About Jay Olson Photography

Hello, My name is Jay Olson and I live in SLO County on the Central Coast of California with my wife and two daughters. I’ve always been passionate about photography since I was a little boy. My first camera was a polaroid and I loved it so much, that I quickly upgraded to a film camera. I remember begging my mom to take me to drug store so I could get my film processed and then coming home to fill up my photo albums. I ended up taking a couple of photography classes in High School and in college but I never considered a career in it because I could never find the same passion in having to take photos for someone else. Plus it was back before digital so you not only have to had a great camera, but you also needed a dark room and lots of equipment.

It was also at a time when computers and technology were taking off, which I also had a great love for, so I ended up finishing school with my degree in Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering. Over the past 20 years, I’ve ran my own technology company, Sleepless Interactive, and have developed thousands of websites, consulted on many social media marketing campaigns, and successfully managed a great deal of SEO and online advertising. I’ve also have lead teams and worked with many great companies to create large websites for political leaders, big companies, cities & counties, school districts, and more. I also like to keep my entrepreneurial spirit alive so I’ve partnered with great people over the years to start from scratch a few awesome companies, including a jet ski rental business and a limo & party bus rental company.

While I’ve always had some form camera, it wasn’t till shortly after my 30th birthday that I bought my first professional digital camera. I really wanted to take great photos of my daughter, Harper, and some for my businesses. The camera ending up going everywhere with me and I fell in love with taking photos all over again. I was also going through a bad bout of depression at this time in my life, and I decided would start venturing out to see if I could find some other things that I would enjoy taking photos of. My first thought was sunsets because I’ve seen so many beautiful ones here on the coast. However, I always saw tons of sunset photos on social media of the Central Coast almost every night and I wanted to try something different. I noticed though that I rarely saw photos the sunrise and when I did they were quick from their backyard type shots.

I decided I was going to start waking up extremely early every morning and driving 30 minutes to Avila Beach so I could be there 45 minutes before dawn. The first couple of years was a hard learning curve but I learned so much trying to show off my favorite parts of the morning everyday. I came home wet & sandy (sometimes a bit bloody) but I always had a camera fill with beautiful photos and videos to share on my Avila Beach social media pages. It was never easy and I lost camera equipment to the ocean trying to push myself to take the best shots I can but it’s changed my whole life.

Each morning I spent watching the sunrise, I was recharged, felt better about myself, and the people online started responding very well to seeing what I had captured. Over the years I’ve used my photos & videos to build up some very popular social media pages for Avila Beach, help local small businesses market themselves online, and helped with projects for my local community, like my #KeepAvilaClean Project.

To help support the things I do, I sell all my photos in a variety of mediums. I offer Fine Art Greeting Cards and High Quality Prints that I print myself on my professional printer. I also work with a few amazing printing companies to print my photos on larger mediums, Canvas Wraps, and Metal Prints. Each year I let the people choose their favorite Avila Beach sunrise photos I’ve taken and I design a Wall Calendar. You can see all my products that I offer on my Online Store and please feel free to Contact Me with any questions or if you don’t see something you want to purchase.

Check some of the things I can do, and if there is something you think I can help with or you have a project you think I can add value to, please don’t be afraid to reach out to me!

Meet the Olsons

I also believe that family is the most important thing in life, so I include my wife and two daughters in all my projects and Avila adventures. We all love working together on projects, being caretakers of the Central Coast, and taking photos together.

Jay Olson - 5d Mark IV/Google Pixel 2XL
Fun facts about me. I have over 1,000 hours riding a jet ski on the pacific ocean. I started my first business at 15 doing magic and balloon animals for kids parties. When I was 17, I lead the team that built a website for Senator John McCain.

Nicolle Olson - 70d/Google Pixel 1XL
She is an amazing cook and runs a business with her mom, Grandma Ingrid. They have classes teaching people the lost art of cooking from scratch.

Harper Olson - Rebel t3i/Nexus 6p
She is in 2nd grade and loves cooking, taking photos & videos, and Youtube.

Ruby Olson - Rebel t3i/Samsung Galaxy Tab
She is 2 years old and loves helping in the garden and playing in the mud.