Helloooo...

Hi! Wow this feels a little surreal to be typing this and have this be my FIRST blog post on my page! Welcome! I'm Kelsey but I go by Kels. I am many things in life but a wife + mama + photographer + adventure seeker + extrovert + creator are some of my favorite titles!

I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and have spent about 2/3's of my life living in Oregon! It truly is one of the most beautiful places to live. I currently live in a small town close to Mt. Hood and absolutely love it, I get all the seasons in full force which makes being a photographer pretty awesome! While photography has always been a passion of mine so was the thought of becoming a mom, even from a young age I knew I wanted a HUGE family. Life giggled and then blessed me with 2 amazing little boys Kase & Andy(5 & newborn) and a bonus daughter Raelynn (also 5). They make my world go round. I can't forget my number one support person though, my husband Andrew. I could write a novel on our story but I'll save that for another post. He's the guy that tags along and helps with my bags, builds all the props I need for sessions, or even is my backup person at weddings making sure I am drinking enough water and driving me from location to location. He truly is the MVP of my business and I am so thankful for him in my life and for all his support.

Okay so now you're probably wondering how I got into photography. From a young age I have always been a creator. I loved creating art and I loved making people happy! Writing was one of my favorite ways of expressing myself. I kept tons of journals and would honestly have to buy a new one every six months because I would fill up the one before it so fast. As much as I loved writing, I also loved taking photos. I didn't know how to work a camera and most of the time I used my iPhone to capture the fun photos I wanted, but I knew deep down I wanted to do more than take iPhone photos. Fast forward to 2020...

As we all know 2020 changed ALL of our lives. While some for the worst, mine was actually changed for the better! I was working remote living in central Washington with my 2 year old son. I thought my job at the time was everything I wanted, I had been working for the company for almost 6 years and truly loved what I did. But after we started working remote and I got the freedom to be home more with my son, I knew deep down that I wasn't as happy as I thought I was. Becoming a mom changed me. I know, I know.. everyone says that, but it really did. I hated going to work and being away from Kase. So now that I was working remote, I got the best of both worlds. But I still felt something was missing. I started seeing more people start picking up hobbies and turning them into businesses during this time. Seeing all of this lit a spark in me and again, as a cliche as it sounds, I knew it was time to figure out what I was supposed to be doing in life.

2 months in working from home had begun to drain me. It was the same thing day in and day out. That creative spark was still there and I knew I just needed to jump and do it. Taking photos had become so important in my life since Kasen and I knew that being a photographer was my calling. So I did what any beginner would do.. I got on google, did a TON of research on what type of camera to get as a beginner, spent countless hours on YouTube, followed some amazing photographers in my area, ordered a camera off amazon (still had no idea what I was doing) and did the damn thing.

Now let me tell you once I got the camera in the mail I told myself I was insane to spend over $400 on a piece of equipment, I 1. had NO idea how to use and 2. Would probably use for about 2 months and then get bored with and put in my closest for a rainy day. BUT I talked myself into learning it and wanted to give it my best shot. So everyday I spent the time looking up ways to use this camera and thank goodness Kase was a great model because he was all I practiced taking photos on and my dogs to get good.

About a month in I decided I was ready to make a social media page and put out there I was doing photography (talk about nerve wracking), my beginning rate was $75. Within 3 days of my social media being out there I booked 4 clients. Now that was HUGE to me. 4 clients in 3 days from a girl that was just learning, but I knew this was headed right where I wanted it to go. Each beginning session taught me something to improve on for my next session. Looking back now at my work sometimes I cringe at the beginning photographer I was but I am so damn thankful for those beginning sessions to teach me all the things they taught me.

As time went on and I began to book more sessions I upgraded my camera, bought editing software (no more iPhone), was able to do some mentorships, and really perfect my art! I finally found what I loved doing in life and that was capturing the love stories between couples, families, and even just solo sessions. Kels J. Photo was born. While this journey has had some ups and downs and there have been a few times I've considered stepping away from this world, something always pulls me back in. Whether it's a session or my creative juices get flowing, I have always found a calling to this and I've learned that's how I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life.

So when you book a session with me you are signing up for a life long friendship, a support and hype person your entire session, you are making my dreams come true with supporting my business, but most importantly you are capturing memories that will last your family a lifetime.

Hugs,

Kels