Jay Cassario

ABOUT ME

Simply put...I'm that guy. You know the one. The one that started to feel old at the age of 30, but now swears that he feels even younger at 39. The guy who thought his life would go one way and couldn't have been farther off. I'm the guy that has made a ton of mistakes in his life and is proud of the man he is today because of them. I'm the guy that is has done a lot in his life, but has so much more that he wants to do. I'm that guy, you know the one... the one that orders a diet soda at McDonalds along with Quarter Pounder with cheese and a large fry. Things just don't always make sense to everyone else, but to him... they do.

I'm the guy who never thought he would be a father, and then just before giving up after 6 long difficult years of trying, God blessed him with his first son. I'm the guy that has been through tragedy, and figured out how to grow from it. The guy that has had someone extremely important to him taken away, and is still figuring out how to live his life without them. I'm the guy that believes everything happens for a reason, and that even though we might not understand his plan, God has one for us. The guy that tries to keep things as simple as possible, and not complicate things that don't need to be. The guy that has never kept a check book and rarely even knows what the cost of gas is. Im the guy that tries not to take anything too serious, and at the same time can't be taken too serious himself. The guy that has been told that he is too sarcastic, but at the same time gets annoyed when people are overly sarcastic with him. I'm the guy who rarely leaves his house without forgetting something, hardly ever knows the day of the week, and will often forget the names of his clients mid shoot. 

The guy that always believed his life in corporate America would only be temporary and that he would eventually work for himself one day. The guy that believes that you need to surround yourself with positive people who bring out the best of you. I'm the guy that has had a lot of fun in his life and has the scars to show for it. The guy that has spent way too much time in the gym and planned his day around his eating schedule. I'm the guy that spent several years being photographed for fitness magazines, to now being a photographer. I'm the guy who wear shorts in the winter, flip flops as often as possible, hates to wear a tie, and would be totally happy wearing jeans and a t-shirt for the rest of his life. 

I'm the guy who can't go food shopping while hungry, hates store brand ketchup, and still likes to ride the back of the shopping cart through the parking lot to his car. He rarely knows where his truck keys are, rarely knows what his schedule is, but can easily recite exact lines from his favorite movies during photo shoots to make people laugh. I'm the guy who was a bow hunter his whole life, even while his wife was a vegetarian. I'm also the guy who gave up hunting all together at the age of 34 because he could no longer bring himself to take the life of an animal.

I'm the guy that is not ashamed to cry, not afraid to love, and knows where he is going when he dies. I'm the guy that has a lot that he still wants to do in his life and believes that God has a lot more planned for him. The guy that had the most devastating year of his life followed by the most successful and positive one. I'm the guy that took something he was passionate about and turned it into a successful business. The guy that knows that no matter how good you think you are, you can always be better. I'm the guy that believes you need to stand out and be different to be successful, but nothing replaces hard work and persistence. I'm the guy that calls himself a photographer, but not just because of photographs he takes. I'm the guy that uses photography to build relationships, capture emotion, and tell a story without whispering a single word.

I'm that guy...

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

• I am a Christian and grew up with my father being a deacon in our church.

• I wear two wedding bands. One is mine, one is my father's from before my mom passed away.

• I only have one tattoo which is on my arm and represents something very important to me.

• My wife and I had our first and only child, Luke Valentino Cassario, on September 30th, 2014.

• I have been on 3 missions trips to Guatemala, and sponsored a young Mayan girl for 3 years to help fund her schooling.

• I grew up on a farm in South Jersey with horses, cows, pigs and all sorts of other farm animals which I bought from father in 2021.

• My first job was a gas attendant at Sunoco, where I would fudge the numbers and give myself and friends free gas.

• I broke into and robbed a Tastykake truck when I was 14, but still have a squeaky clean record at the age of 42.

• My first time being published in a magazine was when I was 27. I was featured in the magazine All Natural Bodybuilding.

• I had viral meningitis when I was 29 and came very close to dying from swelling in my brain.

• I have 3 full breed Mainecoon cats that are like my children. (2 of them passed away in 2021)

• I studied nutrition in college and am a certified personal trainer and nutritionist.

• My first DSLR camera was a Nikon D60, bought in 2011.

• I have an obsession for Instant film and old Instant film cameras, my favorite being the RZ67