Meet Heather Jackson | Wedding, Elopement & Couples Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Really I just wanted a career that didn’t make me miserable. I had a slew of corporate and service jobs from 15-24, alongside a seasonal outdoor sports photography gig starting at 19, and none of them quite seemed to fit the bill. I was either bored, stressed out, or just totally uninterested in the job I was doing. Then around 24 some of my friends started getting engaged, and asked me to shoot for them. One thing kept leading to another and I realized I was happy doing this couples and wedding photography thing. Like really content and grateful. So I kept chasing it, harder every year. Now I make my own schedule, shoot 50+ weddings and elopements a year, and the momentum seems to keep coming.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My photography style, the shots I choose to focus on, and the way I interact with my clients and their families is what sets me apart from everyone else. Open-mouth laughter is my calling card, as well as delivering images some photographers might choose to ignore (like a mountain bride holding up her floofy white dress while squatting in tall grass during sunset portraits because when you gotta go you gotta go!). This candid-as-art style really became my brand, and works well for me and my clients. I want to deliver the happy tears, the big laughs, and the tender moments that we only get to relive in the form of photographs. I also want to actually be this fun-loving, energy-bringing, mood-setting photographer in real life. You’ll find me getting down on the dance floor, camera in hand. Or helping my brides and grooms manage anything they might need in the moment. I’m a hands-on lover of people, real talk giver, and memory maker. Getting here was both easy and hard depending on what aspect you look at. Finding my style, owning who I am and offering only that to the world, was possibly the hardest mental hurdle. Believing in yourself is a muscle that has to be worked, and it better be strong to run a successful business that you feel good about. You of course learn little lessons every day, more in the beginning that cost you mostly time, and sometimes money. But moving forward, taking those lessons as necessary moments, and applying it to your next move will always push you towards success. I want to make a tiny difference in the world, by being someone who makes others comfortable, feel loved and accepted, and then capturing the day in a unique way as we go. I’m here for couples of all kinds, with a big heart full of love to help make their day unforgettable.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I travel all over the state and country for my clients, but I live in a storybook mountain town called Salida in Colorado. The town is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and is famous for its mountain biking trails, and river rafting. There is a beautiful river that flows straight through town, with whitewater waves for the surfers, paddle-boarders, and kayakers. On any given day in the spring through fall, you’ll see families playing on the riverside beaches, and fly-fisherman casting into the eddies. We have a range of modern and trendy restaurants, Amicas (Italian), The Biker and The Baker (fusion breakfast), Bunnie & Clydes (coffee cafe and snacks), are some of my favorites. The mountain wildflowers are in full bloom this time of year (mid-late July), and it’s not hard to find a field of them on just about any hiking trail. In the winter we have our family-owned ski mountain, Monarch, with a great range of trails for skiing and snowboarding. The backcountry snowmobiling, or dirtbiking in the summer, is also fantastic.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I like to recognize my mother, Lorie, for setting an example of a hardworking entrepreneur, and supporting me in whatever way I needed without hesitation all my life. As well as my father, my bff Julia, and my newest bff/husband Joshua for always reminding me of my strength, and lending some when I couldn’t find mine. I love you all so much.

Website: jacksontakesphotos.com

Instagram: @heatherjacksonphotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacksontakesphotos