It’s some sort of crazy blessing when your friend that you’re traveling to a conference with goes “hey, my favorite photographer is opening up his new studio to regular people for the first time ever! Mind if we hit that up on our way back?” Of course I was like uh, yeah Michael, and I’m doing it, too!!
Jeremy is a crazy talented artist. He works with people like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Tim Tebow, and so so many more. He has also shown his crazy awesome passion for philanthropy by spearheading his “Purpose Hotel” project. You guys seriously need to click on that link and look this up. I’m in awe of his skills, his passion to help people, and his awesome fatherly love for his kids.
Meeting him was like a dream. I walked in a couple of minutes late because of a phone call from my infertility doctor. I don’t often get to talk to her so I also couldn’t ignore that. So I walked in al frazzled from my phone call, knowing I was late, and knowing I only had 15 minutes (or less) for him to photograph me. And I hate being photographed. I don’t often like the way I look in photos when someone else takes them, and I think a lot of us feel this way. We know our best angles and our best ways to take selfies etc. But once someone else is taking our photo we have to trust their vision and their lighting and their (mad) skills and go beyond our own self doubt.
Even though I’m not at a weight I would like to be (y’all, I’m 30 lbs heavier than when we got married, I know I’m a smaller person, but I know I’m not at a healthy weight for ME.), and even though my makeup wasn’t perfect and my hair was a bit messy and one piece kept falling the wrong way, even though all of that was happening, the pictures turned out amazing. I was sad about all the crap I’ve been going through and distressed about the fact that all of this might never happen for me. I was missing Kyle like CRAZY as we had just been away at a conference in Tennessee for a week and were taking extra time away from home to get these photos taken. Through all of that. He captured ME. He made me feel honest and beautiful in my portraits. And I think the portraits show exactly who I was at that very moment, inside and out.
All that being said. Have a look. These photos show such an intimate part of me that they have been hard to share. I have been keeping them to myself since April/May. So sharing is putting myself in a very vulnerable, raw, and honest place. Hopefully they will help you to know me more as well. They are unedited by him or me. Just fantastic lighting and his great way of turning a photo to black and white.
Me, in my favorite T-shirt, Favorite Peruvian Alpaca sweater, and my ring that Kyle gave me on the due date of the child we lost.
I will treasure these forever, Jeremy. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You.
x
-Jenni
