Simply Jessie Photography - San Francisco | Chicago Photography » personal

The journey west. | Personal

Jessie — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:14:00 +0000

Forgive the silence of the last few weeks. It is hard to describe in words what these days have been…. a journey is the best way to describe this process. So many things have happened , our feet have been in so many places, our eyes taking in gorgeous landscapes and the expanse of our beautiful country. The journey was long, but it was so incredible to drive and see the scenery change, have only each other and to take the next curve of our journey.

Here are a few from our trip.

Morning from my Chicago window the day we left. Jaclyn Simpson saw us off and snapped this last photo of us in our empty space.

Salt Lake City was incredible. These next two were as we were driving out of Salt Lake in the morning.

We made it! We were greeted into California with amazing sunlight.

The following are all photos a la iphone.

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New Ventures.

Jessie — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:06:28 +0000

As this blog posts, Eric and I have loaded up our small car with our gear computers, two cats and 2 weeks of clothing. We have turned our car and hearts West. We are ready to document this new adventure armed with rolls of film, field cameras, medium format and digital cameras as well.

As I write this, I am struggling a bit for words to express the fullness of my heart, both for Chicago and for what lies ahead in San Francisco. My heart is filled with thankfulness for my time in Chicago, the business that blossomed, an amazing community of photographers, working every day beside my love , and all the things I love in this great Midwestern city. I am sad to leave but am leaving with a heart bursting with gratitude for what these five years here have been both professionally and personally. They were beyond anything I could have ever imagined. My heart going to California is excited, re-energized, hopeful and open to this new chapter in our lives. I am excited for a new season of learning, exploring and shifting our lives to different priorities and our days with new faces.

With this new shift, Eric and I have decided to start a personal blog called Put Down the Bourbon. It will be a place where we can explore photography and fail or succeed in new creative avenues. It has been a long time coming to have such a creative and personal outlet. The first thing documented will be our trip out west. The land we go through, the wide open spaces we see and the newness of this transition. If you’d like to follow along, just add us to your RSS feed to see this new adventure we are on.

I miss you already Chicago and your friendly Midwestern ways. Ready or not California, here we come!

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Happy Birthday Eric!! | Personal.

Jessie — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:16:27 +0000

I love this man. Today is his 29th birthday. I love the way he’s made, the way he thinks, how sweet he is to me, how he can really do anything he sets his mind to. Who knew when we pledged our lives to each other years ago under those pecan trees the adventures we would go on together?

Happy Birthday Eric.

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Starting to say Goodbye | Personal

Jessie — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:24:08 +0000

It is true. We are heading to California!! We are packing up the studio and getting our sights set on the golden state. We will be working out of both cities but switching our home base to the bustling city of San Francisco. Stay tuned for my travel schedule as I will be in Chicago often and looking to book family portraits and anniversary shoots galore. I will post soon!

We have goodbye parties planned, moving trucks reserved but one of the hardest goodbyes so far was to Chicago Botanic Garden. It was my first job here in the lovely city of Chicago. For the five years that we have lived in Chicago it has been a home of sorts for me. I know the paths well, and how the different seasons look and feel. It has seen me change and grow, calmed me among chaos and brightened my winter weary eyes. I am going to miss it. I lingered a bit longer on my final day to quietly say goodbye. Here are a few of the photos I took.

On a happy note, I am very excited to annouce that I am now Chicago Boatnic Gardens Photography Education Consultant ( mouthful right?). I will be taking alot of time out this Spring to build up their curriculum with all levels of photography courses for a much more comprehensive program. I am thrilled to keep a tie to this wonderful place!

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Fine Art Botanics | Personal.

Jessie — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:56:32 +0000

This week started my yearly class at Chicago Botanic Garden teaching Macro Photography in the greenhouse. It is always a welcome change of pace for me to communicate the technicalities of the camera, meet new students and spend some time away from the computer. I wander with my class in the green humidity and it relaxes me deeply. Here is one from this week.

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Oh the places we go! 2011 | Personal.

Jessie — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:10:16 +0000

Here it is !Many of you have been asking for this silly little end of the year blog post. It is filled with photos Eric and I have taken of one another at all the wonderful weddings this year.

Putting this together each year is always funny, nostalgic, humbling and always leaves me with a grateful heart. Our whole body of work is built upon the stories of others and the window we capture into their life and love. When you look back through these images of Eric and I, I can see our story being written among all of these love stories and I think that is pretty special.

Next up is The Best of Engagement and Weddings 2011!

If want to see photos from our 2010 year , click here to go see!

We started 2011 by heading to Miami for a destination wedding. 70 degrees interrupting Chicago January was a welcome distraction.

Back to Chicago Winter! We did quite a few winter engagement sessions this year and it was suprisingly fun to work in a blanket of white.

And no, Eric does not know this wedding guest below on right.

PhotoBooth Light check!

Found out later the plant I am buried in is Poison Sumac! ( don’t worry, all was ok)

Um. what is with the blue shirts surrounding me? Weird right?

Our studio and office in Lincoln Square.

You get BIG time bonus points from Eric if golf cart is our mode of transportation on your wedding day!

Took after Styled Shoot was a wrap in the woods!

Thank you , thank you sweet gals and gents for inviting us to so many fun locations and entrusting us with your day.

xoxo,

Jessie & Eric

(photo above : Jaclyn Simpson Photography)

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Six Years and happy about it. | Personal

Jessie — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:00:49 +0000

Last year we were in Michigan fighting mosquitoes and tromping around the Michigan countryside and this year we stuck to our home and neighborhood Lincoln Square. Thank you a million times over Jaclyn and Jenn. All photos are copyright to Jaclyn Simpson Photography and Jennifer Kathryn Photography. These two also did our Five Year Anniversary shoot last year in Michigan too if you want to see more!

Eric and I celebrated our sixth year anniversary this past August but delayed our photos till a bit later in the Chicago fall. It is always such a reminder to me what it feels like to be on the other side of the lens. Its hard! It’s so humbling and like all of you, I had no idea what to wear, what colors looked nice, if I was making that weird face I always do or if I should have done my hair differently. I turned seriously clueless.

We stayed close to home. We started in the studio and then just strolled the Lincoln Square sidewalks. These last years have been such a special time for us growing in so many ways. I wanted some images at home to remember this time in our lives together.

We then left the studio and strolled around the beautiful Fall afternoon just on our block.

Thank you again to the wonderful Jaclyn Simpson Photographyand Jennifer Kathryn Photography !!

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Mom’s Surprise Birthday! | Personal.

Jessie — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:55:50 +0000

Last week my whole family pulled off a huge surprise for my Mom! My brother flew in from San Francisco, Eric and I came from Chicago and my Dad kept it from my Mom for over three months! She was completely surprised when we showed up for her birthday dinner she thought was only with friends! Heather of Carson Studios Photography is like family and was in on the whole thing. She planted the idea, and put up with our scheming and my freak outs that Mom might know.

Our weekend started with the surprise birthday party complete with carrot cake, party balloons and my mom oooing and aweing that we were all together. We leisurely spent the weekend on their back deck sipping wine and enjoying the 85 degree humidity. We strolled through Auburn on gameday, sat on Samford Hall’s lawn and saw our first house as newlyweds. I soaked in the birds in the backyard and let myself breathe a bit. It was a nice break.

Heather is also who first put a camera in my hand and said ” Let’s see what you can do” . We have walked through so much both personally and professionally and has been one of my closest friends for years. She is so generous and met up with us for some family photos while we were in Auburn.

Below is a photo of Heather and I ! I wish we didn’t live in different cities but I love coming home to her!

Happy Birthday Mom!! All photos by Carson Studios Photography.

And… just for fun some iphone photos of our walk around my hometown of Auburn and where Eric and I met. I also found some oldies hanging around my Mom and Dad’s house of years gone by. The last one ( on the right) is from when my mom was 24 and my Dad was only 22!

I can’t believe we pulled it off!!! Happy Happy birthday to the best Mom in the world!!

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Six Years and Counting… | Personal

Jessie — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:51:04 +0000

This photo is from the year Eric and I fell in love. I was 18 years old and we were on the coast of California. And yes, Eric does have a lip ring. ( much to my 18 year old dismay). This was a film photo scanned.

Tomorrow is our sixth year wedding anniversary! Seems so weird and makes me feel so old! We found young love and have been enjoying it now for 6 years. Every year when this landmark date comes around I get so full of gratitude and joy for the man I married, how each of us has grown individually and who we’ve become together. Sometimes I have many many words about marriage, the good and the bad, but this year all I have to share is a huge feeling of gratitude and thankfulness.

I love you Eric. I think you are the absolute bestest and I am so glad you are mine. Cheers to love.

Photo series below from my birthday this year with Eric at Ravnia. Excuse my iphone camera.

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July 4 Celebration | Personal

Jessie — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:28:48 +0000

Here are a few photos of our time off spending it with the family in Chicago. It was a very calculated decision to take a breather mid-wedding season and it was WAY worth the piled up inbox I came back to. I feel refreshed and ready to go with creativity restored.

With my parents here from Alabama and my brother from California we had the best of time all together. Our days involved lots of iced coffee, Chicago Botanic Gardens, cameras galore, Architectural Boat Tour, a day by Lake Michigan, fireworks from our rooftop and my Dad’s birthday. And yes, you are about to see a birthday candle in a hamburger. That’s how we roll.

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday with the ones you love!

Adorable parents below shot by Eric.

Big brother with beautiful film medium format camera and one of us together. Shot by Eric.

My brother turned the camera on Eric and I . I like this shot. It feels very us.

Back to reality I go!

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