Jesseca Bellemare Photography

The Powers | Asheville Family Photographer

jbellemare — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:54:30 +0000

Love this family, the location, the light and that these friends of ours trusted me enough to do their family portraits. Thanks guys! xo

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Professional Portraits | Asheville Portrait Photographer

jbellemare — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:35:47 +0000

So you may not think that your business or endeavor requires a professional portrait, but give me a minute to offer up a few reasons why it probably does…

1. Professional portraits make you look professional
Regardless of the circumstance, (employer, employee, model, actor, dancer, etc.), a professional portrait will tell the viewer that you are, in fact, a professional. As much as we all love candid pictures taken with a cell phone, when presenting yourself in business you want to make the very best first impression possible. You represent your brand and if you care enough about your brand to present yourself with creative, authentic, high quality images, it will not go unnoticed.

2. The Online World
The internet is where most professional relationships begin. Employers look for employees, employees look for employers, models and actors look for agencies, agencies look for models and actors, etc.. Whether you want to be seen as friendly, kind, serious, funny or outgoing, it can be done with a photograph. And let’s face it, first impressions can make it or brake it.

3. Stand Out
It doesn’t matter if you are self-employeed, an executive CEO, a makeup artist or professional maker of cupcakes, you want an edge over your competition, you want to stand out and you want to put your best foot forward. Professional portraits demand attention and will always be taken more seiously than a snapshot. Always.

4. Connection
People crave human connection and they want to know who the people are behind a business. More often than not people will purchase from individuals/companies who they feel a connection to over those they do not. Showing people who you are is simply doing good business.

Let’s work together to show the world just how fantastic you are. Please contact me for further information on packages geared specifically for businesses, models and actors.

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Local Love | Flora

jbellemare — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:30:31 +0000

I love connecting with creative people, being inspired and sharing that inspiration with others. Becasue of this I am beginning a Local Love project in which I will be highlighting Asheville based companies that offer a service or product that can benefit a photography experience. I have personally met, chatted with and photographed some seriously amazing women who have built substantial companies from the ground up. Get ready to be inspired.

I’m kicking off my Local Love project with flora, a gorgeous and dreamy floral design studio and boutique flower shop located in the heart of West Asheville. I love, love, love flowers, always have them in our home and adore incorporating them into photo shoots. So when founder and owner, Melissa Thomas, agreed to chat with me about her business I was psyched. Melissa is an amazingly creative, design savvy, funny and super sweet young woman and mother of two equally sweet children. I’ll be honest here, when I first walked into flora, I had to pause…the space is undoubtedly swoon worthy. From the fresh white walls and pops of color to the way Melissa has intricately and lovingly designed each corner and crevice of the space, it is truly breathtaking. If I could re-do my wedding day, I’d want it to look like this space. Seriously.

Melissa’s love for plants began at a very young age when she and her Mother turned their sandbox into a raised garden. Her first job was in a traditional flower shop while her Summers were spent working in a greenhouse. Flora was born after a fellow art student and manager at Windows on the Park asked her to style an event, after which she began receiving similar requests. It was then that she knew that floral design was her calling. She ran her business out of her home until adorable baby number two arrived and it all started feeling quite “cramped and layered”. She needed space and found it in her new airy, modern meets eclectic studio.

The thing I love most about Melissa is that she thinks outside of the box. This is not your typical flower shop, folks. Melissa strives to “provide innovative floral design for all demographics while keeping the environment in mind”. Her floral options, designs and arrangements are incredibly creative and she continuously encourages recycling whenever possible (think cans and jars for vessels). Not only does she recycle containers, but she builds new flower arrangements out of those left behind by her wedding clients and donates them to Meals on Wheels. Wow, right?

Flora is currently open Monday – Saturday from 10-6. In the future Melissa will be opening the space to the public for a host of urban gardening classes including chickening, canning & preserving, pallet gardening, bee keeping, terrarium building and, of course, floral design. And please note that flora is a family run business, her children are typically in the studio and your children are always welcome too.

flora
828.252.8888
428-B Haywood Rd
Asheville Nc 28806

Ok – now for the eye candy…

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Artwork Display Inspiration | Our Home

jbellemare — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:14:47 +0000

“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams”. -Dr. William A. Ward

I believe that our homes reflect our inner selves; they are the one place where we can slow down and consciously surround ourselves with objects that create feelings of joy, love and relaxation. While our home is not fancy by any means, (and I admit that it is increasingly feeling smaller as our little people grow bigger), we have taken the time to collect objects, to make art and to arrange our findings and creations in a way that truly expresses us. And so, in my continued endeavor to openly share myself and to inspire creativity in others, I share our little corner of the world with you…

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Artwork Display Inspiration | Staircases

jbellemare — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:29:45 +0000

It’s pretty fair to say that anything goes when it comes to displaying artwork. We all have different tastes and different ways we want to experience and share our individuality. While some may feel that staircases present a challenge for hanging artwork, I truly believe that this doesn’t have to be the case. I feel that you can be as loose or rigid, as simple or complex with the arrangement as you wish and the end result will look fabulous. Get creative and have fun with it!

01/02/03/04/05

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

For the Mamas | Because Regret Stinks

jbellemare — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:19:11 +0000

I regretfully share with all of you the very unfortunate fact that I do not have a single photograph of my Mother and I from my childhood. Not a single one. And why is this, you ask? The answer is really quite simple – she was the one taking the majority of our family’s photographs. I am afraid that more often than not, this is the typical story in households. And a very sad story at that.

I’d very much like to change this. So in light of Mother’s Day I will be opening up ~~six~~ ~~slots~~ (only ONE left!) on April 29th for Mini Sessions dedicated to Mothers and their children (that includes Grandmothers too!). Give me twenty minutes and together we will create something magical. You won’t regret this, I promise.

When: April 29th, 2012
Where: TBA upon inquiry (think: beautiful)
Cost: $45

Session Fee Includes:

Tons of preparation information so you will feel confident

20 minutes of shooting time

4-5 images to choose from in a private online gallery

1 complimentary 5×7 gift print

This is a very special offer at a very special price because Mothers are very special people.

Please contact me to reserve your spot.

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Assignment 04 | Inspiration

jbellemare — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:17:29 +0000

When I first began feeling serious about pursuing photography professionally I, not unlike any other newbie, found the majority of my inspiration from other photographers. Consequently, I relentlessly compared myself…not just my work, but myself. Of course the fact that these pros had been perfecting their art for years had no bearing on how critical I was. Such a dangerous downward spiral that was. Then one day I stopped. Maybe I grew bored with the trends, maybe I gained enough experience, maybe my self confidence grew, but for whatever reason I just stopped. I unsubscribed to all photo blogs and I ‘unliked’ 95% of the photographers I was following on Facebook. I began to look for inspiration in lighting, in emotion, in relationships, in nature, in color and texture, in my own ebb and flow. And do you know what happened? I began to look at my own work for inspiration.

I made this sweet little sundress for my daughter and I built my vision for this session around it. The dress reminds me of my own childhood, of sunny meadows, playing on warm Summer afternoons and wandering in daydreams. I just knew that a large open field, golden evening light and the freedom to explore would allow my children to simply be and for my vision to be born, organically. I was just there to watch it all unfold.

Picking my top three favorites from the full play session was really, really, really hard. But that’s the deal, so in no particular order…

Pick 01:
This is so telling of their personalities. He has stopped to examine something, she want’s to keep moving, he’s protecting her.

Pick 02:
Osianna is such a free Spirit and she doesn’t seem to have a caution filter of any kind. She’s small, but her determination is fierce. She’s on her own path and while she’s happy to have company, she’ll take a stab at it by herself; her walk says it all.

Pick 03:
I love the intensity of this moment. The concentration and direction of her gaze, the curiosity in her eyes, the way she holds the leaf between her fingers, the curling of her pigtails, the rich, dark tones against her creamy pale skin and dress…there’s something magical about it all.

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Siblings | Asheville Children’s & Family Photographer

jbellemare — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:14:05 +0000

What can I say…I adore these kids. How three completely different little beings can be created from the same exact DNA is beyond me. But that’s the deal and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In an oddly graceful and intricate way they balance each other out. Our oldest child’s precision, thoughtfulness and agility seems to compliment our middle child’s eager, sweet and sometimes clumsy disposition while our daughter’s sassy, stubborn and quite determined Spirit is kept in check by her older brothers’ protectiveness. It’s a truly beautiful thing to watch.

This play session was for my final class assignment.

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Assignment 03 | Interaction

jbellemare — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:49:56 +0000

Building relationships and trust, connecting before, during and after a portrait session, being prepared and totally present; these are gifts we give to the people we are privileged to work with. I am soaking up this portion of coursework like a sponge…

The full couples session is here and my top three picks in no particular order are:

Pick 01:
I love this one! I can not remember what we were talking about in this moment, but the looks on their faces are so real and I can bet that those are expressions they typically give one another without even knowing it…

Pick 02:
This is just sweet. I love the expression on both of their faces…he looks like he is on the edge of laughing out loud and she looks a little embarrassed by whatever was said. Love the storytelling factor, the way they are holding each other’s hands, the perspective and overall mood of this moment.

Pick 03:
This is my favorite of the session. I really like the way that the direction of their gaze draws the viewer in and through the image, there is a feeling of movement and it’s like we are being given a tiny morsel of some bigger story…I mean, what are they looking at?!

Life happens. Things change. Make The Time For a Portrait Session.

Let’s Do This Together.

Jerry + Heather | Asheville Couples Photographer

jbellemare — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:49:06 +0000

I have been thinking about the fact that more often than not, portrait sessions are traditionally reserved for engagements, weddings, children and families. And to this I ask, what about the seasoned couple? What about the people who have built a life together after the wedding and honeymoon, as the children are growing, as dreams are reached or released, after the children have left the nest, through all of the joy and frustration marriage brings…why are we not celebrating and savoring THAT couple? What a gift to give one another – your time and undivided attention to preserve, in photographs, one of the single most important relationships of your life. I’d say that’s worth a portrait session, how about you?

I first met Jerry and Heather while shooting a commercial photo session for WNC Magazine, which their adorably sweet little beauty of a daughter was participating in. Heather later booked a Spring Mini Session for their family and I have since had the pleasure of photographing them on an almost seasonal basis for both their family portraits and my personal projects. Such great people.

Their willingness to play along with me on this week’s class assignment dedicated to connection and interaction was much appreciated and a whole lot of fun…laughter o’plenty abounded. I will be first to admit that this was a completely different photography experience than I am accustomed to. The energy and flow between people is so different when children are not there to occupy everyone’s attention and to inadvertently take center stage. I loved interacting with Jerry and Heather in this focused way, learning more about them and watching the way they are with one another. You see, when a couple makes the time and space to relax enough to truly BE together, it is a beautiful thing.