The Truth Behind Why I’ve Been So Quiet and What’s Next

My social media accounts have been silent for the past few months. I want to take a moment to be transparent and give voice to some changes in my life and business. Thank you for taking the time to hear my heart.

You know how when you miss a turn your navigator says, “Recalculating, recalculating…” and you feel like screaming, “Hurry the hell up because I don’t know where I’m going!” Well, that’s been the voice between my ears since October. It took me a few months, but I’ve finally recalculated and I’m ready to announce some changes. Buckle up because it’s about to get real.

I’m a proud educator.

I’ll have the blood of a teacher until the day I die. Teaching isn’t something I do, it’s something I am. When I’m having coffee with a friend, I ask questions to uncover their feelings and understandings, like a teacher. When I’m photographing a wedding, I juggle the schedule, calm the mommas, and allow the bride and groom to see themselves with the beauty that I see in them, like a teacher. Everything I do, I do with the heart of a teacher.

In October I took a new job to develop a new teacher credentialing program for Lake and Mendocino Counties. The entire state of California, especially rural communities like ours, is experiencing a teacher shortage. My new charge is to build a program that will develop new teachers from within our community to serve the diverse needs of our students. I’m proud to be playing my part to ensure every child in our community is lead by an excellent educator.

I now teach or supervise night classes for these driven adults that are working to become new educators. Three nights a week I don’t get home until after 9 pm. After attempting to work this schedule and do weeknight photo shoots, I turned into a puddle of exhaustion and a real beast to my sweet husband who just wanted to make eye contact more than once a week. Since being a beast isn’t a cute look on me, I’ve made some schedule changes. Keep reading.

I’m Team Jake. For life.

Also in October, Jake took a new job as a Director of Bed & Barrel at Stonehouse Cellars, a new winery in Clearlake Oaks. He turned down a job offer in law enforcement to manage a new winery and go to winemaker’s school. #plottwist

You’re thinking…..wait…..you both made career changes in the same month? Yep. The same week actually. We have a long history of making ballsy moves, followed by praying really hard and this season was no different.

After a long career in counterintelligence and many years fighting bad guys in camo, Jake’s dream was a quieter life. Click here if you want to read a whole blog post about it.

I’m Team Jake, for life. I want this new venture to work so badly for him, I will jump at the chance to help in any way I can. My undergraduate degree is in public relations and marketing and now I manage all their social media accounts, write for their blog, and support Jake with winery events on the weekends. When I decided to become a teacher, I thought my marketing education had been a waste. Turns out, God knows what He’s doing.

Our marriage and Jake’s happiness and fulfillment is my top priority. However, the extra time I’m giving to Bed & Barrel does complicate the equation a little bit. I have found a solution though, keep reading.  

I can’t do all the things I love at the same time.

It also happens that October is to photographers what April is to accountants: fall weddings, senior portraits, and family holiday sessions all peak around the same time.

I really struggle saying “no” to things that are fun and meaningful…

Build a new program to solve education issues in my community? Yes!

Support my husband in a new career full of blind turns? Yes!

Capture every precious moment of the day two souls join in matrimony? Yes!

Memorialize the beauty and confidence of a high school senior? Yes!

Give families precious memories and the best Christmas card photo they’ve ever had? Yes!

You get the picture. I like all the things so I think I can do all the things until I wake up and resemble freezer-burnt Cool Whip that sat out on the counter all night. The tricky part is, I sincerely love my work. I would joyfully work myself into a breakdown that would surprise no one except yours truly.

Cue recalculating.

So, what’s next?

After some deep reflection and a few months of quiet, I’ve decided how I’m going to serve my priorities in this season of life….

1. My photography business is now wedding-focused. This will allow me to continue to serve couples and families and also support my community by showing the beauty of Lake County as a wedding venue. I can give my full energy and focus to my wedding clients on the weekends instead of stretching myself too thin with weeknight portrait sessions.
2. Coffee dates with clients can now very easily become wine dates with clients. If you would like to do a wedding consult at the beautiful Bed & Barrel at Stonehouse Cellars, I will treat you to some delicious wine, crafted by a very handsome friend of mine.
3. Portrait bookings will be very limited. If you are interested in a maternity, high school senior, or family session, please reach out asap because I will have very limited portrait openings moving forward.
4. All my social media accounts are merging to @jamiebucknerbridges instead of separate professional and personal accounts. I am my business and my business is me. Managing so many accounts wasn’t working.

Thank you for your grace as we navigate this new chapter. I’m so thankful for all of you and the trust you place in me to capture your memories. I am excited to implement these changes and celebrate this new season of business and life with you.

Love, 

Here’s a little sneak peek at the wedding work that’s been happening behind the scenes:

I see you…..trying to get the perfect gift for everyone on you list and drinking more coffee in hopes that inspiration will hit. I’m guilty of sitting with my head in my hands staring at the Amazon homepage. But let’s be honest, how many people on you list actually need more things?

This year give the gift of experiences and memories, because that’s the good stuff we can never get enough of. Last Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law gave us a gift certificate to zip-lining in the redwoods. Minus a smidge of screaming, it was a perfect afternoon playing Tarzan and Jane with my handsome hubby. That memory is more to me than the stuff wrapped under the tree.

I challenge you to give the gift of memories this holiday season. Whether it be beer and bowling with friends, screams on awesomely-fast zip-lines, or an hour with me while I capture a season of your life authentically and beautifully.

*Every portrait session gift certificate purchased in the month of December will also come with two 11×14 prints of your choice.

Wondering who would enjoy a portrait session? Here are some ideas:

• Families! Every parents spends too much time behind the camera and not enough time in front of it. Get mom and dad in the picture and capture this season of life before it passes!
• Grandparents! I cannot even describe how much grandparents love portraits with their children and grandchildren. It’s truly their life’s legacy captured.
• High School Juniors! They will be seniors soon and we can get a jump on their senior portraits in beautiful spring and summer weather.
• Couples! Newly engaged? Married for years but haven’t had a nice picture together since the wedding? That loves grows and changes and it deserves a spotlight in each season.
• Mommas-to-be! Making a human is big deal y’all. Let’s capture that bump and all the joy that comes with it.

Click here to to snag a one-hour portrait session gift certificate. All sessions include 30+ edited high-resolution digital images delivered in an online gallery with a print release. Limit five people per session. If you’re interested in a custom session (extra large family, more time, more images, etc.) please send me an email and we will work it out!

Have a wonderful holiday and go make some memories!

https://jamiebridgesphotography.com/gifts

Meet Kortnie, Kalen, Gracie, and Weston. They are the foursome that make up the most adorable family on my street. Kortnie reached out to me last fall to take some family lifestyle photos for their Christmas cards. That first time we met, we rolled with laughter as we bribed her toddler to smile with fruit snacks and pretended that it wasn’t beginning to rain. When I meet people that are genuine, authentic, and smile through life’s imperfections, I can’t help but want to absorb them into my heart like the way I’d absorb warm coffee and cinnamon buns. 

After our first portrait session, Kortnie and I took a quilting class together. We laughed through our annoying perfectionist tendencies as we ripped out crooked stitches. Then she started working at my elementary school and we laughed through beginning-of-the-school-year teacher exhaustion. Needless to say, she’s become one of my favorite people to be imperfect with. And those people, my dear friends, are worth their weight in gold. 

Enjoy these family photos of my perfectly imperfect friend, featuring Weston the Handsome and Gracie the Crazy Cat Lady. (Seriously, Gracie is a three-year-old cat whisper.) Thank you Kalen and Kortnie for inviting me to capture this section of your journey!

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There are few things I love more than a bride in boots. And let me tell you, Darcie ROCKED her gorgeous lace cowboy boots. Darcie and Nick’s wedding day came to life with it’s bright colors, genuine laughter, and chippy, rustic decor.

This wedding kicked off my fall season with grace, style, and easy love. Chatting with Nick’s sister at the rehearsal, she said, “They are so natural together; they make it look easy.” And after being by their side for their big day, I couldn’t agree more. You know when butter is at the perfect temperature that is just sllllides across bread like it’s going home after a long day at its butter-work? That’s Nick and Darcie. Never tense, never fast, never worried, just smooth like butta. To continue the food analogy (can you tell I like food?!) they are as smooth like the apple pie moonshine Darcie’s dad made for every table. (Which was quite delicious by the way.)

Their venue was a private residence in Lakeport, CA where the owners have been toiling away for years to make a little, rustic old country town in their backyard. Complete with a rusty gazebo, cowboy bathhouse, and a bar made from reclaimed wood. It was the perfect match Nick and Darcie’s easy love and vintage country style.

Thank you Nick and Darcie for inviting me to be a part of your memories! I woke up the morning after this wedding and genuinely wished we could do it all over again!

Show Nick and Darcie some easy, butter love by commenting below! You can also help me celebrate Nick and Darcie by sharing this post. 

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My town is a place where people talk in line at the grocery store and they give directions using “the” stoplight as a reference point (because there’s only one). I was born and raised in the tiny agricultural town of Lakeport, population 5,000 when everyone is home. All the towns in Lake County are independently so small, we often identify with the whole County for a little more impact.

When I graduated high school and left for college, I couldn’t wait to get out of my tiny, sleepy town. I craved new experiences, diverse cultures, and tall buildings. Ok, being perfectly honest, I was also very motivated to be anyplace that had more than five restaurants. So, I did. For 13 years, I ate amazing food, traveled all over the world, met people from all walks of life, and got pretty savvy at riding the subway.

Then suddenly in my early thirties, I missed home. I missed the smell of the walnut leaves after the first rain. I missed waiting for flocks of wild turkeys to cross the road. I missed having coffee on the porch with my parents. My husband Jake and I decided to move home. (Another day I’ll explain how I managed to bag my ridiculously hot and smart high school bestie who happens to share my love for our hometown.)

This summer, I decided to style my own wedding shoot. (That’s photographer speak for design my own fake wedding and take pictures of it for funzies.) I reached out to my community for help pulling together the details and I was overwhelmed by the love and support I received. EVERYTHING you see in these beautiful photos was a gift from my amazing community. Because that’s just how people are in Lake County; they will help a neighbor without a second thought. Not only is my hometown straight-up stunning, but the people you will find here are full of love, generosity, and a rich simplicity that’s rare in the world today.

I no longer sit in silent subways on the way to big tall buildings. Nowadays I stand in line at the grocery store and chat with my neighbors. I also spend a fair amount of time waiting for turkeys to cross the road. But I’ll take that any day over city traffic.

From the bottom of my grateful heart, I thank these vendors for bringing this beautiful wedding concept to life:

Laujor Vineyards and Estate- the location of our stunning shoot

Flowers by Jackie- bouquet and boutonnière 

JG Fine Jewelry- all the bling!!

Marin Alexander, TAC Studios- hair and makeup 

Show Lake County some love by commenting below! You can also help me celebrate this incredible community by sharing this post. 

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