Jason S

doubt can only be removed by action - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 3 years ago on the flight home coming back from covering the Olympics in Tokyo i wanted out of photography. I had ideas of what i wanted to do, nothing concrete other than i wanted to stay in sports. The last 8 months I’ve been treating this year like my senior season. Trying to put out the best possible work i can create and once the Olympics were over i can close this chapter of my life and move on to something else. But I’ve come to realize that i don’t think I’ll ever really give up photography. ( I’m blaming @tomcruise and that @la28games closing ceremony ) The last 3 years have been a struggle finding myself as a artist, filled with doubts - a few weeks ago right after Olympic Trials i was having a conversation with a younger photographer - who truly just called me out -“ i was washed my work wasn’t as good as it was a few years ago “ not going to lie it bruised the ego hearing that - but truly thankful because it lit the fuck you in me in the last 3 weeks in Paris. i truly poured my heart out and gave it my best effort covering these games. grabbing inspiration from older and younger photographers ( @elijahagurs @jkh_photo @bobo.studios @alexandtrack @caliboiijulian ) i can’t thank the people enough who made the last 3 years worth while and made me realize that sticking around was the right decision @usatf @danvernonphoto @coopsrun @haylew23 @theschmenk @bru_knowz @mlo84 @_ryoyamamoto_ @zhetrick … I’m not 100% sure if i want to be at the LA28 games as a photographer but I’ll def be working them at some capacity. 📸 @danvernonphoto

1:59:40 “ ... when you believe in limitless potential, you teach us to believe, too. “ congrats @kipchogeeliud

i’m on my last leg of getting home and all the feels just rushed in. it took a village to get here and I’m not talking about just the few months leading up to it the Olympics, this village has been around for years, i was accredited to go but wasn’t even sure if i was going to actually make the trip till mid June. everything that could’ve gone wrong was going wrong but things seemed to work out at the last minute, so i took that as a sign that this is meant to be. to everyone i met the last few weeks i learned so much from every single one of you. special shoutout to the little crew that naturally formed between @krystelsaneh @jeffcohenphoto @danvernonphoto @coopsrun @alishalovrich @smjdagency we all looked out, supported, and pushed each other. this tokyo experience wouldn’t of been the same if we didn’t gravitate towards each other. hopefully we can have this experience again in paris the last 6 or so years i put my life on hold for what feels like a kids dream. i passed on career opportunities, demoted myself, and didn’t take job offers because i knew there wouldn’t be as much flexibility as i have now with my current work situation. with that being said @asalcocer and everyone at 415 thank you supporting me through this letting me get away with the most ridiculous rto’s and making me stick to my goals when i wanted to give up on photography. to the nike fam thanks for making @zhetrick meet me back when i was first starting out so i can shoot for y’all. never would’ve imagined how shooting NRC sessions was going to lay the ground work that eventually changed my life and put me on this path. @usatf thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity seriously, the people i’ve met and the friendships I’ve made with most of y’all are everlasting. lastly a lot of people have been asking me what’s next? … continued in comments.

2018. eldoret, kenya 🇰🇪 less gray hair less back pain a bunch bad decisions disguised as “character building.” 📸 by @zackmctee thanks for taking me back down memory lane last week brudda - post eating red dirt for 2hrs after sitting in the back of an atv

“ left on boylston “ 🦄 boston 26

9th @thespeedproject 5th @longdistance.world team. I keep thinking about how familiar this should feel by now. same race. same chaos. same lack of sleep. but it never really lands the same. it’s always the people that change it. the way the group slowly locks in, figures each other out, carries the highs and lows together. you can’t plan for that part. what makes it special is that the majority of the runners haven’t met each other coming in. it’s people pulled from all over the world, relationships built in passing through what most would call the running scene… but for us, it’s never felt like a “scene” just where we exist. I almost sat this one out. it’s been a rough stretch lately, and I wasn’t sure I had it in me. but this trip ended up being a reminder my whole career started at the community level over 12+ years ago. no pressure, no expectations. just showing up. crazy how that’s still the foundation. last year, @dinelaofficial and I came across a quote distance brings us closer. couldn’t be more true. new york city los angeles amsterdam brussels seoul tokyo mexico city oakland thank you @_carololo @jennybean.h @kansuke_080tokyo @armen_kurdian @minseok_826 @_guillain @danielillarm @rodneycampos @klouzz @_horaciooo @aramvartanian__ @sabrina_rileyy @buffaloburner @johnnytvng @cjhw.ng last photo by @_horaciooo 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽

Building from scratch. Two weekends ago, we built BASECAMP during LA Marathon celebrating 10 years of @koreatownrunclub What started as a loose idea a place for the running community to land turned into a four day hub that brought together crews, partners, and people from across LA and around the world. The intention wasn’t to build a traditional pop-up. It was to create something that reflected what KRC has built over the last decade community first, consistent, and rooted in the streets. We were intentional about what the space held: • a recovery center with @gravitaswellness and @hyperice a place to reset
• a merch space featuring LA crews putting local communities first
• a cafe offering pastries tea and coffee, powered by runners from KRC and a smoothie with @thefeed built for how people move through the weekend We also made space for storytelling. Not as content but to acknowledge the people who built this before us. The early days, the consistency, the years when it was just a few people showing up. All shared in one room by the people who lived it. And just as important, the experience didn’t stop at the doors. We took friends visiting from out of town on a taco tour around LA.
A reminder that showing people the city is part of the experience. A few moments that defined the weekend: The Trials raw, street-level, through Koreatown that honored KRCs roots. Seeing @ryansung and @oscar.r.tellez bring their vision to life was a powerful way to start the weekend. 
Crews showing up for each other without needing direction
A presence that extended beyond the space and into the city What made BASECAMP work wasn’t over-programming. It was leaving space for people to shape it themselves the same way KRC has grown over the last 10 years. By Sunday it didn’t feel like a popup anymore. It felt like part of the weekend. Forever grateful to @dinelaofficial @klouzz @ryansung 😮‍💨❤️ Thank you to our partners for backing this in a real way for understanding what we were building and giving us the space to bring it to life our way To everyone who showed up, contributed, volunteered, and helped celebrate @koreatownrunclub the way it deserved thank you

Tokyo. third time back in the last calendar year something that the younger me wouldn’t believe and something the present me doesn’t take for granted. this one was a whirlwind. the marathon didn’t go how I hoped but I was lucky to have some of my closest friends here with me… the kind who remind you that one run doesn’t define the trip. sometimes the run isn’t the win. sometimes it’s the people you’re there with. forever grateful for the city and a chance to connect with friends. #AllPlanet

Scenes from the @banditrunning x Long Distance cheer zone for the Los Angeles Marathon. 📷: @notafraid2fail

on friday I revisited havana. not physically. just through a hard drive labeled “CUBA_2016.” i’ve been staring at it for over a month now. in March of that year, i boarded a flight from miami to havana terrified and pretending I wasn’t - to shoot @majorlazer . i remember trying to exploring every street walking around from sunrise to sunset. re-editing those images now feels like having a conversation with my younger self. he didn’t think about consequences. he was impatient. trying to prove something. i think I’m softer now. more intentional. one thing that hasn’t changed though is i’m always chasing sport. some trips don’t end. they evolve. 🇨🇺

winters in la

Home for the holiday and it was a very Knicksmas day. 🏀🎄 The last few times I’ve been back home, it’s been quick in-and-outs with barely enough time to see friends and family. Grateful to finally have a few days to slow down, catch up, and just be home. Still missed a few but hoping to be back soon🤞🏽 Picked up a @ricoh_gr_official back in September and I’m still learning how to use it on the fly. Mostly shooting iPhone as usual, but I’ll tag the Ricoh frames here. If you’ve got any tips, settings, or go-to recipes, you know where to 🛝 in 🙏🏽😌 @nyknicks