It isn’t deep or profound – I take photographs everyday. I just don’t know how to stop trying to capture subjects that interest me – mostly the interesting people I encounter on the side of the road, in a convenience store or as they go about their lives. I live in Louisiana so these people are shrimpers, crawfish farmers or just a family on their front porch. Sometimes the environment is the subject – the disappearing marsh wetlands of the Louisiana coast – and with it, one of the truly unique and colorful cultures of America – or maybe an empty Canal Street in downtown New Orleans during the Covid lockdown. When I leave Louisiana, I usually drive the back roads and look for the unique aspects of a place; the Mexican border wall, an abandoned church in New Mexico, the Rio Grande canyon. My photographs just happen and it makes me happy when someone else derives joy from the image.
BIO:
Like so many before her, Jill started in photography with a 35mm SLR camera looking to capture those special moments with her family and friends. This pastime soon morphed into a passion that has not weakened after 30+ years. Seeking guidance and mentorship, she pursued a study of photojournalism at the University of Memphis, New Mexico State, and the University of Texas at Austin.
In the early 2000’s Jill relocated to Baton Rouge and earned her MFA in Photography at Louisiana State University – in the process teaching photography in secondary and college levels. Today she is a teacher of ‘Talented Visual Art’ students in the Zachary Louisiana School System and continues her photojournalism work with a group of several newspapers and periodicals.
She has been recognized by the Louisiana Press Association and is frequently invited to participate in juried shows across the US.
Jill continues to photograph ‘everyday’ people, street photography and environments.
