  Darkroom Chemistry
A career change launched Jake McGuire
on a world tour
to capture his dynamic
images
By Monica Cardenas
Commercial photographer Jake McGuire left college with a degree in chemistry.
His career in science lasted mere months, however, before he decided it dull and
offered his photography services free for a month to a now-defunct Arlington
newspaper.
 “So many jobs are so competitive,” explains McGuire. “If you just send a
resume, you might be competing against a hundred other people. So my philosophy
is, be the only one in contention, and the job is almost yours.”
Since making his fateful decision, McGuire has traveled the world,
taking photographs from Acapulco to the New England coast. But McGuire
ultimately returned to his roots here in the D.C. metro area and recently opened
a gallery of his work on Wilson Boulevard.
Just a few days old now, Jake McGuire Gallery highlights its owner’s
best-known photos, primarily the monumental sights of Washington, D.C. A quarter
of the gallery will feature a colleague’s images of Europe, while the remaining
space will hold McGuire’s images, as well as his photography books. There are
five books in all, including Baltimore, Annapolis and
Washington, D.C.: A Photographic Portrait. New England by Air and
Virginia Tidewater will be released soon.
 McGuire has been a photographer for most of his life, though not always by
profession. Growing up in an artistic household, he started taking photos at age
12. His mother soon built a home darkroom for their mutual use. Although he
never formally studied art, McGuire was able to pick up the basics, such as
composition, through osmosis at home, which was always filled with art. He knows
the subject so well, in fact, he has since taught college-level art classes.
Following his own flirtation with chemistry in college, McGuire bounced from one
newspaper to the next, working alternately as a news photographer, restaurant
critic, reporter — whatever was required. “You have to be a wheeler dealer as an artist, or else you’ll starve,” says
McGuire.
He subsequently wheeled and dealt his way to the National Inquirer.
Working for
the Inquirer proved a bit much for McGuire, who often found himself darting
between four major cities in a day. But that gig opened the door to travel and
tourism work, enabling him to contribute to airline and travel magazines.
McGuire’s travel itinerary expanded further when
he began photographing meetings
for the U.S.–Mexico Chamber of Commerce.
Born in D.C. and raised in Arlington, McGuire eventually returned home and began
working on his photography books of the area. His photos soon proved popular
among members of congress, trade associations and international corporations
with offices in D.C. While showing at local arts festivals, however, McGuire
realized interest in his art stretched beyond those business-to-business roots.
“I’ve always wanted to have a little gallery of some sort,” he says. The empty
spot on the corridor proved the perfect spot. McGuire will continue to show at other events, including Clarendon Day, and is
mulling a Halloween reception. In the meantime, his images, books and note cards
are available for viewing and sale at his gallery, which is open 11 a.m. to 8:30
p.m. Monday through Friday, with shorter Saturday hours. The gallery is closed
Sunday. Throughout September, the first ten visitors to the gallery each day to mention
this article will receive a free photograph, courtesy of Jake McGuire.
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