Life & Work with Jessica Meza of Raytown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Meza.

Jessica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started taking photos at a young age. I’ve always loved capturing life events and everyday moments. I spent all my money from my part-time job in high school on disposable cameras and film developing. I have totes and boxes full of candid shots from my childhood and young adult life, but I never really gave much thought to doing it professionally. As I stepped further into adulthood, picture taking fell to the back burner and I focused on obtaining a stable life and having a family. It wasn’t until my son was born in 2016 that I remembered my love for taking pictures. We were able to get a used DSLR camera with multiple lenses off Facebook marketplace and I started teaching myself how to use it, taking photos of my family and pets and a couple of friends. Within a couple of years, I had gained enough images to create a small portfolio and I decided that I could really do this thing. I created my own photography website and business cards without outside help. I welcomed and greatly appreciated the support and help of friends and family but it’s always been very important to me to be the one to create and design my business independently and with my whole heart. Today I’m still doing photography as a part-time status. I haven’t quite generated the business to cover all of my financial needs yet, but I have my regulars, repeat clients and referrals that keep me going and give me hope to keep building in the future. Photography is a competitive market these days and can be quite expensive. Part of my mission statement is to be able to serve all clients. At first I was offering services for free, including maternity and newborn photos, senior sessions, family portraits and even a wedding! After I started gaining traction and confidence in my abilities, I started to charge at a very low fee. Over the years, I’ve raised my prices to keep with competitive rates and making sure I’m compensated for my work accordingly. (a lot happens with editing and behind the scenes). I keep my service costs lower than a lot of photographers out there. I want to be able to capture moments for everyone, and as someone who has struggled financially in the past I know that portrait sessions can often feel like a luxury and out of budget. Everyone deserves to have their most memorable moments captured, and I want to be able give that opportunity to them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building my own business has not been an easy process. Especially because my son was born with a rare kidney disease and has spent most of his life in the hospital. For the first 5 years of his life, it was hard for me to find any kind of stability with my professional or personal life. My entire focus was centered around being there for him and making sure he was taken care of and knew we were there to fight this battle with him. My son’s disease consumed a lot of our time even before birth. I was hospitalized at 23 weeks and remained in the hospital on bed rest until he was born at 34weeks. He spent nearly 3 months in the NICU, and then returned to the hospital for lengthy stays almost monthly. At age 1, Brennan went into renal failure and started peritoneal dialysis. This type of dialysis is performed in the home, by the patient or caregivers. Since Brennan was still a baby, his dad and I hooked him up to dialysis every night. Did regular dressing changes, supply ordering and had to maintain a sterile environment within our home for him. This went on for 5 years. And if this wasn’t enough, in 2019, I suffered a miscarriage and a few months before Brennan’s 4th birthday in 2020, he had a stroke. We were told to prepare for the works and to say our goodbyes when we went to see him in the ICU. But we had faith and hope and we knew that Brennan was a fighter, so he fought and he defied the all odds. When it was clear that Brennan would survive the stroke, we were give the prognosis of “severe cerebral palsy symptoms at best”. We were told it would take hours, days, weeks, and months of therapies and that our little boy would never return as the same boy we once knew. But my son, is the strongest, bravest and most determined little boy and he exceeded expectations again and again. Having to deal with all of this was a roller coaster and allowed very little time to dedicate to myself or my business. Once Brennan recovered to a stable place from his stroke, I was able to start focusing on building clientele again but also having to deal with a global pandemic (covid). It seemed like so many things were holding me back but I kept going, even if I only booked one or two photo shoots in a year.
We spent 5 years administering dialysis at home for Brennan and in 2022, I was approved to donate my kidney to my son and in August of that year, I was able to give him life again. We immediately saw the difference in his health, his color, his energy and demeanor. He finally knew what it felt like to not feel sick every single day. My recovery from surgery was much harder and once again my personal and professional life took a back seat. I underestimated the donor surgery completely and I struggled with intense physical pain as well as emotional and mental trauma, feeling a huge sense of loss and tremendous grief. (which is common for donors) Building a business has been a challenge considering all the trials I’ve faced in the last 8 years but I know that I will never give up and I will keep pushing to grow in my craft and in my business.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work a full-time job as an administrative assistant, where I handle scheduling for an executive coaching firm. It’s a great job that provides me with the financial stability, insurance and schedule to be able to provide for my son. With any job I’ve ever had, it’s always been clear to those around me that I am a creative and artistic person. I believe this has truly helped give me an eye for photography and has contributed to my successful side-hustle. I one day hope to “quit my day-job” and make my photography business a full-time career. For now, it’s fun to do sessions on evenings and weekends and to work at a leisurely pace. But I have goals to open my own studio, and even expand my business to include event planning and possibly even sell high-end, hand-made gifts and craft merchandise.

As far as my current photography business goes, nothing is off the table. If you want a picture, I will take it. I’ve done newborn/baby photos, family photos, events and parties, weddings and more. I have done the most work with Senior photos. I love these sessions. I remember how excited I was as a senior in high school to get my pictures taken and how cool and important it made me feel. I hope I bring that same joy and excitement to the students I work with. It’s a coming of age moment and I love being able to capture it and sometimes even give them a little unsolicited life pointers in between poses. Pay for the pictures but the life advice is completely free. 😀

I definitely think my low session costs set me apart. It’s important that my clients know they can receive quality images at an affordable price. Photography can get expensive, so I make it a point to be able to serve all budgets. I want everyone I come in contact with to feel special and to be able to have memories to treasure for a lifetime.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My faith and belief in God is very important to me. It is what has gotten me through all of the hardships I’ve endured. Next to God is my family. My son is my entire world and I live every day trying to be the best mom for him. I’m a big believer in love and kindness. I’m by no means perfect, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve also been given second and third chances and I’ve been supported and loved when I might not have deserved it. So I want to live a life that leads in love and kindness and be able to give back all that’s been given to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lockedgardenphotography.com
• Instagram: @lockedgardenphotos
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/lockedgardenphotos