the me you maybe didn't know

I love vanilla ice cream with caramel and peanuts. Or chocolate, marshmallow and peanuts. Or strawberry sauce and peanuts. None of those icky wet walnuts for me.

I love the idea of Paris in the spring time. But it would probably rain. And then I'd be wet. But I'd just go with it.
It is, after all, Paris.

If I had to choose between the mountains or the beach, the east or the west, I couldn't. Every new scene takes my breath away, but for different reasons. I want them all.

Coffee is my sweet addiction. It's my mantra in the morning. It's my creamy, sugary, dose of caffeinated goodness wrapped up in a routine that I don't want to walk away from. I like to grind the beans myself.

I grew up on Broadway plays, summers at my grandmother's pool, movies and popcorn with butter, and fifty cent romance novels bought at the library book sale.

The most likely thing for me to leave behind in a hotel bathroom is one of those silly shower poofies. I think I could have blanketed the world with those I've lost.

I do not like bugs. Therefore I do not like to camp. If there were no bugs I would like to camp. I do love the smell of campfires though. And the sound - the crackle in the wide open spaces of the night.

I get cranky when I am hungry. Feed me now or lose me forever.

I sleep with the windows wide open even when it rains. I love the sound and smell of rain as it blows in on an overnight storm.
It lulls me under.

I am a voracious reader. If it strikes my fancy, I can finish it in a day, no matter the length. Maybe two.

I love tall, large, cold glasses of water, preferably with lots of ice.

I am determined beyond measure. If I say I am going to do it, it's as good as done.

I love imagining what could be, comparing it to what is, and driving myself nuts with the result.

I do my best thinking, and worrying, in the shower.

I have lived in 6 different states. And travel is my drug of choice.

Sometimes I wish what didn't happen did and what hasn't happened would. I wish I could turn off my brain. I wish. Don't you?

My new favorite quote - "overwhelmed always precedes amazing"

I have worked as a nanny (read: babysitter), a lab assistant, a short order cook for Toby's Cup Hot Dog Stand, a file clerk for a Gastroenterologist, a checkout clerk at Happy Harry's drugstore, and a public health evaluator - all before becoming a photographer who dabbles in graphic design.  My undergrad degree is in biology with minors in philosophy and medical humanities. My masters degree is in public health. I rocked philosophy, logic class was an "ah ha" moment for me, I hated organic chem and physics and I loved environmental health science. The places I have been have taken me to this place.

My husband is active duty Air Force and therefore I am by association. We have a Russian Blue cat named Mordecai. And he is a very cool cat.

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About my work

Photography makes me smile. Sometimes in that shy, delighted, just meeting someone new who you connect to kind of way. Sometimes in that broad ear to ear grin kind of way. Still. And hopefully always. I never thought, I never knew, that such passion could be mine, that it could be a driving force in what and who I am.

Portraits are my mantra. Travel is my drug of choice. And when I go there (anywhere, everywhere) I capture what I see, the way I see it. And I blog about it {www.jacquelynnbuck.blogspot.com and jacquelynnbuck.com/portraitblog}.

I definitely enjoy the creativity behind the capture (be it with a Holga or a Nikon D700 or a fun point and shoot) but also love the post production techniques (the grunge, the color, the high fashion edge, the couture). I have a style, and while it evolves as I do, it has consistent components, which is really pretty cool and a little unexpected.  I have a style? Well, hey, that's kinda cool!

So, yes, photography is a business, but for me it's also a love affair. A journey. A reason for being. A surprise around every corner. A connection with the unexpected. An opportunity to meet with people who share my drive. A chance to explore the sides of me that are vibrant, bold, colorful. A bridge between the usual and unusual. A fulfillment of the desire to find a balance between what is unique and ordinary, simple and complex, real and imaginary. Photography is a challenge. And a delight. And it was a fork in my road, the path less traveled, but the one I’m glad I chose.

I aspire to someday know enough about what I love to teach others how to do it, to inspire others to achieve, to allow others to dream and follow through on that dream.

So if my style and personality resonate with you, we might be the perfect fit! Sessions with me are a lot of fun - I promise - but they also require some time. I want to spend time with you - getting to know you, photographing you as you are: as a family, as an individual, as a couple. Yes, I know that everyone likes one or two "look here and smile" pictures. But I also love the candid captures, the impromptu deviations from the norm, and the moments where where I capture you looking at him or her looking at the child with no pre-planning or posing. That's me.

And if you've spent any time looking at my photos, you'll also notice that some of my "style" comes from that fact that I love to incorporate elements of high fashion into my photos - color, drama, couture, edge. You'll see this in a lot of the finished products. And I think it helps define who I am and what I do. I don't do this to all the photos - just to some of my favorites. These are the ones I consider "art" and they allow me ultimate creative expression.

I understand that not every client is the right one for me, just as not every photographer is the right one for you. If you love my work, if you are looking for something very cool, a little different, but high quality and delightful, then give me a call. But if you're just price shopping, I might not be the best fit. That doesn't mean I am expensive. It just means that I want my work to resonate with you first, before anything else. And then, If you are willing to invest the time (because each session lasts about 2 hours unless small children are involved) and a little more money than you would in an average "big name" portrait studio, you'll get a lot more in return.

Where I'm located

Here's where it gets interesting. Born and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania, I am actually located everywhere now! As a result of my husband's job, we move around every three or four years. I have connections in NC, SC, PA, VA, DC, DE, CA and OH and now GA. But the good news is that no matter where we live, I always go back to where we've been. So don't let distance keep you from contacting me. I've done portraits up and down the east coast, across the nation and even in Europe. I travel and am available for destination portraits and weddings upon request.

Professional Associations:

WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International),
PPA (Professional Photographers of America) and
NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals)

Current Gallery Representation

The Town and Country Fine Art Center in Kettering, OH and
Visceral Gallery in Centerville, OH and now
Kaleidoscope Gallery in Valdosta GA

I also have some of my portrait work on display at the
Home of 10,000 Picture Frames
3338 Country Club Road Suite G
Valdosta, GA 31605
Phone: (229) 244-9651

Photo Credits/ Publications

• Rangefinder Magazine July 2010 Edition or on my RW blog
• Oregon Arts District Website, Images
• Camera Arts Magazine Jan/Feb 2007
• Author Photo: Sara Holmes as published on jacket of her book “Letters from Rapunzel”
• Coffee Table Book Design chosen for display at MPIX Trade Show, April 2008

Exhibits

• Turner Center for the Arts: 2010 (23rd Annual) Spring into Art Exhibition. Two works accepted. One work juried into the "Best of" Exhibition. Spring into Art Exhibition runs through June 2 and the "Best of" Exhibition runs through August 4, 2010.
• Synesthesia Gallery Dayton OH Solo Exhibition, July/August 2009
  Dayton Visual Arts Center Short Show : Solo Showing of “Real Women” Exhibit. Also presented two sessions of my “Real Women Photo Collage Program” Dayton, Ohio (August / September 2008) http://www.daytonvisualarts.org/exhibitions/shortshows.html
• Bears Mill in Greenville, Ohio (August 2008) www.bearsmill.com
• Visceral Gallery, Oregon Arts District Dayton, Ohio (March 2008)
• Color of Energy Gallery, Oregon Arts District Dayton, Ohio (February - March 2008)
• Centerville Police Department Gallery, Centerville, Ohio (April & November 2008)
• Image auctioned at the AIDS Resource Center Dayton, Ohio Masquerage Art of Life Silent Auction (October 2007)
• The Little Gallery: Christ United Methodist Church in Kettering, Ohio (January 2007)

Contests/Awards/Accolades

• 2010 WPPI Award of Excellence in the 16x20 Print Competition
• My high school senior studio sample album was chosen for display at Azura Album trade show booth / WPPI 2010 trade show in Las Vegas
• Dayton Women Photography Contest: (three images juried and hung July/August 2009)
  Rosewood Art Centre "The View" Landscape Competition (juried and hung, June/July 2009)
  Rosewood Art Centre 19th Annual Works on Paper Contest (juried and hung, March 2009)
• Rosewood Art Centre 18th Annual Works on Paper Contest (juried & hung, February 2008)
• The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins Colorado (juried & hung, published in Camera Arts Magazine January 2008, on display at the Denver International Airport for 3 months)
• DVAC Member Art Show August 2007 & 2008 (juried & hung, achieved judges choice cash award 2007)
• Capitol Arts Network/Washington Gallery of Photography, Bethesda, Maryland (juried & hung)
• Greene County Museum, Snow Hill, North Carolina (juried and hung, awarded 2nd place)
• The Arts Council of  Wayne County, Goldsboro, North Carolina (juried and hung, achieved Best of Wayne County Award June 2006)
• First Place for Billie's photo shoot in downtown Goldsboro, North Carolina (Winter 2006)
   

Photo Credits / Pubs
"All That Remains"	"All that Remains" was published in the January/February 2007 issue of CameraArts Fine Art Photography Magazine in the Artists' ShowCaseTM Feature Section It was also on display through the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins Colorado as part of the DIA International Invitational Exhibition at the Denver International Airport. Click here to see info on the gallery: View Main DIA Gallery
	Author photo for book jacket, inside back cover. Letters From Rapunzel, by Sara Holmes, published by HarperCollins. Release date was January 2007.  Check out her website (with some of my other photos!) at www.saralewisholmes.com/index.htm
Contests/Awards
"Looking for Work"	2010 Wedding and Portrait Photographer's International (WPPI) Award of Excellence Juried into the 19th Annual Works on Paper at Rosewood Art Centre February 2009.
"All That Remains"	Judge's choice award 2007 Dayton Visual Art Center Member's Show 2008 - 18th Annual Works on Paper at Rosewood Art Centre in Kettering, OH
"Shadowdancer"	June 2006 National Juried Fine Arts Exhibit. Works displayed at the Arts Council of Wayne County.  Best of Wayne County for "Shadowdancer" click here for the newspaper article on this award! News Argus June 2006.pdf
"Eye of the Staircase"	Second Place in 2006 Greene County Museum in Snow Hill, NC 2006 National Juried Fine Arts Exhibit Work displayed at the Arts Council of Wayne County two works shown, "Eye of the Staircase" juried and won second place!
"Sparkle"	2006 Billie's Photo shoot & Contest in Downtown Goldsboro. Two works displayed at the Arts Council of Wayne County, "Sparkle" juried by peers and awarded first prize.
"Still Waters"	2006. National Juried Camera Club Show. "Still Waters" juried and awarded honorable mention.
"All That Remains" "Winter Canyon"	2006 Capitol Arts Network. American Landscapes Competition. Two works juried and hung.
"Windowledge Remembrance"	2006 Capitol Arts Network Travel, Afar Competition Windowledge Remembrance was taken while I was in Brugges, Belgium in the Summer of 2005