Depth of Field

Jared Soares is a photographer based in Roanoke, Va. who documents daily life through his job at The Roanoke Times newspaper.

Born in Santa Cruz, Calif., Soares says his mother first piqued his interest in photography when he was a kid. "My mom always had cameras around the house, taking pictures of me on birthdays, family trips and first days of school," he said. "She also had a subscription to National Geographic, so I was always sort of exposed to photography, but I wasn't aware you could make a career out of it until I got college. Before that I was just taking photos of things around my neighborhood and my friends skateboarding."

As a working professional, Soares says he tries to "keep it simple" by working off one camera body and one lens -- the Canon 5D and a 35 mm f/l.4. "This set up allows me to be more in tune with the people I'm photographing and that's something I find hard to do when hauling around a backpack full of equipment," he said.

Newspaper colleagues provide inspiration, as does Christopher Anderson's gorgeous book on Caracas, Venezuela, called "Capitolio," and Aaron Huey's work from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Then there's books: "I'm currently re-reading Norman Maclean's 'A River Runs Through It' -- one of my favorite books of all time," he said.

Soares' first solo exhibition, a series on hip hop culture, will open next month at the O. Winston Link Museum.