The Photographer.

More about Jessica.

My journey into photography was accidental. If you believe in accidents, that is. I do not. When I was 7, my father passed away, leaving behind a huge hole in my heart and a large stack of photo albums. I spent years mesmerized by those old albums. I could see what he saw, look at people and the world they way he did through his photos. In a sense, it was a way to get to know him. Looking back now, spending that much time engulfed with those images; I see how it affected my view of the rest of the world, of people. It made me nostalgic of the present – knowing too well that these are the “good ole days” we will one day romanticize. I could see stills within the motion of life that would hold the images of moments already gone. Maybe it was genetics, maybe I would’ve been that way regardless. I will never know.

Fast forward to college. It’s my senior year and I needed one more elective to graduate. Only two courses had seats left: digital photography and folk dance. I was not about to folk dance. Even though it was an intro class, most of the students were already well into the art program. I had never used a DSLR camera, MAC computer or Photoshop before.  I was in way over my head. I spent the better part of that semester frustrated.. Every time I would try to take a photo it would come out completely black, or blurry, or all bright white. I had literally never been more confused in my life than what I was looking at the back of that camera. With the help of some friends and some really good persuasive skills, I managed to convince my teacher to give me the C I needed to graduate. I thought I would never need to know anything that I learned from that class. I could not have been more wrong.

            A few months went by and I had purchased my own camera. A Nikon D3000 with a kit lens. I had been taking photos of my dogs, garden, and trees – the things all newbies shoot. I get a message from a couple that wants me to photograph their wedding. I tell them I think they may be nuts, that her wedding is kind of a big deal and that I have never really photographed people. She insisted, saying she didn’t care and she trusted me. I told her I would do an engagement shoot- if they thought I did well, then they could pay me whatever they thought was appropriate (yes, the payment was optional). After the shoot, they handed me $100 and told me to raise my prices. Their wedding came. It was the first paying photo gig. There were 20 something members in the bridal party.  Pre-wedding I could not have been more nervous but during the wedding I felt strangely comfortable, I was in my element.

It took me years to realize the impact of that day and the trajectory I was on. In the following years I completed graduate school earning a Masters in Humanities as well as a Masters in Education. I was a bartender for many years, a job which I loved. Then became an instructor at the University of Rio Grande and Marshall University. Photography was always my side hustle. I really did love teaching and I am pretty good at it, too. My courses usually had a waitlist and students would bring friends to sit on my lectures. Quite unheard of for a speech class. I was headed to start on a PhD so I could pursue teaching full time. The itch to be photographer never went away, no matter what I did. I knew that if I didn’t take it seriously now, that if I headed down the path for a PhD that I might never have a life as a full time photographer. Academia wasn’t going anywhere so I decided to take a chance.

In 2018 I opened my very own studio and did not renew my contracts as an instructor at the universities. I haven’t looked back.

I know the value of photographs, I know the power they carry. They have the power to transform you, to make you feel love and gratitude for the people in your present and for those who are now in your past. I am grateful every day that I am able to see the incredible beauty in people and in life.

I adore my job. I love creating wonderful experiences for my clients and showing them how beautiful they are. My greatest joy is when a session with me changes the way my clients view themselves. It’s my goal to create the best photos of yourself that you have ever seen! And not just the best but powerful, emotive portraits, the timeless kind.

When I am not in my studio or working with clients, I can be found celebrating daily life with my family and friends. I am a mom to 4 humans, 3 beagles, 7 cats and 22 chickens. I’m also a microfarmer, sustainable gardener and permaculture enthusiast. I collect books and am a lover of craft beers, music and random trivia.

Awards, shows & publications.

The Phoenix Project Exhibition - French Art Colony, January 2022; Markay Gallery, March 2022

The 40 Over 40 Project Exhibition - French Art Colony, April 2021

Behind the Shutter Magazine - March 2021

Behind the Shutter Magazine - February 2021

Portrait Masters International Photography Competition 2020 - 12 Bronze Awards in Contemporary Portrait

Portrait Masters International Photography Competition 2019- 3 Bronze Awards in Contemporary Portrait

French Art Colony Solo Exhibit October - November 2019

French Art Colony Annual Artists Exhibition 2019 - Awarded 1st Place in Photography and Curator’s Choice Award

Huntington Museum of Art, Tri State Artists Association 2018 - Awarded Best of Show

French Art Colony Annual Artists Exhibition 2018 - Awarded 1st and 3rd place in Photography

Portrait Masters International Photography Competition 2018 - 6 Bronze Awards in Contemporary Portrait 

Roscoe Room -  Columbus, Ohio
Brother’s Drake Meadery - Columbus, Ohio

Columbus Metropolitan Library - Columbus, Ohio

Gothesque Magazine

Bakers Multicultural Art Center - Ohio University Athens, Ohio

Pump House Center for the Arts - Chillicothe, Ohio

The Historic Lowe Inn - Point Pleasant, WV

Gallery at 409 - Point Pleasant, WV

Xpressions Magazine

Ohio University Southern - Ironton, Ohio

Parkersburg Center for the Arts - Parkersburg, WV

RAW Artist Showcase, Shadowbox Theatre - Columbus, Ohio

Envy Ink - Gallipolis, Ohio

Sixth Sense Brewing - Jackson, Ohio