Meet Jessica Amity | Documentary Adventure Photographer

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

Hi Jessica, how do you think about risk?
How I think about risk has evolved very much over the years. When I was younger I would always rather play it safe than put myself out there. As a result I learned the hard way that that was not how I wanted to lead my life. To cry was to risk appearing weak, to express emotions or love was to risk rejection, to place my dreams before a crowd was to risk ridicule and to go forward in the face of overwhelming odds was to risk failure. Who would want that? However, I now believe that risk and in particular taking risks means to have courage and venture into the unknown. Instead of running away from it, I take the steps in it’s direction.

As you can probably already tell, taking risks has played a large and vital role in my personal life as well as in my career. I have risked packing up all my belongings and moving across the world and back, I have invested all my finances in high stake assets and I have told people I love them. I do this because I don’t want to be 80 years old and wonder “what if”. I am yet to regret any of these decisions.

Furthermore, I work as a documentary, adventure photographer and storyteller. I learnt early on, after years of experiencing the intoxicating frustration of follow my passions, that to be successful in my field requires risk and a life of uncertainty (somewhat). Due to the nature of my work I have found myself in some risky situations such, as extreme weather or freezing temperatures in the Himalayan Mountains or trying to interview sex workers in Thailand. Unfortunately, not everyone welcomes such experiences with the same positivity and it definitely hasn’t all been smooth sailing for me. However, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the risks I have taken. If I was given the opportunity, I would do it all again.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a published English and Italian documentary adventure photographer and visual story teller based in Nepal.

I first started with photography as a way to get out of my shell and this soon transformed into the urge to tell stories, give people new perspectives and a way of seeing the world.

Today, what unites my work is a common interest in people’s stories and the beautiful places I have traveled, as well as a desire to effectively communicate the emotional aspect of the issues I document.

The goal with my work is to show the beauty, resilience and strength of the people and places I photograph as well as discover and share stories that should be heard.

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.
Unfortunately, I haven’t spend much time in Denver. I am based in Boulder. However, I love Colorado.

So if I had someone visiting me I would go to all the wild places that drew me here in the first place. Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park and so on.

Website: www.jessicaamity.com

Instagram: @jessica.amity

Facebook: @jessicaamity.photo