BassImages: Ventura County Photographer

Welcome,

Recent work: I photographed a series of dynamic portraits for Fielding's award winning website. Each refresh of their home page brings up a new portrrait, linked to a Spotlight profile.

As a general assignment photographer working primarily in Ventura County, California my job is to come through with the high-quality images my clients need –- executive portraits, product shots, environmental portraits, doctors with patients, academics, etc. –- with minimal fuss for all concerned.

That means being flexible, quick, low-profile and agreeable, as well as creative.

It’s always a pleasure to see my images on billboards, magazine ads, fundraising slideshows, annual reports, newsletters and websites.

Directing subjects can be tricky, especially when directions must be relayed by intercom via a third party, as with this shoot at the diving school at Santa Monica City College. The subject of the photo was the helmet light manufactured by Birns, Inc. Photo by Amy Brown.

I’m gratified by client feedback. In particular, for the series of portraits I shot for Fielding Graduate University’s website. It won the Silver award (Yale took first) in the Higher Ed Marketing Report Competition. My client was kind enough to say, “Those photos must have had something to do with it!”

This site is designed to provide a quick overview of my work. The tabs above will open galleries that you can click through one at a time or play as a slideshow.

Please note the link to Ventura County Stock Photos – another site I own whose name speaks for itself. If you need a shot of the county, I may already have it.

Cheers,

Jim Bass

Environmental portraits are my favorite people shots, capturing a subject in his or her natural habitat, as they say on nature shows.

This photo gallery reflects the variety of livelihoods in Ventura County, California from a brain surgeon at Ventura County Medical Center to a squid packer at the Port of Hueneme with a lot in between.

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START

Nothing satisfies like shooting people.

First, there’s the pleasure of meeting new people and hearing their stories. But it’s more: human faces are unique photo subjects. The meaning of a flower doesn’t change from frame to frame, but a face offers infinite variety.

Plus, there’s body language, dress, environment and personality to make things even more interesting.

I’m not pompous enough to believe that I (or any photographer) can “capture the essence” of another human being in a single frame.

But I sure enjoy trying.

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START

The good news: kids never tell me, "I'm not photogenic." The bad news: kids don't take direction very well. The great news: kids are a blast to photograph if you're willing to get dirty and to get sore muscles.

Most of these were taken for the Boys and Girls Clubs and local schools, almost all candids. Editing these down to 24 images was agony. I remember each image and each child as if it were yesterday. Each one evokes a smile and a fond memory.

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START

Pretty people, photographed in various locations from Sedona Arizona to Southern California.

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START

Product photography is like solving a puzzle: styling and staging the product,.managing reflections, illuminating important features, providing clean backgrounds for the graphic designers who will ultimately use the images.

It's time consuming and exacting but rewarding.

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START

Beautiful spaces...what more is there to say?

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START

We arrived during a downpour that lasted three hours. Just as it cleared, we returned to find the setting sun doing magic tricks with the remaining clouds.
It's a long hike up to Simi Point in China Flat (adjacent to Cheseboro Canyon) but you get a 360 degree view.
This is actually 12 miles north of Sedona up Oak Creek Canyon.
Where the Santa Clara river meets the sea
Point Lobos is south of Carmel.
This was taken right after the first rain of 2009-2010.
I'd been shooting for two days straight in a hotel and was barely aware of the storms battering the coast. I saw this on my way home and had to stop.
Noon is a terrible time to shoot landscapes unless you have a dramatic storm to cook up some interesting light. Northern Arizona in August can be wonderful.
Just south of Morro Bay, this is a favorite place for my family. Catch it at low tide and you'll discover wonders in the tide pools.
A lovely town in central California.
Right across from Hearst Castle, there's a peninsula with plenty to see.
Lupine in the spring.
Close to home and gorgeous.
Facing south from the Reagan library.
En route to the Merced River to shoot poppies, I saw this and had to stop.
The Merced river spills out of Yosemite. This trail follows the south fork.
Just how many photos of Half Dome are there? This is mine, shot from a marshy meadow in late March 2009.
An explosion of colorful wildflowers that can look fake. Seeing was believing.
Fog was spilling over from the Santa Rosa Valley.

My pet theory about scenics is: great shots combine the timeless (the landscape) and the temporary (weather). It also helps to be there at the right time of day.

CLICK ANY THUMBNAIL TO START