Meet Jessica Lee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Lee.

Hi Jessica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I like to say, “I accidentally fell back in love with photography” when I moved from Canada to Los Angeles in 2016. As a kid, I ran around with my mom’s film camera and took photos on every trip we went; it naturally came to me how to frame things and compose a photo. I had an eye for it but never thought too much about it. I remember in high school we had to complete a Photo and Video class for one semester, I got a big fat zero in video and a 67% in photo. In hindsight, the class wasn’t instructed properly, but teenage me still thought it was so lame. If I could tell little me this ended up being one of my biggest passions and future career, I sure wouldn’t believe myself. 

I started picking up a camera again in 2010, post-high school. This was when YouTube was on a huge surge, and video started to spark my interest as I began to make vlogs of my travels, experiences, and silly moments with my friends. As I learned more about production and editing, I melted my love for music with video and started making music videos. 

In between this time, I ended up going to school for acting, then to music production. Expressing myself in a creative ways to tell a story was always something that resonated with me. 

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” That was my affinity for LA for 9 years as the media made it seem like it was THE place to be with all these beautiful landmarks, events and my favorite musicians always holding concerts there. I finally travelled to LA for the first time in 2015, I felt it in my bones, the only way I could describe it was, “it felt like home”. Not too long after that, I visited LA two more times in a matter of 3 months. I cried harder and harder each trip when I had to leave. 

It sounds so cheesy to say but I knew the dreams I had were bigger than the city I was living in, and I had to move to LA. 

In the summer of 2016, I packed my whole room in my car and drove down alone to make the official move. Not long after finding my first apartment, I met my neighbor, who was also passionate about photography and abandoned places. He invited me to go to the desert next week to hit up some abandoned spots with him. Growing up, I saw articles on people capturing abandoned places. I thought they looked beautiful, but I never knew how to get in. I thought- well, I just met this guy; he could either leave me for dead in the desert, or it could be one of the best times ever. The newly moved transplant in me said yes to the adventure, and I’m glad I did. 

From that moment, my love for photography opened again, and I started getting into Urban Exploring (Urbex) photography. I started meeting other photographers all around the world with similar interests, and we would document these lesser-seen perspectives of abandoned places and views from skyscraper rooftops. I picked up my first professional DSLR camera because of this and it built up my portfolio that has led me to my current career opportunities. 

Still, that passion for music and the entertainment industry burned inside of me, and I was able to get my foot in the door with the Rose Bowl Stadium on their Marketing team in 2021. Thankfully, where marketing has grown in the last few years is in a very digital age. The stadium championed my eye, passion for photography and creating social media content. Since 2023, I’ve transitioned to being their official House Photographer, helping them to elevate telling their stories for every concert, music festival, sports game, and special moments in between. I’ve gotten the opportunity to photograph acts as big as Coldplay, Karol G, H.E.R., Morrissey, Blondie, soccer (fútbol) matches with LAFC, LA Galaxy, Real Madrid, Juventus FC, and UCLA Football. At times, the bowl would fill with up to 93,000 fans. The energy is absolutely unparalleled!

From that experience and knowledge, I built from there. I was able to expand into my love for live music even more and started photographing my favorite artists when they would make a tour stop in LA. I’ve had the opportunity to capture Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, Sum 41, Tori Kelly and more.

In the last year, I’ve also joined the Digital Marketing team at AEG, focusing on Crypto.com Area (previously known as the iconic Staples Center), Peacock Theater, and L.A. LIVE in assisting with photo/video for social media and coverage for their concerts, award shows and sports games to make those memorable moments come to life. Some highlights are having the opportunity to cover the GRAMMY Awards, Emmy Awards, SZA, Drake, Bad Bunny, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Kings. I use to visit this campus frequently when I vacationed here, in awe of all the high profile events that have taken place here. I wish I could show younger me where I am today.

I’ve been currently continuing my education for the last 7 years at California State University, Long Beach with an Undergrad and Master’s focusing my studies on the entertainment industry. 

I don’t want to pinch myself because it really does feel like a dream come true as this little Canadian girl brought her love of what felt like the entertainment industry was so out of reach to a fruition of her reality. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would describe my journey so far as a rollercoaster. Emotionally, mentally, professionally. Just like anything else in life, you will have your highest highs, lowest lows, and days that seem to be cruising along.

The toughest part about this industry is keeping the momentum of opportunities happening and remembering to keep a work-life balance. 

I am blessed that I am in the location of Los Angeles and Orange County, where it is so entertainment-centric, but with more opportunity comes more competition. You may get a lot of “no’s”, opportunities that don’t even open up because it’s already been filled, a week where you’re non-stop hustling and then a month where nothing is going on and you’re wondering what your next project is.

On the times where you are working, it may most likely be from 9 to 14 hours a day: wake up early, go home late, get a few hours of sleep, and back at it again for maybe a few days or months. You’ll have to sacrifice important moments of your life at times, say goodbye to your nights and weekends, see your friends, missing out on milestones like weddings, birthdays, and parties. 

I’ll get asked, “What do you do for fun when you finally don’t have to work?”- I like going to concerts and taking photos. I’m really thankful that I love what I do, and even the longest days don’t feel like work because I’m having fun or knocking something off my bucket list. I’ve also found the best support system of friends who understand what I do, and if anything, they continue to lift me up and cheer me on with my journey. They know who they are, and we cherish our hangouts even more when we get to see each other every few months. I love them for that. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I expanded on this on the first question, definitely overshot on what was asked for haha. 

I want to say I’m a photographer, but with my expansive education, experience, and career, I have such an aspiration to keep learning as many moving parts as possible to not only learn how things work but also to take these different perspectives and melt them into every opportunity I have to create unique results. 

I think I’m most proud of the career I’ve built for myself that’s created all the little wins along the way. Earlier this year, I got to cover the red carpet at the GRAMMY Awards and photograph the winners in the Trophy Room. As a kid, I would watch the Grammys every year, dreaming of one day attending. It healed so much of my inner child getting to play this bigger part and capturing icons like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Christina Aguilera. 

If I had to put a label on it, at the end of the day, I’d say I’m a storyteller. 

What does success mean to you?
This is a really good question because I don’t think there’s one correct answer, and I’m definitely still learning what this word means to me. 

Where I am in life right now is to remember how far I’ve come in my career. All the opportunities I’ve had, places I’ve been, favorites that I’ve gotten to photograph, people I’ve met. So many amazing moments that I could’ve never imagined would even happen to me have become a reality. 

You could have wins that bring you glowing on cloud 9 and one negative thing that happens, puts you in a rut for a while. That’s when it’s important to remember all those big moments and not forget how far you’ve come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tjmimages.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatjessmess/

Image Credits
Charlotte Sands
Silverstein