Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessika Hicks.
Jessika, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a kid, I always found myself picking up the camera and creating scenes to take photos of. I used my younger sister as a model and my mom knew photography was my passion before I did. Eventually, when my mom took me to take my senior portraits for my high school yearbook, she asked the studio manager if they were hiring, I honestly didn’t think I had a shot of working there, but my mom pushed me to do it and my passion and love of photography grew like never before. I worked at this studio for four years and learned so much from my own experiences. A coworker there photographed weddings and encouraged me to start doing so too. The thought of people paying me for my own work and not just some studio’s was nerve-racking. But with the help from my good friend and coworker, Kristi, I dipped my toes into the wedding industry. I soon gained the confidence to venture off and explore my own creativity. I started offering my services and now I mostly photograph couples and weddings. I absolutely love being able to capture some of the most precious moments for my clients to cherish for years to come.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest struggle by far has been me. I sometimes find that I’m hard on myself and I’m my biggest critic. It’s been a challenge to learn how to have faith in myself but I get better with it every session and wedding I photograph. I gain satisfaction from looking at how much I’ve grown in the past year and when my clients tell me how much they love their photos.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
I offer photography for any occasion. I specialize in portraits for high school seniors, couples and weddings. I’m very proud of the growth my business has made in the past year. I never thought I could start a business on my own let alone offer a service that I love doing. What sets me apart from other photography businesses is that I truly try to get to know my clients and hear about their love story. I don’t typically pose, I try to prompt my clients into genuine reactions and acts of affection.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plan for the future is to definitely grow my skills and use different techniques that are typically out of my element. Business wise, I want to learn more about marketing and the wedding industry. One of my biggest goals is to eventually co-own a wedding venue and be more involved in the wedding industry.
Pricing:
- Wedding Day Coverage + Engagements – $1200
- Wedding Day Coverage – $950
- Full Session – 1 hour – $200
- Mini Session – 30 mins – $125
Contact Info:
- Website: www.peridotsouthphotography.com
- Phone: 9726793002
- Email: peridot.south@gmail.com
- Instagram: @peridot.southphotos
- Facebook: @peridot.south
Image Credit:
Jessika Hicks – Peridot & South Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
