Unapologetically Jazz

There are some shoots where you meet someone and, within a few hours, it feels like you’ve known them much longer. Yesterday was one of those days. I recently spent some time photographing my new friend Jazz here in Ojai. We had only exchanged a few DMs and texts before the shoot, so I didn't really know her. I knew she was beautiful and had a great sense of style. What I didn't know was how much life she had in her.

Jazz is 34 and has dealt with more health issues with her bones and back than anyone should have to at that age. She is currently waiting to be approved for a medical device that will hopefully help her manage some of what she's been dealing with. And here's where things got a little strange. Many years ago, I photographed a pharmaceutical campaign for that exact device. It was a campaign about real patients and how the treatment had helped them get parts of their lives back. At the time, it was just another job, albeit a meaningful one. I never imagined that years later I'd meet someone in Ojai who was waiting to receive that very same device. The medical world is wild.

But the device wasn't really what we talked about. Like most of my shoots, we mostly just hung out. We talked about relationships, Ojai, the strange and wonderful things that happen when you live in a small town, and all the things that make us who we are. We found a surprising number of things we had in common. We laughed. There were a few tears. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I made some pictures.

Jazz has this great energy about her. She's stylish and funny and completely unapologetic about who she is. I really admire that. There is something refreshing about being around someone who doesn't seem particularly interested in trying to be anything other than herself. I think that's what I keep coming back to with photography. The photographs are important, obviously. That's why I'm there. But I'm increasingly interested in everything that happens around them. The conversation. The unexpected connections. The things you learn about someone that you couldn't possibly have known before you walked through the door. Sometimes you set out to make a portrait and end up making a new friend. I'm pretty sure that's what happened yesterday.