San Diego-based Jess Living focuses on capturing raw emotion, true interactions, and memories to last a lifetime. Believing that photography is both an art and an experience, her goal is to make her couples wedding day as valuable as the memories captured. Jess Living strives to photograph each moment in a natural, emotive and nostalgic style.
Tell us about your business!
I feel inspired to create memorable, film-inspired imagery that matches my clients' passion for their own love stories. I’m based in Southern California, and began Jess Living Photo in 2017. I travel all over the world for clients who are dedicated to the documentation of their emotion and connection. I believe that photography is both an art and an experience, and focus on balancing every aspect in order to create the best overall photography experience for my clients. I strive to photograph each moment in a natural, emotive and nostalgic style.
Where are you based?
I’m based in sunny San Diego - and mainly serve the greater California region.
Do you travel for weddings?
I do! In fact, most of my weddings require travel on my part - I feel so lucky to be able to witness and capture weddings all around the globe.
What is your most memorable career moment?
Really, I couldn’t be a wedding photographer without couples who choose and trust me to capture their wedding days - my clients are the most real and memorable part of my career. Beyond that, it is always a moment of awe when I have clients choose to book me for a location that I haven’t been to before. Those clients specifically show me a huge amount of trust and dedication to my imagery, and it leaves me speechless every time.
What inspires you?
Light and the colors of nature are what motivate my style and theory on photography visually. Nevertheless, my photos would be nothing if it weren’t for the humans and human emotion contained within each image. Human connection is beautiful and evolves from second to second - it’s an honor to witness and capture it every day.
How would you describe your working style?
I prioritize becoming close friends with my clients. I feel that the client-photographer connection is what molds my images to look like they do. The closer I am with my couples, the more I am able to perceive their needs and slight shifts in emotion as the day unfolds, and in hand, tailor my photography to the specific moment and mood.
I help my clients pose as much as they want me to, or need me to, in any given moment. Photographs have a massive power in assisting memory recollection, and function best when representing authentic memories rather than curated ones. Therefore, in comparing posed to unposed moments, I tend to gravitate towards the unposed.
Do you shoot digitally, on film or both?
I photograph using both digital and film formats. Film is my one true love; I tailor the specific ratio of film vs. digital to each client and their particular needs or desires for their wedding gallery.
Do you have custom packages according to individual needs?
I give each client of mine a custom quote for their specific weekend, location, and amount of coverage desired. I believe that rather than a wedding schedule catering to a photography schedule, photography should mold seamlessly to the natural flow and schedule of the wedding weekend.
Where would you love to travel to for work?
Currently in my dream list are: France, Egypt, St. Lucia, the Azores, and South Africa.
Who is your dream client?
I personally love when clients are creatives, and have a real vision for their wedding experience - both for themselves and for their guests. Above all, my dream clients are ones who love my photos.
What is your advice to couples getting married?
The most successful weddings and the most joyful couples are the ones who have planned sufficiently; but then trust in their planning and truly “let go” on the wedding day. All effort put into organization and planning will pay off on the wedding day - but invariably with each wedding day comes the unexpected. The happiest brides are the ones who trust that they did all they could, and go into their wedding day with an open mind and heart, let it unfold organically, and allow themselves to experience it fully.
Jess Living Photo
Website: jesslivingphoto.com
Instagram: @jesslivingphoto