about us
BEHIND THE CAMERAS
Hey! We're Jen & Jesse (the faces behind the cameras). We may be a little goofy at times, but we seriously love what we do. Here's a little more about us just in case you are curious, which you must be since you're visiting our "about" page:
How did you meet?
The two of us met in high school. We quickly hit it off as good friends and haven't been able to get rid of each other since. Below are some highly embarrassing photos from way back then, as well as some more recent photos of us that are slightly less embarrassing!
How did you get into photography?
Catalyst officially started in 2012, but we've been taking photos, editing, and growing as artists for over fifteen years.
Photography started as a hobby for Jen in high school, when she convinced her mom to give her an old, 35mm Nikon. Over the years people started asking her for various photo sessions (her first wedding shoot was actually Jesse’s). In college, Jen started to take graphic design & photography classes, as well as business courses. She eventually started showing her work in a few local art shows and even sold a few pieces!
Jesse is fully self-taught and has always had a heart for photography. He used to sit in bookstores and thumb through photography books for hours. He started dabbling in graphic design and photography while doing church media, and it expanded slowly. Eventually, after Jen started to take photos for people, Jesse offered to help her with editing. After a few years of doing this, we decided it just made sense to open a business together. We bought cameras and equipment and the rest is history.
What makes you unique as photographers?
Being friends for so long has really given us an edge when working together and has given us a great work dynamic. We can "talk" from across the room without actually speaking (which is extremely helpful when it comes to shooting weddings). We are also able to fully trust in one another to get the shots we need, which gives us more freedom to be creative no matter the kind of project we're working on.
Do you have lives outside of photography?
Jen loves traveling and has gone on several service trips with an amazing organization called Wine to Water. She is a self-proclaimed nerd (and is darn proud of it). She enjoys art, crossword puzzles, scotch, true crime shows/documentaries, and live music. She's basically an old man.
Jesse has been married forever and has two beautiful daughters. He loves to cook, brew beer, and is actively pursuing a second career as a musician. Check out his band, The Lone Canary to listen to some awesome Folk-Americana music!
Anything else we should know about you?
Really, the main thing you need to know about us is this – we love people and we love photography, which means we love what we do and it shows in our work! One of our favorite things to do is get to know our clients so we're able to provide them with work that truly reflects who they are no matter the shoot or project!