Jayne Kamin-Oncea has been a professional photographer for over 30 years, with 27 at the The Los Angeles Times.
A graduate of the University of Miami, Miami, Fla., she interned at the Associated Press and The Miami News. Jayne was hired as a staff photographer at The Los Angeles Times just 2 weeks after college graduation and continued to work there from 1980 to 2006, the only full time job she ever had.
Some of her major assignments included: first night landing of the Space Shuttle, Olympics, two World Series, six NBA Championships, the Stanley Cup in Montreal, Heavyweight title bouts in Las Vegas, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Academy, Grammy, and Emmy Awards. She photographed movie shoots on location such as The Jewel of the Nile in Morocco. She was also assigned to photograph major news events including being in the courtroom for major cases such as the Night Stalker, Menendez Brothers and Bundy trial. When assigned to Fernando Valenzuela’s wedding in the Yucatan, she drove with the groom and his bodyguard to the church followed by the local paparazzi! One evening when Jayne was assigned to a Los Angeles Dodgers game, Danny Kaye was there trying to set the Guinness Book of World Records as the conductor of high school bands playing the National Anthem. When Danny passed away, Jayne’s photo of him conducting in a Dodger jersey was used on page 1 of the LA Times from that evening. Danny Kaye, always a great Dodger and baseball fan, was Jayne’s great uncle, he was her grandfather’s brother.
Jayne immerses herself in her work, sharing an insider’s view through her love of photography. She was the first woman to participate in the Los Angeles Dodgers Fantasy Baseball camp in Vero Beach, Fla., the Dodgers spring training home.
Jayne participated in the NHRA’s drag racing school, once caught a fly ball hit by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at Dodger Stadium during a Hollywood Stars game and shot baskets at the Boston Garden during warm-ups for the Lakers/Celtics NBA Championship games in the 80s. Lucky for us, Jayne decided to stay behind the lens instead of pursuing her many athletic talents.
With so many affordable digital cameras today, everybody wants to be a photographer. For this reason, as a true professional Jayne is even more determined to set herself apart from GWCs. (Guy with Camera).
“My name appears on all images I produce. Therefore I expect the highest standard in my photography. I am probably more demanding on myself than anybody. I don’t just take pictures, I make pictures. There is probably nothing I haven’t photographed. And if something does come up, I figure it out.”
Jayne has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley since 1990. Available for weddings, events (on site photo booth), portraits, reunions, sports, team and individual portraits, real estate, pretty much anything! Additional information can be found at www.FASTJAYNEPHOTOGRAPHY.com and on Facebook.