Lost in a Big City, Trapped in a Small World » photography

Sakura Matsuri Picnic Preview

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:57:30 +0000

This last weekend I was in Los Angeles and able to attend the Sakura Watch 2010 Picnic. The sun was out, the cherry blossoms were in bloom and gorgeous. It was a fun time. I took out the camera and decided to take photos of people for the first time in a while. Not to mention how long it’s been since I’ve taken photos of people in costume. I’m currently waiting at the airport now to head on home to New York. Here’s a few photos that I edited last night.
Click on thumbnails to view full size photos.

1 and 2-Chloe in a wedding dress
3-Aimee as Sleeping Beauty
4 and 5-Ali and Ashley as characters from Avatar the Last Airbender
6-Matt as a character from Vocaloid
7 and 8-Sarah goofing off and punching me in the face

It was so amazing seeing everyone and being able to spend time with you. More in depth post later, plane is boarding.

My Uncles

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:50:14 +0000

Meet my uncles Dan and John. Dan (the one on the left) is the man who introduced me to conventions. He and I share many things in common. He nurtured my love for anime and Star Wars. He’s incredibly crafty and works well with an assortment of materials. John (the on of the right) is incredibly intelligent. He spent three years in China setting up cell phone towers and spreading the word of God. While he and I do not share the same Religious ideals, we have many a good discussions. John lives near me in Jersey while Dan lives in Iowa, where I spent my high school years.

Both my uncles are photographers. Really good ones too. Sometimes they put me to shame. In the Midwest, my step dad’s side of the family is a bit notorious and everyone recognizes a member of his family when they see them. They all look so much alike. My uncles are a lot of fun and I like visiting and spending time with them. Both of them have a big hand in the things I enjoy and the stuff that I pursue (even though they both shoot Canon).

My uncles are one of a kind and I miss them dearly. The story behind the photos is that John (on the right) mouthed off something smart ass to Dan (on the left) and Dan didn’t think it was too funny, but John sure did.

An Introductory Course into the Elusive Jessie Pridemore

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:32:02 +0000

As most things in life, I assume an introduction is in order. This being the first blog post on my fancy new site, I shall do just that. My name is Jessie (not short for Jessica), I’m just shy of XXIV and I enjoy long walks off short piers. Don’t be fooled by the numbers though. I look far younger and speak much older. A vagabond by nature, I have lived in many places. I’ve been everywhere from the Dirty South to the boring Midwest. I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and I currently live in New York City. Truly a “make or break town”, I adore this city. I moved here two years ago to make it as a photographer and now you’d have to pry this city from my cold, dead hands to get me to leave. The only thing I adore more than this city is photography.

I didn’t start out in photography. Being relatively unfortunate in the family and financial department, I spent a good portion of my time from ages 17-22 trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, working on killing my body with jobs that weren’t the most glamorous. Unwilling to go back to a restaurant job, I acquired a graphic design/photo editor position at a small internet company while living in Kansas. It was there I festered the delusion that I could be a model, like a good portion of girls with a decent face, which didn’t last long considering my location and me being 5’2 (regardless of how tall I look in photos). I also dabbled in acting for a bit. I starred in an award winning indie film (I also did a bit of extra work the first few months I lived here in NYC). I was later introduced to SLRs through a roommate at the time who let me borrow his Nikon D70 during a vacation to Florida. I was hooked. I found myself in New York a few years later with a Nikon D200 at my disposal which was later upgraded to a D300 as a birthday present from friend who is sadly no longer in my life.

Last year the recession hit and the TV company I was spending more time than I should have trying to work for was sold. I had two choices. I could continue to work dead end desk jobs being miserable in a cubical or getting coffee for a GM, or I could pursue my dream. I unwittingly chose my dream. This last year has been an incredibly tough journey and I do not recommend it to the weak heart, but I do not regret my decision and I love what I do. My journey is far from over and I still have a long ways to go but I’ve worked with some truly amazing people so far.

I think I’ve blathered on enough. The purpose of this blog is to post about my photography adventures, recent photoshoots and possibly even a tutorial or two. I’ll try my best to post EXIF data as well. I know how much people love that. I save for web (graphic design background) and it knocks all the metadata out.

Here’s some of my favorite photos that I’ve taken: