About Jess

I’m from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia and currently live in the mountains of Northern California with my husband and two blue heelers.

I first picked up a camera when I was 15. I knew I wanted to learn how to use an SLR, and while on a family holiday in Tasmania I waited until we hiked into Freycinet’s Wineglass Bay to get a lesson on mum’s old Pentax. I wanted to take my first photo ‘somewhere’. Since that moment I haven't stopped taking photos.

Since 2016 I've worked under the title "It is still a beautiful world", a project began in a time of darkness but is now a daily habit that I truly enjoy. The inspiration came from the last stanza of the Desderata by Max Ehrmann: “In the noisy confusion of life keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it’s still a beautiful world. Be cheerful, strive to be happy”.

I have always thought a photographer’s eye is a privilege. I see the way light falls, and colours pop, the shapes and textures and lines. It all comes together to make a beauty that others cast their eyes over and miss. I find it calming. It’s easy to think that beauty is all about world-class landscapes and must-see destinations, about the holidays you take and the places you dream of. But it’s actually everywhere in your daily life if you look for it.

Every day I take and post on Instagram a photo or two as a reminder of the beauty that’s all around, hoping to bring a moment of peace and calm back for the viewer.

These days I shoot on a Sony A7R III and four Zeiss Batis prime lenses: 25mm, 40mm, 85mm and 135mm. I choose to use prime lenses so I have to work a little harder to make the photo.