Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Ruiz.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey with photography started at an early age. In high school, I remember picking up a camera for the first time and being in awe of it. I begged my dad for a digital camera for my 15th birthday, and since then, I knew that was all I ever wanted to do.
Recently I’ve had a full circle moment. I started my photography journey at Fullerton College over ten years ago. That’s where I learned all the basics and all the technicalities of photography. The most important foundation, I went on to receive my Bachelor of Arts in communications with an emphasis in photography. This led me to a study abroad program in Spain, where I luckily met the Chair of the photography program from Syracuse University; here is where the real trust in myself had to come in. I fly to new york 2 months after graduation to continue my education and eventually receive my Master of Science in multimedia, photography, and design.
I graduated in 2021, and since then, I have been full-time with my photography business, OCJ Photography. Now for the full circle moment, I mentioned. Last year I accepted an offer to teach Introduction to Photography at Fullerton College –during spring and fall, I get to teach students just as eager as I was ten years ago.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It took a lot of time to feel confident in photography. I knew how to work a camera, I knew how to edit images using Photoshop, and I knew how to be a friendly person, but guiding someone through a photoshoot and feeling confident in what I was doing was hard in the beginning. Unfortunately, I think confidence comes to you with time and experience. Being able to be personal and make your client feel comfortable with you is something that cannot always be learned, but it’s something that will always be appreciated. If you are struggling with your confidence in photography, go out and photograph as much as you can; you’ll reflect one day on how much that taught you.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a lifestyle portrait photographer who specializes in weddings. I’m a huge sucker for a good love story. I love, love! Anything that has to do with couples, weddings, or families, I’m all about it. Because I studied photojournalism in Grad school, I love being able to observe moments and create memories with photographs.
Whenever I hit a goal, whether that’s a personal goal, financial goal, or spiritual goal, I like to reflect; I have a “video diary” on my phone with a lot of joyful moments; seeing these videos make me reflect on the good I do –to simplify it, my job is to save moments for someone else to enjoy in the future. How awesome is that?!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My ultimate favorite book is, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. He is the truest, Hardest Motherf*cker on Planet Earth (his words). You can learn a lot about yourself by reading this book.
I enjoy connecting with clients on Instagram and on TikTok; in fact, most of my clients are from social media. I love social media, but it can become overwelling, to say the least.
If you’re a photographer, I recommend checking out Pixieset to build your website; I recommend this site to all of my students. I can’t say enough good things about them.
Pricing:
- Weddings start at $2,000
- Family sessions start at $450
- Engagement sessions start at $600
- Events start at $500
- Maternity starts at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ocjphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocjphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OCJphotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-ruiz-photo/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMED4xwwT92hxUEyQOciyw/featured
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ocj-photography-anaheim
Image Credits
©OCJ Photography
