Meet Jess Amrich | Landscape + Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Jess, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking has played a huge role in my life. I’ve been exploring different mediums since I was a child and when I realized I wanted to pursue a career in the arts, I knew I was going to have to take a big risk. After college, I spent many years in Connecticut feeling out of place and working to build someone else’s dreams, wishing everyday that it was my own. I would use my vacation time to road trip across the country and as soon as I returned home, I would daydream of the west again. I had a van that was already converted into a camper for short trips but I always wanted to travel full-time in it. I let every excuse stop me from doing what I actually wanted… it wasn’t the right time, I’ve already built a life here, I don’t have enough money, I can’t do it alone… and so on. Then there was an abrupt and brutal ending to a relationship with someone I thought I’d spend my life with and from there it was like a domino effect. The lease to my apartment was up in May 2021 and I felt my time in Connecticut was as well. I then sold most of my things, packed up my van and a few months later, hit the road. I didn’t have a big plan or a lot of money, just a bit of trust that I would figure it out somehow.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a landscape and lifestyle photographer. I shoot a mixture of digital and film but I try to make my work more about the emotion or the scene rather than what equipment I used. I believe the photographic style I’ve been working tirelessly on this year is what I’m most excited about and what will separate my brand from others. I am heavily inspired by the tones you can get with film, specifically with Kodak Gold 200, and I’ve worked hard on creating a consistent style that feels nostalgic, vintage and maybe sparks a distant memory.

It was a LONG and difficult road to get to where I am today professionally and even now, I still struggle. I studied fine art photography at Paier College of Art, a very traditional school back home in Connecticut. I began my career in the darkroom, shooting, developing and printing my own film and eventually transitioned into digital photography. When I graduated Paier in 2016, I had a huge interest in being a fine art photographer until I realized how difficult it was to make it as one in this modern era. I went on to try so many other styles of photography from portraits, weddings, products and so on. None of it ever felt quite fulfilling enough.

As the days became closer to hitting the road, I thought about trying to build up my social media accounts, blog and vlog my van life journey, basically be an influencer. I was so stubborn though. I felt like if I pursued an influencer position, I would be selling out and not a real artist anymore. I know that might be a bit drastic to some but it was important to me that I remained an artist and not a social media influencer. I know now that was a bit of my ego talking but still, I felt my work was deeper than just well known travel spots or fun itineraries. My work was about traveling solo and seeing beautiful places but it was also about the mundane of life, my emotions, my journey to self, my hardships and so much more. I gave social media my best shot though and tried to bring something different into it while still bringing myself . Being on the road and out in nature has really helped me tap into my creativity and build the brand of my dreams. I only began pitching to other brands this year. My main goal right now is to build up my clientele. In my opinion, the hardest part about this type of work is marketing myself. It’s very draining to be so plugged in all the time, checking socials, emails, etc. but it’s important to keep putting myself and my work out there. The competition is high and I’m always thinking “what can I do to make myself stand out?”.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have to be honest here– I am the worst person for recommendations in any city hah! Anyone who knows me will vouch for me. I spend more time exploring remote areas rather than the cities. However, I was working San Diego a lot this year and it is the only city I feel knowledge enough on to come up with a good itinerary.

It’s pretty simple there: beaches, tacos, markets. I’d say hit the beaches most days. Definitely the Ocean Beach night market on Wednesdays. Catching sunset at Sunset Cliff’s is a must do but is very busy so I’d bring my best friend once and the other evenings, go to Torrey Pines (Sunset Seat specifically) where it’s a bit quieter with a killer view. Stop at Salud Tacos for some of my favorite tacos. Take a day to visit Balboa Park. End the week at one the amazing farmer’s markets on Sundays.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I sat for a minute to try and narrow this answer down to one person or even a few people but I don’t think I really can. I first I want to give a general shout out my family, my close friends and all the people I’ve met on the road. I’ve received an overwhelming amount of support when I was just talking about pursuing my dream to actually doing it. To all the amazing people I’ve met on my travels over the last year, I will be forever grateful for our interaction whether it was 5 minutes or 5 days. The nomadic community constantly inspires me and encourages me to keep going even when it gets rough.

I actually would like to personally shout out Ethan Abitz. We had grown up a few hours from each other but didn’t meet until last year. I was instantly inspired by his journey and following along made me want to take the leap even more. Still, I hesitated until one morning he texted me with nothing but a picture from a sunrise in the Grand Tetons. It honestly made my soul ache like never before. I jokingly replied how I was going to quit my job because of this photo ….and then I did shortly after. I don’t believe in coincidences. I think you meet people at the times for certain reasons. From one photographer to another– that was the simple spark I needed.

I also would like to shout out my brother, Andrew. While ALL of my family has been supportive of me being alone on the road (even if they didn’t understand), Andrew has always been there to remind me to not doubt myself and keep going. He’s been there to talk about the hard times. He’s the first to engage with whatever I post online and explain to the family to engage with it because it helps my business (haha). And even 3,000 miles away, he’s helping me with mechanical things I don’t understand while I joke about flying him out because he’s the only mechanic I trust. I am grateful to have someone in my life who believes in me when I begin to lose faith in myself.

Website: www.jessamongthewild.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessamongthewild

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jess-amrich/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jesamongthewild

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessamongthewild

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCIbvdx908yQIeJTJFEdUrFw