Jena

Because of the pandemic I have only been offering sessions outdoors. We do live in a spectacular part of the world and we are incredibly lucky to have so so much space and beauty. I love the outdoors but it could be challenging when it comes to environmental or professional portraits. Working only outside pushed me even more to use my creativity in collaborating with my subjects. And why not bringing your rockstar office pink chair to a corn field at sunset for your session?

2020 has been quite the year. I like to know from the people I photograph a little bit about themselves, what they do and how the craziness of these last few months has affected them.

Here is Jena’s story.

“Everyone always said I looked most like my dad's mother, Grandma Lee, or Nona as we called her in the Ladino language of her ancestors. But it was my maternal grandmother - Grammy - who said I had "smiling eyes." As a kid, these smiling eyes were the source of no small amount of consternation; I used to practice smiling in the mirror the night before school pictures with my eyes as wide as possible - to no avail. They practically disappeared, no matter what I did. Kids made fun of my "squinty" eyes. “ - Jena

“Over time, I became less self-critical about my smile, but to this day, I have some residual self-consciousness about it. I told Isabella before our shoot, worried that I would not be able to enjoy the experience. Turned out I had no need for concern. Within a few minutes of finding the best spot for the pink chair we'd taken from my office in downtown Amherst, I felt completely relaxed. Before long, I found that I was even having fun, playing with different expressions and positions.” - Jena

“As she took photo after photo, I inhabited the self I bring to my own clients as a writing coach, easily slipping into the state of deep attentiveness and listening that characterize so much of the time I spend with people. One thing I love about my work is having the privilege of helping people see their strength and beauty, and to grow ever more confident in their gifts, sometimes as writers, always as humans. In this way, what Isabella and I do is actually quite similar: We witness our clients bring their true selves forth.” - Jena

“Before the pandemic, I had been moving towards seeing more folks in person after having built my business largely online. Now that I'm back at my kitchen table, interacting with people around the country and the world on Zoom and social media, having these photos reminds me that no matter the medium, it is our genuine presence that matters most, our care for each other, and the experience of tapping into the deepest wells of our humanity as a way forward. For me, this includes smiling with my grandmother's eyes, with nothing to hide.” - Jena

“I tend to be self-conscious in front of the camera - I am a writer, more of a behind-the-scenes person than a performer. But Isabella put me at ease from the moment we began, and implicitly made it clear that my job was not to perform but to play and relax and just be. As much as the photos themselves - which I love - the experience of working with Isabella itself was a real gift. I came home from our time together feeling excited, enlivened, and seen.”  - Jena

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