Meet Jess Lisle-Connolly | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jess Lisle-Connolly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think about risk as doing or pursuing something that won’t come easy. Deciding to start my own business from the ground up with little education, little experience, and as an autistic person was to me, very risky! I told myself for a long time I wouldn’t be able to start a business because I was scared of the risk that came with it, but ultimately, I took the plunge and I’m so glad I did.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art and my creative outlet is in my photography. I feel like generally people think of photography as more of a technical thing rather than artistic thing, and in some ways it definitely is! But for me the artistry shows through in the way I like to design my photoshoots and in the way I edit them later. I get excited for every shoot I design from the moment the idea pops into my head, all the way through getting to execute it and see the finished results. Getting to where I am today was a very slow process, and I’m still just getting started. Right now the challenge is in building my portfolio and enhancing my social media presence so people can easily see what I can do. A really huge part of not just my brand, but me as well, is autism! I like my clients to know that I’m an autistic artist/small business owner and help break the stigma that comes with autism, along the way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day One: La Jolla shopping, art galleries, gelato, and then a visit to Sunny Jim’s! Sunny Jim’s is so special because in addition to fun gifts, you can also go down under the store itself and explore a sea cave.

Day Two: San Diego Zoo. The San Diego Zoo does incredible work in regards to the conservation of wild life.

Day Three: Old Town San Diego. It’s so easy to spend a whole day here shopping and walking through the mini museums. When the sun sets it’s worthwhile hitting the Whaley House for a ghost tour (one of the most haunted houses in America) and the cemetery next to it!

Day Four: The beach for a relaxed beach day.

Day Five: This one is a bit niche but within a random neighborhood of San Diego there’s a house with the front yard covered entirely in topiaries! It’s called Harper’s Topiary Gardens. Just down the road from that is the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge which is very fun to walk across.

Day Six: Coronado Island. This one is especially fun to go to at night in December because the Christmas lights are amazing! But any other time of the year it’s worth visiting the shops, restaurants, and of course the hotel. The hotel is famously haunted and also was the inspiration behind Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It may be cheesy, but I really truly couldn’t have done this without my husband’s support. He’s helped me and encouraged me every step of the way and he’s honestly my number one fan. I would also like to credit my mom’s nonprofit Wild Wind Ranch in Oakhills, CA for allowing me to use her venue and her horses for my photoshoots.

Website: https://picsoritdidnthappenphotography.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: @photography_pdhp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095536891313&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Other: https://boycottautismspeaks.org/

Image Credits
All photos taken by me with permissions from the models present via contract