Local photographer and PTMTA member, Jeremy Johnson has been focused (no pun intended) on the marine trades for a few years now. His Port Townsend Maritime photo magazines are like fine art photo albums of friends and the beautiful work everyone is doing at this moment in time. This editor thought it relevant to include his most recent update.
Click the photo if you’d like to visit his blog.
Magazine III?? Where did you go? I saw something about Alaska? Video production? What about the Port Townsend Marine Trades?
Back in January, I had nothing booked. No prospects and no idea how I was going to make ends meet in 2023. It was nerve wracking. “Will I need to dip into my retirement savings? Go back into tech? How does this venture provide a sustainable income for a father of two kids and living in Port Townsend?” A bit of cyber security work in the Fall bought me until the Spring to answer those questions.
Now in June, my “to do” list is seemingly never-ending. The freelance mantra of “feast or famine” is etched into my mind. I’m acting as a Producer/Director for 7 short videos, a photojournalist for several short stories in two outlets, a portrait photographer for a non-profit, and trying to figure out where being a Publisher of a magazine fits in all of this, let alone a book project.
While I’ve been largely absent from the boat yard spaces I used to haunt, the work has continued. In the Spring, I started a video production company, Fishboat Media, with two other filmmakers, and we were selected to produce several videos for the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. Their deadline is tight, and we’ve been intensely focused on producing videos which will showcase the Heritage Area along with several diverse profiles. Many of those profiles will feature people of working waterfronts.
Our production company has also been pursuing opportunities in the maritime industry. We just landed a contract with the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building and we’re looking into a few opportunities with Sound Experience.
Magazine III has been on hiatus. I wish I had a good reason, that there was some obvious and excusable reason for its absence. The truth looks more like a litany of reasons which include being overwhelmed running a small business, writers block, lost focus, and a real reluctance to continue producing a magazine almost entirely by myself.
Thankfully, I’m seeing more outside interest in sharing the same stories Tiffany and I have covered. The Leader is revamping their “Working Waterfront” with my input and assistance, Fishboat Media is picking up video projects related to maritime stories, and I’ve found a few clients including the NWSWB and Maritime Washington whose missions are closely aligned with or adjacent to my own.
Working on the Maritime Washington Showcase Video project has taken over my calendar. I’m incredibly grateful to have so much work right now, to have paying gigs doing exactly the kind of work I want to be doing. We have a plan for producing Volume III, for taking the work already produced, and getting it out into the world. When will that happen? I have no idea and it would be unrealistic for me to make a guess. We are close, and it’s going to take a few weeks without pressing deadlines and projects to get the volume ready for the printer. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
-Jeremy