Submit Saturdays: photographer Jacob Burge reveals his "random" process

Welcome to Submit Saturdays, a year long series of articles in partnership with Squarespace. Be it a professional work website, a shop, a social enterprise or a site that hosts a personal project, Submit Saturdays will showcase the work of creatives around the world who use the online platform Squarespace. This is a great new opportunity to share your projects and ideas with our readers.

Jacob Burge’s site caught our eye for its innovative way of framing images and its whimsical colour palette. Alongside its lovely design, the content is great too. We spoke to the photographer about his process, site and what he does – which is “random,” apparently.

How did you start out as a photographer?
A trip to Japan back in 2008 got me first interested in photos. When I returned I decided to quit my job in a call centre and study photography at Hereford College of Arts. Around that same time I was lucky to have creative friends who needed a photographer, so I would always say yes and just wing it. 
 
What influences and defines the aesthetic of your work, and your site design?
I can’t really pinpoint an exact influence, but I do have a soft spot for vibrate colour, old adverts, graphic design and record covers. As far as site design goes I’ve been through a few different styles of websites over the past four years, now I just want it clean, easy to navigate and not too flashy.

I really love the way you’ve framed your images and the colour palette of the site – please can you tell me why you chose them?
Thanks! With the framing, it initially started as a way to free up the photo, giving me more room to play with. Adding colour, texture and patterns helped to change the mood and concept. Colour wise, I was just tired of seeing the majority of photo sites either white, grey or black, a bit of pink of blue keeps things fresh and helps to stimulate my eyeballs. 

How do you translate your aesthetic into commercial projects?
Well right now none of my work is commercial, I haven’t had any companies hit me up to do anything yet, but if you’re reading this and want to work on something send me an email!

What’s been your favourite series to shoot, and why?
Recently I did a series called Super Ageing. I went and got some acrylics and tried to paint, then added candid photos of the local people in my area. It was refreshing to get away from the computer and camera for a little bit. Getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new is always good and helps me to stop repeating myself.

What do you have planned for the year ahead?
My main aim is to get my work away from the computer screen and into something physical, so I want to get at least one book sorted. I’ve got a backload of projects I’m working on, so will continue with that,  and I want to learn origami to be able to fold my photos and also how to make a Cornish pasty.

If you host your work on a Squarespace website and would like to be featured as part of this series of articles, please head here to learn more and get in touch.

In partnership with Squarespace

Squarespace is a creation tool enabling individuals to create a great website by giving them the tools to create an elegant solution and get their voice heard in the world of online publishing. Whether for experienced designers or for someone putting together their first website, it makes forming a beautiful platform simple.

If you’re not currently using Squarespace to host your site, the kind folks over there are offering It’s Nice That readers 10% off their services. Sign up here or upgrade your account using the discount code SUBMIT to get 10% off.