meet jess & donny
fine art youngstown wedding photographers
Hi, there! We’re Jess & Donny, a husband & wife photo team based in Youngstown, OH, specializing in fine art wedding & portrait photography. We absolutely love what we do for a living and take pride in offering a fun, professional, & creative experience, and high quality work. Ever since my late grandpa put a polaroid in my hand as a little girl, I've had a passion for photography. I decided to make a career out of it, studying photography in college. Donny and I both graduated from Youngstown State University (go Penguins!), where we began dating as sophomores. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography in 2016 and Jessica Kae Photography was officially born following graduation. Donny and I decided to make it a family business shortly after and we’ve captured so many beautiful moments since then!
Whether it’s the look on a groom’s face when he sees his bride for the very first time on their wedding day, a father overcome with emotion as he proudly walks his little girl down the aisle, or a mother’s admiration of her daughter’s beauty and grace as she buttons her dress, these are the memories that are timeless and need to be preserved for generations! As professional story tellers, we pride ourselves on capturing the in-between candid moments and making each wedding representative of our unique clients and their beautiful big days!
things we love:
01: family
family is kind of a given here, but we really can’t imagine this life without those closest to us. we are very family oriented and many of our closest friends are actually family members, while most of our friends have also essentially become a part of our immediate family circle, too! we enjoy holidays big & small together, travel, and just enjoy life with one another. life is so definite and we try to keep that in perspective and appreciate those around us. we definitely value relationships, both personal and professional, and we don’t see a huge difference between the two. while donny & i are very professional and meticulous in our work, we also enjoy getting to know our clients on a personal level and developing trust & friendship that will ensure the best possible results and experience!
02.traveling
seeing the world, exploring nature, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures & foods, and learning history is one of our favorite things to do. whether it’s for leisure or business, we absolutely love to travel! my personal adventures as well as our married adventures have included trips to italy, hawaii, iceland, the u.s. virgin islands, france, england, ireland, many u.s. states, & beyond! (and many more to come!)
03: past times
whether it’s cooking or baking; binging netflix; catching a game (football or baseball preferably); playing musical instruments like guitar, ukulele, or piano or even songwriting and producing, we really enjoy creativity. we appreciate a variety of musical genres—indie & classic rock being our favorites. our favorite bands are coldplay (jess) & the beatles (donny), teenage obsessions we haven’t been able to dodge. donny & i also enjoy few things more than nature. we love the seasons (aside from late winter in ohio where you never know what season you’ll get haha). we enjoy the beach & the sunshine, the falling leaves and (some of) the snow. we love being active. whether it’s taking a nice walk or jog, hiking, biking, visiting amusement parks & waterparks, and playing sports (including volleyball, disc golf, football, frisbee, & more), and enjoying fresh air.
“We are beyond grateful to be professional storytellers!”
but that’s enough about us!
If you or a loved one is looking to have a memorable life moment captured and are in need of photography services, we’d love to chat and learn a little bit about you! Whether it’s wedding, engagement, family, maternity, senior, or other photography services, we can help make your beautiful vision a gorgeous reality!