as a creative.
#SFGuide Featured Photographer
Name: John Bevel
Age: 53
Profession: IT Director
Place of Birth: Texas
Where do you currently reside: Loomis, CA.
Something you’d like viewers to know about you: Big fan of Special Olympics
What is your favorite spot to shoot in San Francisco, and why?
Point Bonita Lighthouse. There’s just something meaningful to me about a lighthouse. It’s like a guardian, a beacon, hope in the midst of a storm. So many metaphors come to mind. So much depth to a place like this.
When and why did you take up photography?
Photography is a creative outlet for me. A huge stress reliever, where you can interact with the outside world, be in an incredible environment, and then relive it each time you look at the image that you’ve created.
What do you love about photography?
It allows me to see things that I can’t see with my eyes. My eye is the starting point, but photography has pushed me to explore things that I normally wouldn’t have. Like being outside all night long under a star filled sky.
How do you decide what to shoot?
I generally chase clouds for my landscape/sunset type of photography. I look for bodies of water to shoot or places outside the city without light pollution. I really try to be observant wherever I’m at on a given day.
What’s your favorite part about going out to shoot?
I shoot a lot of landscape and nightscape photography, so I really enjoy the peace I get from being outside. Being present in the moment of a sunset or moonrise is really incredible.
Which location did you have the most difficulty getting to, and how did you do it?
Last year I did an all-night shoot in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. I literally hiked for hours and marked my shooting locations by writing in the sand. I shot the sunset and made my way back with a headlamp to shoot each marked spot in the dark. It’s an amazing experience trekking up and down dunes in the middle of the night. I definitely took precautions, with a GPS, the approved backcountry pass and made sure that I was plenty hydrated.
What is your dream shot? (Where, what time of day, what’s in it / the subject?)
My dream shot keeps changing as I mark them off my list. Currently, it’s to shoot the Northern Lights. It would probably be about 12:30am, at a spot in the Lofoten Islands in Norway.
What is your favorite app to use for photo editing on the go, and what are your top 3 favorite filters?
I use Lightroom Mobile if I’m in a bind and have to edit from my phone or iPad. I generally don’t use pre-made filters. I create my own pre-sets in Lightroom and adjust from there depending on the shot.
How does Instagram and the #SFGuide community inspire you?
Seeing other photographer’s work is a great inspiration to me. I’m active in the photography community and regularly submit features for photographers as part of @theIMAGED team on Instagram. It really keeps me connected to the overall community.
What are your favorite San Francisco-based Instagram accounts to follow?
@jude_allen @edraderphotography @gettyphotography @andreweggers @the_lost_coast and I could go on!
What type of camera do you use? And what is your dream camera?
Sony a7ii. My dream camera hasn’t been made yet, though someone can buy me a Leica if they want 🙂.
What are your favorite settings in your idea shot?
My ideal shot is in the dark with lots of stars!
Lens: 14mm f2.8
Aperture: f2.8
Shutter Speed: 25 seconds
ISO: 3200
White Balance: Auto
Focus (Manual / Auto): Manual
Image Format (RAW / JPEG): RAW
What advice would you give to new or rising photographers that you wish you had received when you first started?
Always keep your camera with you. Shoot every single day. Give yourself a challenge of shooting only in manual mode.
What do you love about living in the San Francisco Bay Area?
The variety of things to shoot, from cityscapes to seascapes to beautiful nightscapes.
