If it’s summer, you know there will be a session with Jess.
Joyful Jessica. Magnificent, magical, magnetic Magary. Trust me, I could go on. Simply put, she is in rare air when it comes to people that I love to work with. We have done at least one photo session a year, every year, since we first worked together in October of 2011. The fact that I can even remember that should tell you something.
Things have been crazy busy at work. I mean, really crazy. I’ve cut back my weekend photo sessions in order to retain some semblance of balance and centered-ness. I need days of quietness to recover and recharge. These days give me a chance to participate in other activities like antiquing, trying new food places, meeting with friends, or just to do nothing but read and listen to music.
This also means I’m better charged for the time I do hold a session. So, when Jess reached out to me a while ago and suggested a early morning photo session in Richmond, I jumped in with both feet.
Richmond is fast becoming a favorite destination for me. The food, the shops, the photo locations…did I mention the food? It’s an amazing town with almost limitless options. Urban, water, parks, museums. You name it, it’s there.
I did a fashion shoot down next to the canal last year. You can see images of that session here. I also did a session near the state capital with Jessica Wilson two years ago that you can see here. I mentioned them to Jess who was staying overnight in Richmond and was going to scout out locations the day before our shoot. She added them to the list she already had in mind. She was going to visit them all and then make the call on where we were going to shoot.
Now, mind you, I don’t give up control that easily or that often but, after almost 11 years of working together, I trust her implicitly. I know she has the eye for locations and the outfits to match. All I had to do was load the car before sunrise, drive to Richmond, pick her up, and head to the location of her choice.
Man, did she ever pick out a winner. We could have stayed in one spot for the entire shoot. Everywhere you turned, there was a different piece of graffiti art to shoot in front of and the light was perfect. The only downside was that, as the morning progressed, the amount of bikers, runners, and walkers increased exponentially.
Eventually we packed up and tried out a couple more spots all within easy walking distance from each other. We actually ran out of steam before covering everything we wanted to try which is typical for us. It just means that there’s a jumping off point already in place if we shoot up there again.
And I do plan on shooting up there again. A lot.
Photography by Mark K 