Photographer on Substack: Jason Hunter
Exclusive interview with Jason Hunter sharing insights and advice on how he has grown his audience
I recently invited Jason Hunter, who writes
on Substack, to share his insights and advice on how he has grown his audience.The “Photographer on Substack” interview series is made to inspire photographers and share exclusive insights and advice from other photographers on how they have grown their audience.
Could you introduce yourself?
I'm Jason Hunter, a photographer, creative, and cat dad from Chesapeake, VA. I've been into photography for over fifteen years at this point. I like to think my photos are a mix between minimalism and new topography. Photography is something I try to not take too seriously, and I just enjoy getting out of the house.
I'm a practice manager of a midsize family medicine office with eight providers and roughly thirty staff, and that's a 24/7 responsibility. So photography is my way to get some time for myself, but I can't help myself constantly reaching out and talking to people about photography and being creative. There is not a lot of room in my line of work to be creative, so this is my outlet.
Over the last few years, I've built a small platform, and I want to share that with as many people as possible and help answer any questions. I've always had an act first and think second attitude, so by default, I've learned a lot over the years, and I want to share that with others.
What is your Substack about?
was a website for a little over a year. I was doing artist interviews, gear reviews, photo book and zine highlights, and the occasional blog post. My Substack is the same thing, in a different format without the price of a website.
What do you offer your readers?
Every "Episode" of Two Hour Photo has the same layout and format. I've broken it into set sections to make sure that there is a little something for everyone. Those sections are Perspective, Contact Sheet, Artist in Focus, Two Hour Radio, and Developing News.
Perspective is where we will discuss the main topic of this blog or newsletter, whatever you'd like to call it. The "Contact Sheet" is where I will post some recent work and discuss why I took these certain photographs. Artist in Focus is an artist highlight where I showcase a photographer who is inspiring me or an interview with them. Two Hour Radio is my favorite part of the blog. It's where I have a music recommendation of what I'm listening to recently. Developing News is the last section, and it is where I put any upcoming news from myself and the community.
What is your content strategy?
My goal is to put out at least one "Episode" a month, and sometimes there will be more depending on how much time I have that month. I wanted to get away from the website format because of the stress it created. The website made me feel like I had to constantly put out content, and I don't have a lot of free time. By using Substack and breaking things into sections, I can now pick away at them little by little and put them out when they are finished. Also, I've set the expectation that these are monthly and that anything more is extra.
Could you share your growth by numbers?
I started my Substack about a month ago at the time of writing this, and I've put out two episodes so far. In that time, I've gained roughly 400 subscribers. My first real post "Episode 002: Keeping Creative" has had 735 total views. In my opinion, I'm blown away by the response so far.
It is hard to compare to the website, because there were a few articles, like my editing guide and review of the Tamron 17-50 for FujiFilm, that had far more views. However, those articles were easy to Google, and the Substack isn't like that by design, which is something I prefer. I feel like it takes all the pressure off me.
Which kind of posts do you make free and which do you make paid?
All my posts are free, and I am not going to make paid ones. I feel that that takes all the pressure off of me. When I had a website, it was all free too; however, I did take donations to keep it running. I used those donations to pay for everything, but in the end, it didn't cover all the costs, but it did come close. The problem with that is I felt like if someone was willing to pay, they deserved value for their money. This is true, but I couldn't do that to the level I wanted to due to time.
What is the best advice you can share with other photographers about growing your Substack?
I haven't been doing this long, but in general, I think people should take their time. If you have an idea, jump right in there and strike when you get inspiration. However, if you want to start a podcast, use the gear you already have like your phone or laptop. If you want to get into photography, use what you have before you go out and buy that dream camera. I made those mistakes more than once. In my opinion, by taking your time and trying everything, you can find what you like and what works for you without unneeded expenses.
What has been a memorable moment for the growth of your Substack?
Again, I haven't been using the platform long, but I'm blown away by how everyone took the news that I was shutting the website down to do this instead. Substack is a free platform, and I think if someone wants to start a blog, this is a wonderful way to do that. There has been one memorable moment, but this has been all positive.
Which other Substack writers do you follow and get inspiration from?
There are a few that inspired me to start a Substack and one recent discovery that I found when I started.
from Lucy Lumen, , and your all inspired me to give this a go, and I'm glad I did. Those three give you a good idea of what this platform can really be if you use it "right." Also, is a wonderful Substack that is definitely worth your time. I'm sure there are so many others out there that are great too, and I can't wait to find them.Do you have some questions for Jason that I didn’t ask? Leave them in the comments or join the Nowhere Diary subscriber Chat!
That’s it for this newsletter!
If you have any suggestions for interviews, features, topics, interesting work or books that I should check out, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Stay safe and keep shooting.
Kim
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I like this concept of showcasing other Substacks a lot through an interview, great intiative Kim!
<3 Nice interview! And as always appreciate the shout out for Portrait of US Jason