We recently connected with Jess Young and have shared our conversation below.
Jess, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My father, who most of his life has worked as a small business owner and throughout the years has shown me the importance of hard work. My dad is dedicated, committed and true to his word. I have watched my father start several different businesses in his life — you might say chasing or trying a dream — and achieving success, not only monetarily, but in confidence and self-esteem.
My dad has always been a source of inspiration to me, and I have learned that it takes hard work to get to where you want to go. I am lucky to have had someone special instilled in me the kind of work ethic I’m proud to have.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Life is all about moments, and capturing them has been a passion and pastime of mine. Jess Young Photography evolved at a time of change in my professional life. It never occurred to me to make it a business until I came at a crossroads and was confronted with this simple question, “If you could do anything to make a living, what would you choose?” All it took was for me to hear it out loud, and the feeling of excitement and fear sparked courage inside me, and I went full speed ahead.
I spent the first six months photographing for free, as I learned that photography wasn’t as easy as when it was just my hobby. This is a serious challenge, and plenty of mistakes have been made along the way that turned into great learning opportunities. To this day I continue to practice and learn a lot about my equipment, my style, and about how I see the world around me.
Motherhood photography is my specialty and something that tugs at my heart. My own journey into motherhood is what fuels me and what allows me to connect to my families to help them tell their story.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three that come to mind are knowing your camera, learning to edit, and getting out of your own head. Creativity is not perfect, and you need to allow yourself to simply explore and document the world and people around you with your heart. Don’t follow the crowd. Instead, enjoy the freedom that photography allows to create something unique and different.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Today I am expanding my photography business to include pet photography, specifically senior dogs and their humans and end-of-life pet photography. This segment of my business is hugely discounted and/or free. It is only offered in Riverside county.
Dogs have always been a part of my life, and when someone asked me to photograph her with her best friend who only had a few weeks left, I was hooked. I’m a big animal person, and it would be my honor to document their last days together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jessyoungphotography.com
- Instagram: jessyoung_photography
- Facebook: Jess Young Photography
- Yelp: Jess Young Photography
Image Credits
n/a
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
