By Ben Wheeler
MEET the twenty-three-year-old Londoner whose six-figure salary as a freelance travel photographer has paid for his amazing globe-trotting lifestyle that has seen him visit over sixty countries.
Jacob Riglin, 23, from Richmond, London first picked up a camera as a 16-year-old college student and hasn’t looked back since, now creating stunning content from around the world on behalf of massive brands like Amazon and BMW for his staggering 690k Instagram followers.
Images show Jacob and his girlfriend of two-years, Hayley Vincent, in a series of stunning destinations the world over including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India and even sat together in a helicopter over New York City’s skyline.
“I met Hayley at 16-years-old during college and we were friends until the summer of 2016 when we finally got together,” he recalled.
“You could definitely say I was friend-zoned until then! Our first ‘date’ was a four-day trip to Santorini for her birthday.
“It was during my time at college that I first picked up a camera and it was whilst I was at college that I began to realise my passion for photography.
“I spent most of my evenings out in London shooting as much as I could then be coming home and watching YouTube tutorials on how to edit.
“I joined Instagram to share my work with friends and family, but it turned into something much bigger than that!”
Jacob discussed his life prior to going on his big adventure and how he has developed his photography skills during this time.
“I wasn’t doing a huge amount before I started this journey,” he said.
“I was in a college and had a couple of jobs, one was working in a bike shop in Richmond as I absolutely love BMX and downhill cycling.
“I was also working at a supermarket behind the deli counter to save for camera gear, it all seems lifetime ago compared to where I am now.
“I also worked for a creative agency for two-and-a-half-years whilst travelling from the age of 20, that really helped me establish myself and where I created some of my best ever photography.
“I think for me, the thing I love about photography is the power of being able to capture a moment that wow’s people.
“All of my photography is geared towards celebrating the beauty in the world, I want people to feel inspired and excited when they look at my photos. I also want them to see how delicate and precious the world is.”
Jacob went on to detail where his travels have taken him so far including his favourite destination and expanded on how he affords such an amazing lifestyle.
“I have been to over sixty countries so far, with my favourite being the Philippines,” he said.
“It is such a beautiful and diverse country; the people are incredible and with over 7000 islands it makes for a never-ending adventure.
“I don’t think there are any countries that I have enjoyed at least just a little bit, everywhere has something unique about it.
“I fly from country to country unless we are road tripping around Europe. Within countries I am in it really depends on what I am doing and where I am but generally use buses, trains and rental cars.
“This lifestyle is my full-time job, it is my income and the photography I create is the main source of income.
“I create a lot of this content for different brands, from Amazon to BMW and more, my focus is creating meaningful, social-first content that can enhance a brand’s image and align with their values while taking their content to the next level.”
Finally, Jacob described the reaction he gets to his work as well as giving his own advice to any would be travel photographers.
“I see a very positive reaction to what I do, my goal is to inspire people with the photography I create, it is colourful, bold and celebrates the world,” he said.
“If photography and travel is what you want to do, then set yourself achievable goals to make that a reality.
“Learn to hustle and it will pay off, slowly at first but it will. Being a photographer is not known to be a well-paid profession, but you can make it one if you really want.”
For more information see www.jacobxthatoneblondkid.com
