One of my goals for 2015 is to blog more. While coming up with different things to blog about related to photography (and not), I started thinking about how I know my clients so well, that maybe I can put myself out there a little more and they can get to know me a little better.
Enter my new blog series “The Girl Behind The Camera”. I always found writing to be very therapeutic (more on that later), so I’m excited to start this series! Maybe I had a crappy week and need to write about it or maybe I had an awesome week and need to write about it, or maybe I can just write about nothing, but feel fulfilled.
I figured I would start this week with “10 Randoms About Your Photographer”.
So here it goes:
1) Family is everything. Friends are family.
Seriously, this sentence holds so much. I am very blessed to have an incredibly special relationships with my husband, children, parents, step-parents, siblings, step-siblings, in-laws, cousins, extended family and etc. Although there are times where we all don’t always agree or see eye to eye (because what family does?), we are always so close and for that I am grateful. I’ve also been blessed with some of the best girlfriends around. I have known these girls since I was a kid. My oldest friend and I have been BFF’s for 30 years. Grew up next door to each other (literally) It’s crazy. My other BFF, 25 years. Bonds and friendships like this are so special and I am blessed to have that in my life.
2) I HATE Peanut Butter.
The smell. The taste. YUCK! Oddly, I do like Almond Butter though and I’ll put a tablespoon of it in my protein smoothies. Random. But peanut butter. BLECK!
3) I’m an avid runner.
Most people know my love (or hate) for running. I’ve been running religiously for over 7 years now. Having completed a countless number of 5K’s, 8K’s, 10K’s, 12 half marathons and I am in the middle of training for my second full marathon, is really kind of a great feeling. It wasn’t always easy though (actually I don’t even think it is easy now). When I first started running over 7 years ago more than a “jog”, I was running with a couple girls I had met in Virginia Beach. Some of my first friends when I moved here. I am till this day so thankful for them because they gave me that push I needed during that time. We would meet every morning at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach and run with our jogging strollers and chat, I miss those days! I hope they are reading this because I forever love you girls, you know who you are. Ok, totally off topic….But yes, running is a love/hate relationship for me. I don’t always love it when I am doing it, but I LOVE what it does for me emotionally and physically and I couldn’t picture my life without it. And I am so thankful for all the friendships I have made through running, old and new.
4) My sweet tooth is out of control.
I guess its a good thing I run because I could seriously eat ice cream every night if I let myself. I have the worst sweet tooth and although I eat pretty well and clean, my sweet tooth over takes it. Maybe one day I’ll curb it. Maybe.
5) I LOVE music and am a music junkie.
My dad is really into music. I remember being 4 years old and knowing words to songs by “The Who”, like word for word. In my preteen days, I would take albums from his record collection that I thought looked cool and record them to a cassette tape and go in my room and blast them and listen to them over and over. Never really knowing who the bands were. But by the time I was 13 I knew random songs by bands like The Kinks, Bob Dylan and became a Led Zeppelin junkie. My music library is so random. Zeppelin, The Doors, Biggie, Sublime, Gaslight Anthem, 90s freestyle….just total randomness. I also know every single song by the Beastie Boys. Every. One. Don’t try and battle me, you will lose.
6) I thought I would be a famous author.
This is true. I have rubbermaid bins in my attic full of books, short stories and poems I have written in my pre-teen and teen and into my 20s! I would spend countless hours, writing and writing books, sometimes I even drew book covers to accompany the book. Then I would make my family and close friends read them. I even had a “pen name”. Jessiee Prez. Yep. True story. I do still love to write, I just don’t share it as much anymore. This new blog series is one I am SO stoked about though because I hope it helps me to be more open about my writing.
7) I’m a Jersey Girl.
A true to the heart Jersey girl. Born and raised. I spent my summers at our beach house on the Jersey shore (the real Jersey shore). I ate pork roll for dinner. I went to diners at 2am. I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen out and about in town and at beach clubs. I experienced snowy winters and hot summers. And I loved it all. I was the girl that said she would NEVER leave Jersey. But sometimes you fall in love and follow your heart to Virginia Beach and that’s ok, and I wouldn’t change that for the world! But I’ll always have Jersey in my blood, I just love it and my peeps there to pieces. We are strong, maybe a little stubborn but we are TIGHT! And maybe one day we will go back. But for now I LOVE being able to visit every other month and am blessed to have so many amazing clients there that allow me to do so.
8) Leggings are my BFF.
I have drawers of them in different colors and patterns. The obsessions is real.
9) I am the worst sleeper.
It’s terrible. I maybe get 4 hours of a decent sleep at night, if that sometimes. I’m good to fall asleep but if something wakes me up. A kid. A husband. A noise. I CAN NOT fall back asleep and I lay there for hours on end. Thinking and thinking and thinking. Actually, last night at 3AM is where I came up with this blog series…
10) I love taking pictures.
Ok. This was a given. But I really, really love it. I love the way a camera feels in my hand and I love the sound the shutter makes. I love uploading the images after a session and scrolling through and seeing the smiles and all the moments I have captured. There’s this sense of joy that comes over me. Following my dream has been an amazing adventure. Not always easy. Not always kind. Not without tears and wanting to give up. But what I feel like I have built so far is so rewarding. As always the support of family and friends has been amazing and that of my loyal clients, new and old! Thank you for letting me live my dream. So much to come in 2015! Hope you stay for the ride.
xo.
Best and love,
Jessica
