Inspired, A Very Special Project | Jessica Holden Photography

I love Jessica’s work. Even more so I love how her work makes me feel. It really resonates with me. The images of her daughter are stunning and well her daughter is just such a beauty. Jessica Holden indeed is a very special talent!

Let’s get right into this!

You can find Jessica’s Website HERE.

Hi Sweet Jessica!

A favorite image with a description of why it is your favorite!

This was so hard to choose! I had it narrowed to one of two pretty easily (this and the balloon one), but from there it was tough. In the end I chose this one because while I just love the light and the softness and the composition, what ultimately gets me is the mischievous little glint in her eye. I just wonder what she was planning every time I look at it!

Also if you wouldn’t mind sharing one of your starting out images I would so appreciate it.
Don’t laugh, but here’s one that I thought was so artsy—my baby girl’s giggly expression with her little fists in her mouth, the extreme grain, even the black and white film I chose (my first DSLR was film—digital was very new, and I vowed I would never embrace it. LOL)…

 Let’s get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?
I am painfully shy—a huge introvert—though people who know that say I hide it well (especially if I’m offered a cosmo or a glass of wine ;-P). I am impossibly sentimental and romantic. And I am very fidgety: I like to think it burns calories, but mostly it probably just annoys people.

What sparked your passion for Photography?
As a little girl I was mesmerized by watching my grandpa create masterful charcoal renderings of sun-streamed redwood groves, but I can barely sketch stick figures. But when I was 11 or 12, a dear family friend gave me her old Brownie camera, and from that moment I was hooked. I’m endlessly inspired by beautiful light and how it plays with objects. When my daughter was born, I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t capture her in photos in a way that matched the vision I had in my head, so I began devouring blogs, tutorials, classes, and books, and the obsession never stopped!

What’s in your camera bag?
5D Mark III  (I love it!) with my trusty 40D as a back-up, and my lenses are the 24-70/2.8 II, the 100/2.8L, and the 50/1.4 (I’d like to upgrade that one to either the 85L or the 50L). I have a Lensbaby that I adore, too, though I’m still learning to get consistently sharp images with it. And for travel I love the Tamron 28-300 for its flexibility.

What camera/equipment did you start out with?
I started out with a Canon Rebel film camera, before moving into a digital Rebel. Later I got the 40D, and I kept that for YEARS waiting for the Mark III to come out.

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?
Assuming it was an outdoor session where I had plenty of room, I’d use the 100L, hands down. I love the dreamy softness of that lens, and it is SHARP! But for an indoor session I’d have to go with something wider and more flexible, so I’d use the 24-70/II.

What was your first official photographer crush if you had one?
I think my biggest photography crush has been and always will be Jose Villa. His soft yet sharp images and his brilliant use of light just enthrall me…

If you could photograph absolutely anyone who would it be dead or alive?
I think I’d have to say Amanda Seyfried. There is something so clean and fresh about her, and I just love that classical, beautiful, innocent yet old-Hollywood look she has. I’d want vintage clothes and dreamy, soft light. Maybe a field, or in a forest filled with glimmering rays of sunshine, or in a very old and very glamorous ballroom… Oooh—or at the Downton Abbey estate! How I’d love to be able to shoot my daughter there, too…

Describe your style in 3 words.
Luminescent, joyous, and delicate.

Favorite time of day to shoot is?
Golden hour… But even more magical to me is that golden yet silvery light that sometimes comes just before or after a storm, though of course that is much more difficult to schedule!

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?
Hmmm—this is tough as I would be heartbroken. But most likely I would return to my roots of writing and editing.

What are your photography related goals for 2013?
I would absolutely love to get an article or even just an image (with a credit line) published in print form somewhere. A book or magazine cover would be a lifelong dream come true for me!

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments?
I still love taking online workshops, and I try to take one at least once per year; I find them very inspiring and motivating to get my camera out and shoot. I also love to work through photography books with friends so we can keep each other encouraged and enthusiastic. My biggest Aha moment is something I am still struggling with—to unapologetically shoot what I love, to OWN IT, without worrying about whether other people will think.

Biggest Photography related insecurity?
This one is easy for me! I can’t seem to get past an insecurity that because my work is nearly always bright and happy, that people will see it as shallow or lacking emotion. I find myself yearning to preserve the joy in life, but at the same time I worry that by only showing softness and light, people might perceive in my work a lack of depth and not take me seriously as a photographer.

Digital or Prints?
I WANT to say prints, but I am terrible about getting images printed. I don’t think I have a single framed print of my own work hanging in my home. That’s something I need to work on, I guess!

If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be?
Hands down L glass, at whatever focal length best suits your shooting style. I just got my first L lens about a year ago and was absolutely blown away by the difference in image quality and sharpness.

What would you say your biggest muse is?
My daughter, without a doubt. And I am lucky because she is a willing participant when I get yet another idea that I’m excited about (MOST of the time, anyway, though I am not above bribery when necessary)!

Fun stuff:
Favorite Color: What I call “happy green”
Favorite Season: Spring
Biggest Guilty Pleasure: TV and cosmos (can I say two?)
Pet Peeve: Slow drivers in the fast lane!
Studio or On location: on location for sure
What did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher
One thing no one knows about you is: I have the most bizarre dreams of anyone I have ever met.
Pc or Mac: PC, but seriously considering going Mac
Lightroom Or Photoshop: Lightroom primarily, but I couldn’t do without Photoshop for more artistic edits, headswaps, etc.
Film or Digital: Digital
Props or No Props: Minimal props—more along the lines of clothing/hairpieces that inspires me
If you could travel anywhere it would be: Italy
Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Depends on the day!
Raw or Jpeg: RAW, absolutely
Favorite Quote: “Making the decision to have a child is momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
—Elizabeth Stone
Most valued material possession: The drawing my Grandpa made for our wedding invitation.
Processing Style: Clean, bright, and soft
Coffee or Tea: Can I say wine? Or even Pepsi? (but really, I’m happy with coffee OR tea!)
What kind of Camera bag do you rock? I love my turquoise Kelly Moore Hobo.