Experience: I'm super well rounded in grilled cheese making and photo documenting. I'm also decent at Mommy-ing and Wife-ing. :) I've been taking pictures since I was young, but didn't really find a passion for it until college. I went to school at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and majored in Illustration. I took a Photography elective class and fell head over heals. I started as a fine art photographer, and quickly found my place in the world of portrait and wedding photography. I've been a full time photographer since 2010, owning Kazoo Photography from 2007 to 2017 when we became monroe+co. I've continued my education with workshops, conventions, wonderful online collaborative groups and my awesome photog friends that know how amazing community over competition can be for everyone.
Passionate About: I'm CRAZY passionate about creating art and self expression. I love picking out my outfits each day, and deciding how I'm going to apply my eye shadow. Photography allows me to express myself and create something, while giving someone a wonderful gift at the same time. I'm able to show my clients their lives, their kids, their experiences through my eyes, from my heart. It's pretty incredible. Photography is my therapy, my baby, my best friend, my outlet... I'd be totally lost without it.
What I love about monroe+co: I love so many things about monroe+co! Our clients are absolutely amazing, I am crazy about our beautiful victorian style studio in uptown Marion, I love the women I work with, and that we are able to empower and support each other in our struggles and in our passions. I love that I am excited to go to work everyday and do what I never thought would be possible. Monroe+co started from a giant dream I never saw actually happening, and here we are, girl bossing so hard and loving every minute of it!
Favorite thing to photograph: Holy buckets, that's a tough one. I REALLY love photographing all the things I do for different reasons. I've been told so many times that in order to be successful I need to focus on ONE style of photography, and specialize in a certain genre. Unfortunately, photography is not only my form of income, but also the way I express myself and feel better on a funk-day. I'd say that Seniors and Weddings/Engagements are my favorite, but if I'm being honest, I LOVE seeing my little baby clients and watching them grow. I love how unpredictable they are, the little faces they make and silly things they say and do. And weddings, I mean come on. Who doesn't love being a part of two people's dream come true?! I love everything about weddings and documenting two people so in love. Seniors are a whole other experience. I basically get to dress up cute girls in cute clothes and watch them come alive in front of the camera. I love watching shy girls come out of their shells, and insecure girls realize how absolutely gorgeous they really are. "I look so pretty" is something that never gets old to hear.
Fact About Jess: I do handstands when I get stressed. I should own stock in Nutrismoothie. Yoga pants, tank and top knots are my signature style. I'm dyslexic and have the memory of a fish. (I actually don't know anything about fish memories, but I've heard that saying before so I'm going with it.) I LOVE fashion and watching styles cycle. I have a new-found love of all things makeup as well, you could even call it an obsession. AND, I have the most adorable, funny, wonderful husband (Tyler) and amazing three kids (Riot-12, Early-9and Navy-7) on the planet. We are a family that loves to BBQ outside on fall evenings with a bonfire going, we love car rides to Starbucks for yummy drinks and cake pops, we love giving, we love how fresh snow sparkles and how freshly cut grass smells. We talk often about whats important in life, though Early's opinions vary slightly from the rest of us, as she's a pretty big fan of fruit snacks. We encourage our friends and family to see beauty in everything, especially in the hearts and warm actions of others. We are silly and sarcastic and would drop anything for those we love or those in need. We love the Hawkeyes (but don't discriminate against our Cyclone and Panther friends!), and we're a house divided between the Vikings & Packers. I'm beyond blessed.
Passionate About: I'm CRAZY passionate about creating art and self expression. I love picking out my outfits each day, and deciding how I'm going to apply my eye shadow. Photography allows me to express myself and create something, while giving someone a wonderful gift at the same time. I'm able to show my clients their lives, their kids, their experiences through my eyes, from my heart. It's pretty incredible. Photography is my therapy, my baby, my best friend, my outlet... I'd be totally lost without it.
What I love about monroe+co: I love so many things about monroe+co! Our clients are absolutely amazing, I am crazy about our beautiful victorian style studio in uptown Marion, I love the women I work with, and that we are able to empower and support each other in our struggles and in our passions. I love that I am excited to go to work everyday and do what I never thought would be possible. Monroe+co started from a giant dream I never saw actually happening, and here we are, girl bossing so hard and loving every minute of it!
Favorite thing to photograph: Holy buckets, that's a tough one. I REALLY love photographing all the things I do for different reasons. I've been told so many times that in order to be successful I need to focus on ONE style of photography, and specialize in a certain genre. Unfortunately, photography is not only my form of income, but also the way I express myself and feel better on a funk-day. I'd say that Seniors and Weddings/Engagements are my favorite, but if I'm being honest, I LOVE seeing my little baby clients and watching them grow. I love how unpredictable they are, the little faces they make and silly things they say and do. And weddings, I mean come on. Who doesn't love being a part of two people's dream come true?! I love everything about weddings and documenting two people so in love. Seniors are a whole other experience. I basically get to dress up cute girls in cute clothes and watch them come alive in front of the camera. I love watching shy girls come out of their shells, and insecure girls realize how absolutely gorgeous they really are. "I look so pretty" is something that never gets old to hear.
Fact About Jess: I do handstands when I get stressed. I should own stock in Nutrismoothie. Yoga pants, tank and top knots are my signature style. I'm dyslexic and have the memory of a fish. (I actually don't know anything about fish memories, but I've heard that saying before so I'm going with it.) I LOVE fashion and watching styles cycle. I have a new-found love of all things makeup as well, you could even call it an obsession. AND, I have the most adorable, funny, wonderful husband (Tyler) and amazing three kids (Riot-12, Early-9and Navy-7) on the planet. We are a family that loves to BBQ outside on fall evenings with a bonfire going, we love car rides to Starbucks for yummy drinks and cake pops, we love giving, we love how fresh snow sparkles and how freshly cut grass smells. We talk often about whats important in life, though Early's opinions vary slightly from the rest of us, as she's a pretty big fan of fruit snacks. We encourage our friends and family to see beauty in everything, especially in the hearts and warm actions of others. We are silly and sarcastic and would drop anything for those we love or those in need. We love the Hawkeyes (but don't discriminate against our Cyclone and Panther friends!), and we're a house divided between the Vikings & Packers. I'm beyond blessed.