Tell Me About Yourself

Hey! Ny name is John Francis Christian Gregorios, Jay for short. I am a New York City based portrait and wedding photographer. My parents introduced me to photography and fashion at a very young age and fell in love with it instantly. This year I took a break from school to pursue my passions full time and I am happy to say that it is paying off and I am really excited what the future holds

Why Did You Join TGS?

The main reason why I started photography is because I am just so in love with fashion. Day and night, I would dream about starting my own line, my own brand however I wasn’t good at drawing or designing so I started to put my energy into something else. I studied how to make people flattering, different angles that I could use and I just fell in love in making everyone look amazing, that where photography comes in I just love it when people come to me with smiles and the glow in their eyes.

Models (from left to right): Kyra Stevens & Kristen Mishthopoulos

How Did You Find Out About TGS?

I found out about TGS through my good friend and fellow photographer Rhyan Mahelona. One day I asked him “Bro is there any meet up we can go to that the ratio to model is 1:1?” and he replied, “I got you right now bro” and showed me the TGS page on Instagram and [applied] to join the collective the day after.

Why did you Join TGS?

I joined TGS due to the reason that I liked how intimate the collective is, it feels more like a family than a place where I can just randomly find other creatives. Moreover, another reason is because how active the chief is (Alex) always there to answer my questions and give awesome advices, due to that I know that the member of TGS was also amazing.

Where do you get your Inspo?

Wow, where do I get inspiration from? Hmmmmm lets start off with just living my everyday life, I’m very adventurous so I would just start walking and end off at a place where I can shoot at. I would see a pink colored wall and with that I would head straight to the nearest clothes store and put up an awesome outfit. However I really get my inspiration from my favorite photographers, naming a few them it would be Emily Soto, Joe Greer, Saul Leiter, and Paolo Roversi.

Fave Aesthetic, Look or Theme when Shooting?

Tertiary color combinations! It sounds weird but seeing a photo where the colors complements each other just make the phot more interesting and makes the model pop up more. I also love old vintage dresses, I would mostly shoot them with my family cameras and Polaroids to achieve that “Film” look.

Do you Have Other Creative Friends you Like to Meetup with and Brainstorm?

Yes, I definitely do! My friends Rhyan, Gabe, and Ramon would always hang out to just talk about photography and future projects! Most Saturdays we would head to our headquarters at a place called the Love Café and would just edit our phots and also give each other some tips on how to make our workflow easier.

Most Interesting Story Revolving Around Photography?

Went to a mall once trying to find my next outfit for my next shoot, the moment I entered the store I caught in the corner of my eye some guy whispering to his friend and pointing at me, I decided to ignore the remarks. As I was leaving that same dude stopped me, he spoked in some other language that I did not understand, he gave me a pen and paper and gave me the “please sign” gesture and cause I wanted to be funny I decided to give him my signature and after I gave back that paper he said “Kevin Wong” I almost died laughing.

Random Stuff About You?

I wasn’t born in NY just came to the country like 5 years ago from the Philippines. I own a total of 25 cameras. Love wedding dresses more than anything.

Jay is one of our newest members - want to learn more about applying to TGS? Shoot us a note!

Follow Jay Here