Jake Naughton came to photography as a disillusioned art student. Jesuit high school had instilled in him a passion for social justice that he wasnât sure how to reconcile with the insularity of the art world. âI liked to travel, I cared about the world and I was interested in esthetics,â he says. A college friend suggested Naughton try photojournalism. He pursued a journalism degree and became the photo editor at the student newspaper. Naughton then moved to Washington, D.C., to intern at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting; he was soon hired as the multimedia projects coordinator. He learned how to produce and fund photography projects, and how to collaborate with editors at major publications. After three years at the Pulitzer Center, Naughton wanted to produce his own work. âI decided the fastest way to build up my chops would be to go to graduate school.â At the City University of New York, Naughton found a mentor in James Estrin, co-editor of The New York Times Lens blog. Through Estrin he landed an internship at Lens, as well daily assignments for the paper. âJake does not settle for easy images, no matter how visually arresting they may be,â Estrin says. âHe makes great images, but what sets him apart is the depth of his critical thinking and his ability to communicate his ideas and observations in nuanced ways.â Naughton says heâs strategic about his business, only pursuing stories that he knows he will be able to sell. Heâs funded personal projects through grants, and his collaborations with writers have helped him sell stories to major media. He also cofounded the cooperative Black Box with Chris Gregory, Natalie Keyssar and Alejandro Torres Viera. âWe are all exploring how esthetic a news photograph can be, and pushing against what a publication can offer.â













