5 Years of Photography

It was about this time in 2017…5 years ago…that I decided to give my photography skills a challenge and I started Jeremy Davis Photography. It’s hard to believe it has been 5 years already! I had some fun earlier and took a trip down memory lane. Well, I thought it would be fun to look back at my early photographs. The experiences in the shoots were very memorable and the best part of the journey. The resulting photos? Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot in 5 years!

Free Photo Sessions

After I hung the JDP shingle I decided I needed a portfolio if I was going to attract any business. I offered a few free family photo shoots for portfolio builders. We did one with some friends of ours, Laura Sebring and her boys, and also met two new families in the process. The results? Well, I think the families were happy with them. I’ll let them speak for themselves. 😉

Fun to reminisce even if the results were a little cringe-worthy! Even though they weren’t great, they were a start and my skills (and camera gear) have been improving ever since.

Most of my photography has been my kids’ sports which have been pretty well documented on Facebook and elsewhere. I love doing that, but I’ve always thought my jam was really in portraiture. So while the opportunities have been fewer and more far between, I have had the privilege of meeting a number of individuals, couples, and families for family portraits, Sweet 16 shoots, and other milestone sessions. Three families in particular stand out as repeat clients of mine for a number of different sessions.

The Brower Family

I first met Krystal and her kids, Hailee, Katie, and Dylan Brower in April 2018 for a family portrait session. We had some fun shooting at a small park near our house here in Apex. The kids laughed a lot while doing “dorky” stuff that this photographer guy wanted them to do. Since that initial session we’ve done more family shoots and shot Katie’s Sweet 16 portraits which have a series of my favorite images…3 sequenced glitter shots. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these kids grow up over the last few years.

Anita Purnell & Family

Anita Purnell has been a friend of ours for a number of years. We connected with her and her kids, Chloe, Gavin, and Claire, early for family pictures even before I decided to open my photography business. The early shoots like our first session at Bass Lake…I had no idea what I was doing! LOL There were some memorable shots in there, though, and fortunately Anita kept coming back for more family sessions, Chloe’s junior prom shoot with her friend, Hailey, Chloe’s senior prom and senior portrait sessions. Chloe’s senior portraits resulted in some of my favorite images. We love this beautiful family and can’t wait to do another session soon.

Trevor and Samantha Peters

We first met Samantha and Trevor as part of a free, portfolio-building special shoot in 2018. They were just dating at the time and we had a lot of fun shooting at the historic Yates Mill Pond area. Little did I know that I would get the opportunity to do another really special shoot with Samantha later in 2019. She has a really, really cool story. I don’t know the details, but she was raised without much of a formal education. She fought hard through that and earned her GED in 2019 and she asked me to shoot a set of graduation portraits for her so she could get the full senior experience. I was honored, and these, too, produced some of my very favorite images. Samantha and Trevor have since married and Samantha is attending college via Southern New Hampshire University. She has a truly remarkable and impressive story.

Professional Head Shots

I think with the ubiquitous nature of social media even for professional settings (LinkedIn), I have developed a bit of a professional head shot business. I shot my first head shots with my friend, Jack Sebring, back in 2018 and have continued building a clientele for these kinds of images since. Many photographers discount head shots because they aren’t typically the most creative images there are but honestly, I love doing them. Whether indoors in a studio-like setting or outside somewhere with a nice backdrop, I feel like it provides a real opportunity to help someone create or improve on their personal and professional brand…How they present themselves to the world. I think it’s cool to be part of that. Check out some of the head shots we’ve taken the last few years, even one of me! 🙂