Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Quintana.
Hi Jessica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hey there! I was born and raised in Orlando and I’m a couples and wedding photographer based here in Central Florida. I have always had an eye and passion for photography. In high school, I got my first camera ever and throughout the years, I would take pictures of nature and flowers. A few years after graduating high school, I became more interested in the idea of pursuing photography as a small business, however, that quickly came to a dead stop – I was still young and unsure of who I was and didn’t have a vision for what I wanted out of photography. After graduating with my AA I decided to move away to pursue my Bachelor’s for Elementary Education at UWF in Pensacola, FL.
It was my first time I had ever moved away from my hometown, Orlando and it was hard for me to acclimate to a new city. Without a doubt, it was one of the hardest seasons in my life. I felt stuck and hopeless in every aspect at the time, but knew that there was so much more planned for me. During that time frame, I started to really dig deep and ask myself a number of questions. I knew I loved working with kids, but I also felt as if there was a piece to the puzzle that was missing for me. The summer of 2018, I moved back to Orlando and decided to take a year off from college to focus on myself and put into prayer for God to lead me to my career path. The following summer (2019), God started to open doors for me and made it very apparent that photography is for me. That was the year I officially began my photography business and my photography journey really flourished and even myself as a person.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say that the challenges and lessons I have learned along the way have been easy, but most certainly eye opening. There have been many times where I have doubted myself within my business, whether it was before starting, at the beginning of or even when COVID cameabout. Everyone has to start somewhere and with that also comes trial and error. I’m grateful that I have gone through certain challenges and learned lessons in the earlier part of starting my business because I believe that it has helped mold myself to be wiser in my business as well as mold my brand into what it is today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I mostly photograph couples, elopements and weddings, however, I also love to photograph beauty/fashion influencers. My slogan brand mark is “for the creative and confident + the wildy in love”, creating an open invititaion for both creative influencers and couples to work with me. There’s something about photographing the element of beauty and fashion and also working with other fellow creatives that makes my heart skip a beat. When I was younger I was obsessed with magazines like Elle and Vogue and believe that’s where that passion of mine stems from – seeing editorial photography for fashion and beauty and getting to do it now in my business is so fun!
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is family. I come from a large family and we are all pretty close – we can have those deep talks, but also be super goofy with one another. I like to incorporate my family values into my business and by that, I mean I like to make my clients feel like family because, within my business, client experience is what matters most. I want my clients to feel like they are my friend/family and are able to feel comfortable with me in communication and being themselves in front of my lens.
Contact Info:
- Email: photographybyjessmarie@gmail.com
- Website: photographybyjessmari
e.com - Instagram: jessmariephoto_
- Facebook: jessmariephotography1
Image Credits
Jess Marie Photography
