Explore the magic behind the lens at Third Street Studio’s First Friday open house

Want to see the workings of a real pro photo and video studio? Try your hand at taking pictures or shooting video under some of the best lights with the coolest backdrops around? Geek out with others about cameras and movies and such?

Third Street Studio is offering the opportunity this First Friday to those who come by its 536 Third St. location. It’s Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and it’s reoccurring for future First Fridays as well.

Third Street Studio was begun by Jave Bjorkman, though he’s quick to give credit to others on his team and to the many he says have helped him along the way.

Originally from the Philippines, Bjorkman, now 30 with a New Year’s Eve birthday, came to the U.S. when he was 9 years old, first via Vermont then ending up in Dublin where he went to high school.

He told me he knew three languages when he came to the U.S. but now mainly knows “American Southern.”

Attending Mercer University brought Bjorkman to Macon and the friendships and community he found kept him here. Those along with the talent and ambition he had to get up and running as a photographer-videographer and start his own company, And So We Go Productions, after graduating in 2017.

And So We Go led to the opening of Third Street Studio in 2023 as a professional spot for photographers, videographers and other creatives to work. Referring to Third Street’s description of itself, it’s a versatile, 1,024-square-foot studio offering natural light, controllable lighting and equipment rentals as well as being a space designed to bring creatives together to collaborate, craft high-quality work and tap into the power of Macon’s creative community.

A highlight of what the studio offers is the area’s first infinity/cyclorama wall, as it’s called, or cyc wall for short.

Used as a set/backdrop, the cyc wall is a pure white, seamless, curved wall that creates an illusion of infinite space. When lit in various ways with various colors, it’s a remarkable canvas susceptible to highly dramatic
effects.

It’s that sort of thing Bjorkman and company invite First Friday guests to come and play around with, take some shots and learn about.

Of course, if amateurs, semi-pros or professionals drop by, discover what’s available and want to book sessions, that’s perfectly fine, too.

“It sounds funny to say it now, but it was Instagram that got me interested in photography back when I was in high school,” Bjorkman told me. “It was more photography-oriented then and not so much about influencers showing off their perfect lives. But it was in my sophomore year at Mercer that I really got interested and was able to get my hands on a real DSLR camera by borrowing one for assignments through the Center for Collaborative Journalism. I’d get it, do the assignment, then shoot other stuff like crazy.”

Whether with a phone or a more traditional digital camera, Bjorkman said he fast became the guy people knew as always having a camera, always taking pictures. He learned more by joining virtual, online photography groups and increased his circle of live friends and associations in Macon, such as at Mercer and with those at Macon’s First Presbyterian Church where he’s now a deacon.

Active in many directions, he’s involved these days with many community groups such as being a Bragg Jam board member.

“I fell in love with Macon in every sphere of my life,” Bjorkman said. “My sophomore year I started doing a lot of photography and video and was able to practice and hone the craft. I delivered pizzas and people kept telling me I should quit that and pursue photography, start a business. So, I followed what everyone said and was able to stay and work here.”

By the time he graduated, he had a few jobs, a few clients.

“I mean, it was hard,” he said. “I didn’t always have a lot of work, but I had enough to pay $200 a month rent and keep me going. Though I started photography late, I was always artistic and could draw really well, so that figures into it. I was always able to create something visual and display it for people. I remember the day before first grade we had all my supplies ready and a big pile of blank paper. That night I filled up all the paper with drawings and my grandmother, who raised me, was like, ‘What in the world have you done?’”

What Bjorkman and the And So We Go team have done now includes corporate photography and videography services, branding work, event and lifestyle photography and more.

Video-wise, they’ve done projects for the likes of Bear’s Books, Fall Line Brewing, the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra, Georgia CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and many, many others, including a multi-part series on the racial history of Macon called “Refounding Macon” with the Building the Beloved Community Initiative.

Bjorkman said talking about “doing the work” and what it takes to do it both in a technical and business sense is fair game for First Fridays.

“We want it to be a time people can talk, explore, ask questions,” he said. 

Third Street’s commitment to fostering local talent goes beyond First Fridays to regular panel talks at the studio. The next is Feb. 20 with the topic, “Studio Workflow and Pricing Your Work.” They also know a thing or two about AI, but that’s another story.

There are informative blogs and videos along with contact and booking information on the group’s website at www.andsowego.co.

Another First Friday First (and more)

There’s another first this First Friday besides Third Street Studio’s Open Studio. It’s an inaugural walking tour along Cotton Avenue highlighting the historic Cotton Avenue Black Business District.

Led by Macon business leader and Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages publisher Alex Habersham, the event starts at the Rabbit Hole, 811 Forsyth St., at 3:30 p.m. and continues along Cotton Avenue.

The walking tour is sponsored by Macon Magazine, Downtown Macon and Visit Macon. At 3:30 p.m., the new tour will be celebrated as Macon Magazine launches its February/March issue containing an illustrated Cotton Avenue Black Business District Map, a special feature on Habersham and a story on Cedric Smith, painter and Rabbit Hole co-owner, whose work in part addresses aspects of America’s history not found in
textbooks.

The walk itself begins around 4 p.m. and lasts about an hour as Habersham recounts the area’s history and the legacy of its past leaders.

Organizers anticipate the tour may become a regular offering.

“I think the Cotton Avenue walking tour is a great opportunity to highlight the significant contributions African Americans have made to Macon,” said Kimberly Chambliss, director of visitor services at Visit Macon. “The tour adds to our existing related tours, like our African American Heritage Tour every second Friday and Saturday and the African American Music Experience every Thursday. Each leave from the visitor’s center and is easily bookable through our website at  visitmacon.org.”

Ending by 5 p.m., the Cotton Avenue walking tour stops in time and at a perfect place to continue on to visit downtown galleries. On First Street, Dsto Moore’s photo exhibit, “Black Man Smile,” is at The Green Light Gallery; next door, at The 567 Center for Renewal, “Pink Poodle Parade” opens with painted “poodles” inspired by the coming Cherry Blossom Festival; and ceramicist/multimedia artist Wendy Kusmaul Keeling’s “Shapeshifter: Echoes of Her Many Selves” opens at the Macon Arts Alliance gallery.

On 2nd Street, The McEachern Art Center features the work of Afro-Caribbean figurative artist Kandy Lopez in collaboration with ACA Gallery, New York. Lopez’s work explores constructed identities, telling stories of people of color. Her current series is centered around large, yarn-based portraits.

A reminder, as featured here on Jan. 23, Gallery West on Third Street is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a First Friday party catered by Grow Restaurant from 5 to 9 p.m. with live music and selections of new and old photos by Kirk West.

Also, remember the Middle Georgia Literature Festival in Warner Robins as talked about here Jan. 30. It’s Saturday from noon until 4 p.m. at the North Houston Sports Complex, 900 North Houston Road. It features local and national writers, workshops, children’s book readings, food trucks and more.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.