have inadvertantly known JJ for years and was oblivious to the huge role she was about to play in my life. She had boarded her dogs Lulu and Cesar with my parents dog kennel for years, therefor in turn when it came time for my senior pictures, the first person my parents turned to was JJ for her expertise in the field.
Being a teenager working with adults always posed a little discomfort, but i’d say within 5 minutes of being around JJ i came to find out she is more like a kid than i was! She had great ideas and color schemes. Me being a guy, i didnt know that kinda girly stuff, so i left it up to her, and what a great job she does! My senior pictures came out stellar, with all of my family wondering if that was really me, considering all they have seen me in are white T-shirts covered in engine grease or a failed young man’s attempt of dressing up.
To this day JJ and I keep in close contact and are always willing to help eachother in any way possible. I have known her personally for 5 years and still have a blast everytime I come to hang with the family, or do a selected shoot.
If anyone takes anything from this personal diatribe, i ask you to remember this. I have never had to explain her work to someone i refer JJ to. After my senior pictures I would say, go to my friend JJ, and this is why. Now, after my most recent shoot, people are coming to me saying, who took those pictures, where is she, and how can I get ahold of her. Even my older brother wants track pictures from her just for personal advertising. Her work speaks louder than her words, and her personality is contageous.
I just want to say thank you JJ for all you have done and the passion you put into your work. I know the phrase goes “a picture speaks a thousand words” but I would go as far as to say, “JJ’s pictures speak thousands of words”
-Eric Brattain