Fro Knows Photo

For a fraction of a second a small section of the stands lit up with sunlight…but I couldn’t figure out where the light was coming from. Then I noticed a building outside the stadium shimmering with sunlight and reflecting it back into the stands. With that being said, I didn’t exactly catch much of the light in the stands as I hesitated to change my composition which was already set. None the less, this was the result.

Speed Graphic, Aero Ektar, Delta 100 ISO Film.

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16 Years.

Today, June 1st 2026, FroKnowsPhoto celebrates the 16th anniversary of it’s launch. That’s right, in 2010, I flipped the switch on FroKnowsPhoto.com and started posting as FroKnowsPhoto on YouTube. Now keep in mind, I didn’t just wake up on June 1st and go…today’s the day. I actually started the ball rolling a few months prior, and targeted June 1st at the day the brand goes LIVE…and it did.

I’ve never had a “real” job longer than a year or two. I think the longest real job would have been selling cameras at Ritz, followed by Allen’s camera, which spanned maybe two full years. All other “jobs” were either short-lived…aka I wasn’t or the job wasn’t the right fit. Or I was trying to make a go of it as a freelancer. I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the reason my brother and I never ended up in the corporate world, was my dad. He worked for himself, and made it a strong point to remind my brother and I…”I will not be told when I can take a piss”…meaning, he was not cut out to be told what to do. I guess the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree on that one.

16 years is a long time. As I write this that idea is causing a slight bit of tension in my chest area…and no, it’s not from the chest workout this morning. I think it’s from the realization that it’s 16 years later…and I kind of don’t like the idea of rushing life. But that’s for me to come to grips with, because you can’t change it…you can’t stop time marching on.

As a brand we’ve expanded slightly over the past 16 years. We now have 3 full time employees…but I don’t have any desire to grow into some mega business…I think that’s because I’m already 46…and understand it’s not all about the grind or work…though I do really enjoy what I do…so is it really work. A lot of people would say yes…and tell me to find a hobby. And my answer to that is, this is my hobby, I LOVE it. See, I think it’s hard for some people to wrap their heads around this job I have. I don’t see it as a job, it’s just what I do.

You see, back in the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond, the idea of a hobby was there because most people worked for the “man”, and needed/wanted a distraction from their daily toils. They went fishing, they bowled, they sat in the lazy-boy drinking beer and smoking cigarettes…or worked in the garage on something. But when you truly love what you do, it’s not work. Any time I’ve tried to find a “hobby” or what I wouldn’t call a distraction, it’s been short lived. I honestly don’t enjoy distractions as I feel I could have used that time on being creative or doing more. I get it, it’s not for everyone, but it’s just what I do.

Speaking of what I do, YouTube…it’s ever changing and evolving. In fact, the landscape comities to shift, we’ve moved away from a “discoverability” world…to a “recommended” world. But I’ll tell you this. Never abandon the basics and fundamentals that got you to where you are…and by you, I really mean me. We’re not going to stop making certain content because the algorithm suggested other wise. We’ll test, and evolve and adapt where needed, but we won’t chase the latest fads on trends online. Because there’s one thing for sure…fads and trends will come and go…but the key to long term…in my case 16 years…is NOT CHASING and staying focused on consistent quality content.

Part of growing and evolving is branching out beyond YouTube. Though I will say, I don’t see a day where I won’t be posting videos there. I know a lot of channels over the last year or two have announced they are stopping making YouTube content. Some stick to it, and others come back when they realize, it really wasn’t a bad way to make a living. I understand where my bread is buttered. I understand that without YouTube, I’m more than likely not speaking directly to you today. For those reason and a few more, I forge ahead. It’s not always easy, it does sometimes feel repetitive, but I do feel a sense of obligation to help as many people as possible, at least in the creative photo/video world.

Here’s a quick story with one of the reasons I decided to start making my own videos. I was at a best buy in the camera department. The sales person was answering questions a customer had…and told them a great resource for picking gear…was this guy Ken Rockwell. I said, I would’t recommend that…to which they both looked me weird. That pi**ed me off, I knew the info being shared was not, in my opinion quality info. I bet you almost anything, that today, if someone is in best buy and they have a camera question for an employee, they’re going to recommend my YouTube videos…and I would agree with that.

I love the fact that I’ve helped tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people get better at photography. I know I can be abrasive, opinionated, standoffish and I’m sure a few more adjectives…at times. But I hate to see people struggle with learning photography or their buying decisions…and I don’t want to see them go, what I think is the wrong way. And by wrong way…I mean (partially joking) the way other people I disagree with might suggest. I just want to kick down the walls between you and quality work.

So many doors have been open over the last 16 years because I’ve put myself out there. There’s always someone who comes along and says “well it’s easy because you have some many followers”. My reply is simple, “we all start with zero”. FACT!!! Yes, my follower count is large, but it hasn’t always been that way. I’ve continued to build it day in and day out. Yes doors open easier for me these days, but it took a long time to get here.

At the end of the day, I don’t know what I’m building towards. I’m still single, I don’t have kids, and I’m getting older. I certainly don’t want to be defined by just the videos I make. These thoughts have always been in my head as I get older. But I think the saving grace is, I’ve been a late bloomer in so many aspects of my life. I didn’t find success that lead to making actual money until my 30’s. I physically didn’t grow very much until after high-school. And I’ve been very late to finding relationships. Maybe that will change, maybe that won’t. I’d like to have a family, I’d like to pass along learnings on to my own offspring. I’d like to see then grow, and turn into their own person. Hopefully I’ll be able to instill something meaningful into them, like my parents did for me.

It’s been 16 years of building and growing and I have no intention of stopping. Evolving yes, stopping no. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but I intend to keep on keeping on. I love what I do, and I appreciate all the support I’ve gotten over the years from people like you.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Thank you to everyone who's helped along the way, you know who you are.

Jared Polin, FroKnowsPhoto.com

P.S. I will send another email this week promoting the I SHOOT RAW Shirt sale that’s currently going on, in celebration of 16 years of Fro. I felt this email needed to stand on it’s own and not have a major sales pitch. If you want to check out the sale, you can do so Right Here.
https://store.froknowsphoto.com/