Junior, Jessica Kohut started doing photography when she was about nine or ten years old. “I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I just thought it was something fun and cool,” she explained. Little did she know, that eight years later, she would become a published photographer.
“I remember grabbing our family’s tiny digital camera and just taking photos of flowers and showing my parents the photos,” reflected Kohut. “They would tell me they were amazed by my pictures and skill that I had at my age. They continued to encourage me.” Her first SLR camera was the Canon Rebel xti, purchased around the age of thirteen or fourteen. This purchase signaled the start of her serious photography career.
Serious photographers are drawn to a certain genre and make this the focus of their career as an artist. Jess prefers taking photos of people over scenery. “Sure scenery is beautiful, but I find people more personal. Looking at an image of a person, you can create a story and imagine what that person has been through. Also, I liked meeting new people and listening to their stories and hearing about their life. Their stories really open me to the world. Working with people allows me to connect with my work which is a major component of a successful image. With scenery, everything seemed to be just a pretty photo.”
Another characteristic of Jess’ photographs is the use of black and white over color. “I would always choose black and white over color,” she said. “Part of the reason is that I just can’t seem to figure color out. Color takes away from the subject of the photograph; it becomes distracting. With black and white, you get more of a personal feel of the moment and focus more on the subject rather than everything else.”
The two photographs that ended up being published on book covers were found through Jess’ tumblr and flickr accounts (check them out here and here). The books are called The Hell of the Innocents and People Park which can be purchased at most local book stores as well as online. Jess explained that she had a good experience working with the authors and book companies because they were “really fun to work with.”
Jess is a freelance photographer so she picks up work as it is offered; “I have had clients that I’ve worked for before like families for portraits and couples for weddings.”
Other than photography, she swims on North Penn’s swim team and dabbles in a few other arts. She would also love to get into painting.
Jess plans on majoring in photography and pursuing a career in the field. “My life has actually become dependent on my art and it means a lot to me. If I do not succeed with my art, I guess I’m kind of stuck. It is kind of scary, but I know wherever my life takes me is where I am supposed to be and I know that I will be doing something I love.”
Jess is currently working on a third book entitled Fight On, where one of her photographs will be used as a feature. Fight On is intended to encourage and inspire women, and the book will be released within the next three or four months.
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