Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica “Jess” Collins.
Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started with an interest in photography when I was about ten years old, a family friend helped cultivate that interest and when I was about 14, I confiscated with my mom’s old film camera and went nuts with it.
In college, I did black + white film photography and spent a few summers in the darkroom developing and printing my work, and I was hooked. I’ve had many jobs ranging from a ranch hand to barista to a preschool teacher, and while I enjoyed aspects of every job, none of them ever felt right. I loved photography but didn’t think I could make a career out of it, because it was art and not a “stable job” as I was told.
I eventually quit my job teaching preschool sold a house and all of my possessions and traveled around the world for two years as a travel blogger, and during that time my love for story and travel was reignited and I knew that art and travel had to be a part of my life.
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?
I’ve struggled with my health in a variety of ways, from near organ failure as a teen to depression, anxiety and debilitating ovarian cysts as an adult. These issues often left me feeling paralyzed and stagnant in my art and creativity, as everyday living was a struggle. Because of these struggles, I felt like I lost my self for several years.
After returning from traveling the globe, my life blew up when my eight-year marriage and 12-year relationship abruptly ended, I was devastated and I felt like I was starting from square one, and in any way I was.
The good that came of that terrible time was that I had to find out who I was and what was really important to me all over again. After lots of healing, soul searching and a mindset shift, I knew that I wanted to do photography full time. After not very much planning, I took the leap, and honestly the road hasn’t been that smooth. But throughout every struggle, I feel like I am on the right path, doing what I love, adventuring and telling stories.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m an Elopement + Couples Photographer and I specialize in adventure elopements + intimate weddings. I am always after the pictures that make you feel like you are in the moment, the ones filled with emotion and movement. My couples are about adventure over posing, nature over tradition, and intimacy + authenticity over expectation. And they don’t mind their wedding dress getting muddy, or windblown hair, cause they know that a little mud couldn’t ruin their epic love story.
With all of my elopement couples we meet up for a coffee + taco date first thing, and the purpose is to get to know them on a deeper level so that when I am documenting the biggest day of their lives, I feel like an old friend, and not some random vendor that they meet the day of their elopement, knowing them on this level also helps the images I take feel more intimate because I know who they are and what is meaningful to them. I hold space for all of my couples to show up exactly as they are, and I in turn bare my weird and silly self, and when we both show up authentically, we can’t help but make magic.
I am passionate about my couples having the exact day that THEY want and nothing that they don’t.
The reason I specialize in elopements is that far too often when I shot traditional weddings, they became about the production of the day rather than about the couple and the vow they were making. It became about trying to check all the tradition boxes, pleasing their parents, and doing what was expected, and at the end of the day, 90% of them just wanted the day to be over.
With an elopement, you can instead have a day that’s truly focused on the two of you and the love you share. It is a beautiful intimate time, where you can be your authentic self without worrying about judgment from an “audience”. The day can look exactly like you want it to. From starting with a morning bubble bath together to saying your vows on the top of a mountain at sunset, to jumping in the ocean after you say “I do”. Whether you choose to invite a few friends & family or have a day just the two of you, the possibilities are endless, and the day will be as unique as the love you two share.
Eloping can be a scary choice, to just choose the two of you. But I am here to walk beside you in every aspect of the planning, from locations, coverage, time of day, travel logistics, and even carrying your stuff up a mountain, I’ve got you boo. I’ll be your favorite third wheel + hype girl to hold your hand, cheer you on, an document it all as you start the adventure of a lifetime.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I definitely marched to the beat of my own drum, I was silly, weird, and liked what I like with no apology. I was always outside climbing trees, building forts, exploring, and letting my imagination run wild. My thirst for travel and adventure started young. I remember dreaming of traveling to faraway places, at night I would read the encyclopedia and pore over the globe planning my grand adventures.
Pricing:
- Adventure Elopements + Intimate Weddings anywhere in the World start at $5,000 All Photographer Travel Fees Included!+
- Adventure Elopements + Intimate Weddings anywhere in the U.S start at $4,000 All Photographer Travel Fees Included!
- Adventure Couples Sessions start at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jessicacollins.photography
- Phone: 8173718656
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicacollins.photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicacollinselopementphotographer/
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