Welcome!

More about me...

I was born and raised in Northern Wisconsin. I grew up in the country and played outside everyday. I think that contributed to the way I take photographs today. You'll find me laying down on the ground, bending over, leaning back, looking down...I'm all over the place during a photoshoot.

I met my husband when I was 20. We don't have kids, but we do have a few fur babies. We have Lacey, our 2 year old black-spotted Dalmatian. She was tough to manage as a puppy, and developed epilepsy which is thankfully kept in check with medication. She is just so full of love...and energy. She is very toy motivated.

Next we have Lilah, our laid back 1 year old liver-spotted Dalmatian. I'm not one to pick favorites, but she is the one that is always snuggling next to me while I edit photos. She was one of the easiest puppies and she's grown up to be extremely dainty. She is absolutely food motivated.

Finally, we have Miley. She's our 6 month old Black Lab puppy. She is HUGE. She's also the biggest sweetheart and very calm. Unlike our Dalmatians, she's extremely happy to meet anybody! Miley is also very food motivated.

Besides taking photos for other people, I really enjoy taking pictures of animals, whether that's pets, wildlife, or cows. I sell some of those photos on Etsy and also here on my website. I also make calendars every year of the cow/nature photos I've taken. Those are usually available around November/December and thankfully sell out pretty quick. (Thank you to everyone that has supported my business).

When I'm not taking pictures, you'll find me helping out on the farm that I own with my husband, Adam. He's a 4th generation farmer so we have carried on with having cattle. I love watching the babies out in the pasture running and jumping around. We also make hay and do custom field work. That's more my husband's thing, but usually for the whole month of June (sorry, I can't schedule many photoshoots that month) you will find me wrapping hay. We wrap our hay and we also wrap hay for other local farmers. Running that machine is almost solely my job, and although it's loud, I don't mind running it because it's usually beautiful weather.

Another job I've had off and on since 2009 is wildland firefighting. I have been flown out west to fight fires in the mountains of Idaho and Oregon, and driven throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin for active fires and as a precaution during severe fire weather. I even had to walk across the Minnesota/Canada border for "The Border Fire" years ago. At one point, at the Trinity Ridge Fire in Idaho, we were higher than the airplanes that were flying around to do bucket drops of water. It was a unique sight to look out from the mountainside (they call them 'hills' but they're mountains) and see planes and helicopters below eye level. Yes, I did get first-hand experience of a bucket drop a few times while working the fire line in the woods. The planes don't mean to hit us with the water, but it happens and when you're in the woods, you have to do what you can to protect yourself from potential falling limbs or trees.

Back to photography...

I got my first DSLR camera in December 2012 after seeing an Ashton Kutcher commercial for Nikon. I loved the idea that I could take better quality photos and directly send them to my computer or phone. Well after lots of playing around and still not knowing how to use manual mode, I upgraded to a Canon 5D Mark III and a couple good quality Canon lenses in December 2015. I may or may not have had to sell my snowmobile to afford this. I figured I can take pictures all year versus only snowmobile when there's enough snow. It was with this camera and lens setup that I really grew into my photography. I learned all about manual mode and learned how to operate my camera very well. I was always practicing on our dogs running towards the camera and fast moving subjects like snowmobiles and wildlife.

When we moved just down the road from the farm in 2016, I was around more wildlife at our new location and the outdoors became my happy place. Sitting outside spending time with the deer that would visit was like meditation for me. Over time, we've gotten so used to each other that there is now this unspoken bond of trust between us. Some of the deer will literally come up to the camera now.

October 2021 was when I upgraded to my mirrorless camera. I now use a Canon R5 and also a Canon R6 Mark II as a backup. My favorite things about these cameras are the way they're able to track a moving subject across the screen, and the way it can be extremely quiet if I want it to be, which is so handy for wildlife photography or even wedding ceremonies.

If you have read all of that...wow! You're amazing. I hope it was at least a little interesting and you got to know me a little bit more. If there's anything else you want to know, please feel free to send me a message!

-Jena Lynn