Life & Work with Benjamin Jones of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Jones.

Hi Benjamin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Avocatography was an idea born from a series of misfortunate events that have taken place within my life the past 3 years. Doing photography wasn’t something I seen myself getting into it all kind of started in 2022 when a decision was made (sort of a New Year resolution) to try something different. Previously I had my hands in music as a DJ but the desire to pursue that profession tapered off over time and I found myself picking up a camera instead. Cameras are way easier to transport and operate versus turntables with a laptop storing your music. If I recall the camera I went with starting out was a Canon Rebel T3i DSLR Camera from Best Buy that came in a bundle pack. Eventually as time went on taking photos of different genres I found myself investing more into camera equipment like photo lenses, carrying bags (I have way too many), more lenses, and even more lenses. I was experimenting and self teaching myself to understand how things work versus just pointing the camera at a subject to snap a photo. During this time me and my family were hit with a bombshell when our daughter was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of brain cancer in 2023. As you can imagine photography took a back seat and she became the priority. During the good times available I would take the time to reintroduce myself to photography practicing the craft to understand some of the fundamentals. Unfortunately, April 2024 my daughter passed away from further complications with the brain cancer that sent shockwaves of emotion through both sides of the family and even her school where she attended. She left behind 11 years of wonderful memories and a lot of stuffed animals/plushies but she was very fond of the avocado ones. The family pulled itself together to press on finding ways to heal by doing things we enjoyed and facing certain fears. For example, I got over the fear of tattoos was had an avocado inked on my left arm. Close friends of the family also had avocado tattoos placed on them. As for photography I parted way with my Rebel T3i for a Canon R50 along with more lenses. I then found myself getting another camera which was the Canon EOS R7. If you haven’t noticed by now I’m a fan of the Canon brand. At some point I owned 3 of the Canon cameras (R50, R7, and R6 Mk2). I continued self teaching the art of photography and purchased books to understand the art even more. March 2025 rolls around and I get the unfortunate call from my place of employment stating my position has been eliminated. So I was basically laid off from my steady paying job of almost 8 years out of no where but past events from 2023 up to that point made that moment feel like a mosquito bite. I wouldn’t say I was unfazed but so much has happened to me and my family up to that point I was surprisingly calm. I broke the news to my wife of what just happened and she basically ensured me everything will be OK. I didn’t stay stagnant very long and was already thinking of plans for employment again that very day shortly after that call 10:30am on a Friday morning. “Maybe I can do photography as job” and my wife supported the idea even it if was part-time. Even though I got the support and green light from my wife I was still on Indeed looking at jobs similar to my previous employment but also looking for photography jobs. Plenty of manufacturing jobs were available but not many in the photography field and I found myself thinking what if I just started my own photography business. Again I was getting the full support from my wife on the idea. That very same day I received a Facebook message from a co-worker who heard the unfortunate news and I basically discussed my potential plans of getting into photography which lead to him getting me into contact with another photographer who already had an established business that was doing photos for his birthday gathering. The next thing you know I’m receiving a phone call from the Asinto Photography LLC owner to join him at the birthday party. Fate is one of the words to describe what just took place hours after being laid off. I arrived early to the event to meet the photographer and we talked about everything dealing with photography. I had my little notepad with me taking physical notes and taking mental notes. He gave the suggestion of naming my potential photography business after something special or someone special. So the very next day I made up my mind to name my company after my daughter (Zoey) but I’d figured it wouldn’t be unique enough so the idea of combining avocado and photography came to mind because of her collection of avocado items. I started drawing different variation of an avocado with a camera on notepad paper. Sometime that week me, my wife, and son got together with friends were the idea of doing photography came out. They started to pitch ideas and logo variation at me as well until I settled on Avocatography. With a name like Avocatography I feel like I’m letting the legacy of my daughter live on somehow while doing something I enjoy. I wanted to make it official so I took the advices I had written down from my conversation with the veteran photographer and went after my LLC which became official April 10, 2025 so it’s a pretty new company. I also went through the motions of making sure my company was licensed, insured, and compliant. It’s sorta of scary when you think of the legal things but I knew a strong 11 year old girl who went through a scarier situation so I needed to be tough like her. These days I find myself visiting local car meets taking photos and getting out more just seeing the world through a camera lens. I occasionally team up with Asinto Photography and it’s been a great experience learning from him while growing my business at the same time. Never seen myself becoming an photographer let alone a entrepreneur.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part the road has been smooth for now but I think the biggest struggle now is getting Avocatography known to the area and showing what I’m capable of but I think with any business the start up is the tough part. I had to rebrand my Instagram account to show I’m a photographer now instead of a DJ and fill it with content. I have to learn to be responsible with money now and track expenses which is something I didn’t do much of in past. I have to learn to be more organized than I already was before. I have to wear multiple hats now and that’s a challenge in itself.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a freelance photographer capturing special moments through a camera lens. I wouldn’t say I specialize in anything particular at this time but Sports & Automotive Photography seem to be my strong points at this time. When it comes to Sports Photography I think I really capture those critical moments before something big is about to happen like a big hit, or facial expression of the players. In Automotive Photography I think I bring out the best of the car through my angle selections and post production of images. When it comes to photography the post production work is probably one of the things I’m most proud of because I personally believe I’ve come a long way in doing touch ups to images and I have a quick turn around period having final images ready. There’s been occasions where I’m the first photographer providing the final work.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
When people share my work or like my work on social media platforms it’s a big motivation and it’s potentially getting me noticed. Seeing the feedback from the audience and looking at the insight data trending up is a big motivation. I’m always open to hearing advice or hearing about events that are ok with photographers being around because I’m always looking to add to my portfolio. With how things work today social media is probably the biggest way people can support me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.avocatography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avocatographer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574388942191