A New ME in 2023!!

A Reintroduction to JessRaquel Photography

Wow, time does fly!! With a blink of an eye we are well into 2023 and already looking forward to the end of the year. All I can say is that 2023 has been a wild ride. Although I’ve been out of commission for the majority of summer, it feels like a good time to reintroduce myself now that I’m back in action!

So hey, I’m Jess! Let me tell you a little more about the face behind the lens!

• I’m a born and raised Las Vegas native, just can’t seem to quit this place!

• Happily married to the best guy in the world and I truly could not imagine doing life without him 💘

• Leo Sun, Scorpio Rising, Pisces Moon… Explains everything ♌️♏️♓️

• Many tattoos and still need more

•Before this I used to work in the animal welfare world in shelters and sanctuaries doing behavior and training. Now I foster behavior/medical cases for The Churchill Foundation and continue to apply my expertise and knowledge through photo sessions with your pets!

• So of course I’m a five times over rescue dog mom (can’t forget our two cats either) and its a full house 🐾

• Bohemian meets grunge goth = My Vibes

• I’ve been obsessed with all things British since I was five and discovered John Cleese on PBS 🇬🇧

• I recently underwent a hysterectomy (hence my absence) due to Stage 4 Endometriosis. I’m very open about it and think we should all be talking about this disease more! I can’t have kids (and I’m very much ok with that) but that just means you should let me photograph yours! 😇

• I'm happiest when wearing the color black🤘🏼

• When I’m not editing I’m usually at brunch, vintage thrifting, or hardcore gaming… Fight me in Fortnight 😝

• I just turned 37, I’ve def hit my homebody stage and I’m totally cool with it. My home is my sanctuary but if you do catch me outside it’s usually in the Arts District drinking a Moscow mule or singing my heart out at Dinos 🎤

But enough about me, tell me about you or ask me anything, let’s be friends! 🫶

A Girl & Her Dog

It all started with a dog named Pickles.

Years ago when I first started in animal rescue, one of the rescues I was volunteering for was notified of a puppy chained to a tree in downtown Las Vegas in the middle of summer. I offered to check out the area and sure enough, discovered a cattle dog puppy on a chain tied to a tree in the middle of some buildings. There was no distinguishable owner, a tub with dirty water in it that was too tall for her to reach, and no adequate shade or sign of food. Animal Control was called but never showed up… So I grabbed my handy dandy bolt cutters from my car and took her with me.

I named her Pickles. She was sweet and playful and let us cut the remains of her chain without a single whine or snap. After a bath and some food, she truly blossomed. With the rescues backing, we got her microchipped and prepped for adoption. Pickles went on a few trial runs but none of the families seemed to be the right fit.

Then Julee came along. I remember meeting her for the first time and seeing how quickly Pickles warmed up to her. I remember how excited she was and how she showed me around her apartment which she had already set up and dog proofed. I remember leaving Pickles on her trial with her and knowing in my gut that this was it.

8 years later… Pickles and Julee are still the best of friends and my gut feeling turned out to be one hundred percent right. Pickles ended up needing some operations for her legs not long after and Julee stuck with her through it all. Their family grew when Julee met Alex and Pickles gained the title of big sister when Azalea was born last year!

It was honestly bittersweet being able to photograph them all as a family. The dirty and uncertain puppy I found all those years ago has grown into a sweet and patient little lady, Julee went from being the best dog mom to the best overall mom and you can see how much Alex loves them all. It was truly a pleasure to reconnect with them all and capture these memories with them!