I'm Jenna.
I am almost a Gemini. I was supposed to be born a Gemini, both of my parents are Geminis, but I was born late and whoops...born a Cancer. I am not quite sure I believe in astrology, but hey, it may explain some of my mania...
I've been lucky enough to stamp my passport often, and have spent time on a tropical island off the coast of South Korea, spent hours watching monkeys in the misty jungle mountains of Chiapas, Mexico while waterfalls roared nearby, and have climbed and/or visited nearly all the major Maya pyramids (just Tikal and Uxmal left to go!). Jumping into a lagoon from a pirate ship? Check. Helicopter over the Vegas Strip? Check. Slot canyon in Utah complete with waterfall? Check. Submarine to a reef in the East China Sea? Check. Ten peso lunches in parking lots in Mexico? Check. Wigs on a gaggle of women on the beach complete with a photo shoot with a state trooper? And a weird, hilarious, check. I love it all.
In what can only be described as a surreal experience, I won Travel + Leisure Magazine photo contest in 2012. (The photo has since gone viral, but that's another story...) A magazine full of places I could only dream of, and there I was, published, and on the trip of a lifetime. Every trip since has been the new trip of a lifetime: there was the stapler-sized insect in the toilet in the middle of a biosphere reserve, the time my husband got locked on the roof of a 500+ year old cathedral and I had to bribe a one-armed hunchback to free him (I cannot make this stuff up), losing a bag of chicharrones at a tope "toll" to a fat kid, watching my husband get pooped on by a monkey on my birthday, and even more mundane things like great meals in Memphis, a dream trip to the Mutter Museum in Philly, and dinner at Chik Fil A followed by mini-golf with the Chief Scientist from the S.S. Central America Ship of Gold project one warm night in Orlando. It's a weird ride through this universe we call home, what can I say?
Currently living in the PNW with my husband, our rescue pets (all senior, and a few special needs), and exotic chickens and heritage breed ducks. We are planning a move to the southern Yucatan peninsula in the next decade, where I will focus on destination wedding photography and taking things at a slower pace. I have a step daughter in her mid-20s who lives on the east coast and is one of the prides of my life.
Henry Rollins once told me he loves me. True story.
"Will there be another race to come along and take over for us? Maybe Martians could do better than we've done, we'll make great pets."
Showcase
- JoinedJune 2005
- OccupationPhotographer
- HometownTempe, AZ
- Current cityPortland, OR
- CountryUSA
- Websitehttps://www.jvv.photos
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Testimonials
Okay, how have I NOT written a testimonial for this girl before? Because she's amazing. An amazing friend, a spectacular storyteller, and a fantastic photographer. She always seems to tackle life with great gusto, has such a wonderfully snarky sense of humor that I can completely relate to, and one of the biggest heartā¦ Read more
Okay, how have I NOT written a testimonial for this girl before? Because she's amazing. An amazing friend, a spectacular storyteller, and a fantastic photographer. She always seems to tackle life with great gusto, has such a wonderfully snarky sense of humor that I can completely relate to, and one of the biggest hearts of anyone I'll ever meet. I can't begin to describe how much her friendship means to me, even if I don't see her often. And her photography? So varied, from tulips to trees to buggs (you know what I mean) to portraits. Her wedding photography and portraiture has grown in leaps and bounds! Love it all. I'm so grateful to know Jenna.
Read lessIt's hard to talk about Jenna the photographer without talking about Jenna the storyteller, or Jenna the charismatic life of the party. She excels at all of these things. And I love her for it. As do the many people she surrounds herself with. It's easy to look at her photostream, enjoy her pretty pictures, read ā¦ Read more
It's hard to talk about Jenna the photographer without talking about Jenna the storyteller, or Jenna the charismatic life of the party. She excels at all of these things. And I love her for it. As do the many people she surrounds herself with. It's easy to look at her photostream, enjoy her pretty pictures, read about all the fun she's having, and yet not fully appreciate how strong her photography really is. I mean, how many photographers today could confidently shoot a wedding entirely on film? Or operate a behemoth, car battery of a medium format camera, that is her Mamiya? Who can also parade around in their underwear in front of the camera, pose bare ass naked in front of waterfalls, and dress their boyfriend in outfits for photos so outrageous and wild that they push genderbending to its very limits and make you question your own sexual identity? Jenna, that's who. The girl's creative self-portraits are a scream, hoot, and a holler, yet at times reveal naked vulnerability, both literal and metaphorical. Through it all, Jenna pulls it off (again, both literally and metaphorically) magnificently. In person, little Jenna is a dazzling beauty who's packing more moxie than Penn Jillette's daughter. This girl rocks!
Read lessJenna's fun and sassy enthusiasm for life shines intoxicatingly and brightly thru her photography and writing... imbibe now and enjoy the inevitable addiction!
Jenna! What a truly, unapologetically, awesomely unique girl she is. She has a fabulous outlook on life ("it'll probably kill me or I'll probably break something, but what the hell! I'll give it a shot!"), and is a blast to hang out with. She takes excellent and inspired photos, is unbiased in her approach (digital,ā¦ Read more
Jenna! What a truly, unapologetically, awesomely unique girl she is. She has a fabulous outlook on life ("it'll probably kill me or I'll probably break something, but what the hell! I'll give it a shot!"), and is a blast to hang out with. She takes excellent and inspired photos, is unbiased in her approach (digital, film, who cares?), doesn't compete, and really takes the time to see everything in the environment surrounding her. I'm so glad to have her as a photo buddy and friend, though I'm afraid I may never live down our kitchen conversations about dutch ovens.
Read lessJenna has a true passion for film photography that is hard found these days in someone her age. Her love to tinker with various formats and homebrew solutions opens her options up to create amazing compositions. I'd hire her for either a wedding or a nature shoot in a heartbeat.
Jenna...the best concept of a phoenix risen. To understand this you really have to 'read' her stream. It comes with great illustrations too! LOL! How i came across her stream is a little hazy, but its somewhere i return to frequently, her words make pictures, her cameras make pictures, her dogs make GREAT pictures anā¦ Read more
Jenna...the best concept of a phoenix risen. To understand this you really have to 'read' her stream. It comes with great illustrations too! LOL! How i came across her stream is a little hazy, but its somewhere i return to frequently, her words make pictures, her cameras make pictures, her dogs make GREAT pictures and her life is a series of shots that are up, down and all entirely too true of living. Shes brutally honest in the best way, and I guess we might just get on well in the flesh. Jenna, i wish you all the best in the chapters yet to be written in your new life and hey! If you make it to Ireland, shout! *hug*
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