What’s your business name and what do you do?
Hi, I'm Jess Webb. I'm a brand and product photographer located in South Portland, Maine
How did you learn your craft?
I started my career in photojournalism and loved telling stories of my community through the camera. After freelancing for a few papers in San Francisco, CA I moved to Portland, Maine. It’s here where I started to work in the world of product photography.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
The creativity. I love how there is not (usually) one right way to do things. Helping a brand bring its products to life through photography is magical to me. It's like being on the movie set. I can see all the behind-the-scenes aspects but the consumer only sees what I capture through the lens.
What do you enjoy least?
Paperwork. Forever and always.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about your work?
There is a lot of planning involved before a photoshoot. I like to make sure I prepare my clients for everything and map out every photo with any and all props needed. This takes LOTS of time, but once we get to shoot day it’s nice to focus on the task at hand, photography!
What’s one artist you look up to?
The first artist that comes to mind is Imogen Cunningham. She was a photographer based in SF and was known for her photography of botanicals. Irving Penn is another artist, whose work I look through for inspiration frequently. His portrait work is fantastic.
What do you do when you’re not photographing products?
I'm a mom and wife, so when I'm not working I'm with them. Dinner time is our sacred time where we all sit down together for one meal. I make something every night and try to involve the kids (they are 1 and 6) as much as possible. We also love hiking or hanging out at one of the many beaches we have over here.
Night owl or early bird?
It's currently 12:30AM as I'm writing this so I am fully a night owl.
What's your favorite place in Maine?
Higgins beach. I love how deep the beach can get and watching the surfers. It makes me feel like I'm back in SF.
If you made it to the end, thank you! Next up is Regan Bell from Maine Photo Works! See you next Monday.