Although Jayson now calls Los Angeles home, he grew up all over the US, living in Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Alaska to name just a few places. This upbringing of living in vastly different landscapes and diverse surroundings lead to a constant stream of new stories, new people, and new experiences; it’s no wonder Jayson fell in love with creating images to tell stories.

A graduate of Columbia College Chicago (Bachelor of Arts, with honors), Jayson interned for Panavision Chicago in both their camera and lighting departments before interning with Tom Priestly, ASC, on the box office success BARBERSHOP. Following these opportunities, he was accepted to the prestigious American Film Institute, where he received his Masters of Fine Arts in Cinematography; while attending AFI, he was awarded their Scholarship for Excellence in Cinematography.

While at AFI he learned from some the world’s finest Cinematographers, including Wally Pfister, ASC, Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC, Allen Daviau, ASC, Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC, and many others. During his final year at AFI, he worked closely with Stephen Lighthill, ASC, as his TA.

Jayson firmly believes that all decisions on a film must support the story and is an avid collaborator. He’s experienced in working in virtually every format, from Mini-DV to HD, 16mm to Super 35, and RED, Dalsa, Viper, etc; his work can be found screening around the world. Jayson has photographed dozens of short films and has served as the Cinematographer for eleven feature films. In addition to his narrative work, he’s recently begun shooting music videos and commercials as well.

When he’s not shooting, Jayson volunteers his time teaching Cinematography seminars and workshops at schools and independent film organizations. He also tries to keep his often-neglected bonsai tree alive.