About - Jessica Zais Photography

Jessica Zais

Kelowna Photographer

There is vulnerability in showing a photographer you’ve just met (Hi, that’s me!) your love for the people in your life and the close connection between you. Getting to witness that always feels really sacred to me and makes me want to foster and help unfurl it further.

I do this in subtle ways that feel sincere to me and are geared to make people relax and feel comfortable: like cracking dorky jokes (it comes naturally to me ;P) and letting my own playful side show. However, at its core, photography fulfills a deep purpose in me to show people, “See! See all this beautiful love in your life? You’re loved too!”

The people in my life are the dearest thing to me, and documenting my time with them has always felt so meaningful. When I was young, I never dreamed I would get to do this for others!

Over 15 years later and I’m still immensely grateful to get to do this for a living!

Describing my photography style in a few words: Genuine, romantic, and playful

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Random Facts About Me:

1) I love to travel. Italy, Costa Rica, Guatemala and New Zealand are a few of my favourite places, so far.
2) I’m obsessed with looking at the weather radar which has become a secret weapon for shoots.
3) I like cheesy Dad jokes and puns.
4) I think my family is the coolest.
5) Witty tip jar slogans always make me laugh out loud. For example: “Every time you don’t tip, a child gets a mullet.”
6) I’m a total bookworm (Fantasy is my fave!).
7) In the photo of me above with the yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers (the official flower of Kelowna!), I’m actually straddling a huge bushel of them on the ground as I didn’t want to pick them. It’s always a huge highlight for me when they bloom in the spring.
8) I bought my first camera with babysitting money when I was 11 (also how did so many people let me babysit when I was 11? Haha).
9) I spent many of my high school lunch hours in the darkroom, developing film and listening to indie music and feminist rock.
10) On my travel bucket list:
• South America, Greek Islands & Africa.
• Traveling to P.E.I. with my sister to visit all the outdoor places that Anne of Green Gables was filmed. Fun fact: I once did an Anne of Green Gables styled wedding shoot that went viral.

As a wedding and lifestyle photographer based in Kelowna, BC my photography work takes me all over the Okanagan and BC for weddings, family photos and lifestyle branding photography. I have also photographed several destination weddings in 5 countries.

I am an LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Photographer – everyone is welcome in my business and I love to celebrate love in all its expressions!

My Signature Style

Natural Light

I’m all about capturing the light and true colours of the environment you’re in whether it’s soft overcast light or buttery golden hour light.

Beautiful Scenery

Kelowna and the Okanagan are chalk-full of epic backdrops, whether you’re wanting a lakeside spot, views off a mountain top or a lush orchard or winery.

Candid Imagery

Coaxing out genuine smiles and emotion through action prompts and directions is my jam!

I am jumping at the chance to hire her again. Thanks, Jessica!

I started my marketing consulting business this year and hired Jessica to take photos for my website. I think I speak for most when I say being in front of a camera isn’t my comfort zone.

Not only did Jessica put me at ease throughout the shoot, she delivered stunning results! I had an idea in my mind of what I was looking for and without even articulating it, it was as though she entered my mind and captured my vision. I am jumping at the chance to hire her again. Thanks, Jessica!

-Miriam

Jess Is Your Girl!

My husband (still weird to say) and I eloped in New Orleans after being together 10 years. Neither of us are comfortable in front of a camera, but we wanted to document this special moment! After the nuptials we went with Jessica over to City Park where we lucked out on a beautiful day. She captured such stunning photos! Despite knowing how skilled and professional of a photographer she is, I’m pretty self-critical and was worried I wouldn’t feel comfortable with any photos. But when she sent me the gallery I had a hard time ruling any of them out! She has a unique way of making you feel good in front of the camera. If you’re looking for a talented photographer for your wedding, engagement, elopement, boudoir, family photos, branding photos, commercial photos, or anything else–Jess is your girl!

–Xio + Lane

Jessica Made the Whole experience so comfortable

Jessica was one of the best parts of our wedding. As a lesbian couple, it was essential for us to feel we could be our authentic selves with the photographer. Not only were we able to be ourselves, Jessica made the whole experience so comfortable she was able to capture our laughter, goofiness and cheesiness in a way that didn’t feel cheesy at all!

–Tara + Kylie

Her Photos have always exceded my expectations!

Jess is a wonderful and professional photographer! She has captured some really beautiful moments of my family over the years, and I can’t recommend her enough. She is a delightful person, and a natural at giving direction to awkward people, and to families with young children who are not so easy to photograph!! Her photos have always exceeded my expectations!

–Dylan + Liz

She lived up to all of our expectations & more!

We were so happy that Jess was able to shoot our wedding this past October. She was super easy to work with, very patient and helpful when trying to organize our multiple friends and family into different poses and shots, and our photos are so beautiful! We have had nothing but raving reviews from everyone who has seen them. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to Jess to be our photographer and she lived up to all of our expectations and more! Thanks Jess!

–Kaylan + Claire

The photos are absolutely perfect!

We had Jessica as our photographer at our wedding last month and the photos are absolutely perfect. This is the second time we have used her and even though my husband and I are not camera naturals, the shots that she captured made us look so good. The family portraits were amazing and she made everyone feel super comfortable. Her years of experience really makes a big difference as she knows how to keep the flow going and let you enjoy your day.

–Alicia + Jeff

I treasure all of the photos she has taken

I met Jessica Zais when looking to have some engagement photos taken in 2009. I had been following her blog for a few months and loved how she brought out genuine smiles from her clients. Her style is timeless, and I love how she used light and colour in her shots. After speaking with her over the phone, I knew that she was perfect. Since then, not only has Jessica captured our engagement, but also our wedding and 5 years of family shoots as our family has grown. I’m so happy to have met her through her incredible talent. Her smiley bubbly personality makes everyone who gets in front of her camera feel immediately at ease. I treasure all of the photos she has taken, and look forward to booking her for years to come

– Carley & Graham

I’d also gained a new friend!

We knew when we saw Jess’s previous work that she was absolutely the photographer for us. Then, when we conversed back and forth and finally got to meet her for our engagement shoot, it was even more clear. Being in front of a camera for things like engagement photos and wedding portraits is intimidating, but Jess has this bubbly, easy going personality that makes you feel instantly comfortable. By the end of our wedding, I felt like I’d not only worked with an incredible photographer, but that I’d also gained a new friend! I wish I could get married again just to have this incredibly talented lady capture the memories!

– Lanette & Brody

Your ability to capture true emotion on film is astonishing

Mike and I are in love with the shots from the wedding day and the day after shoot!!! Your ability to capture true emotion on film is astonishing, and I feel like I am re-living the day every time I go through the film! You are so wonderful to work with and I really look forward to many many more shoots to come. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to your art.

– Christine and Mike

We absolutely loved working with Jessica

We absolutely loved working with Jessica for our engagement and wedding photos!! She is such a talented photographer and was professional in all of our interactions. Jessica put us at ease and made us laugh throughout our wedding day – all while providing helpful instruction – which resulted in an amazing collection of pictures that completely captured the happiness and excitement of our day. We cannot recommend Jessica enough – she’s an amazing photographer and a lovely person!

– Pamela & Neil

Having Jess as our photographer was a truly wonderful experience.

Having Jess as our photographer was a truly wonderful experience. We don’t live in Kelowna so we had to interview her by Skype, but right away we could tell she was very personable and friendly, and would provide us with the experience we wanted for our big day. We bonded right away after our engagement photo session with Jess and she made it a lot more fun than we thought it would be. On the actual wedding day, it felt like we had another friend at our wedding instead of just a stranger we hired to take our photos. We received our wedding photos in a very timely manner after the wedding and were very happy with the quality and artistic touch that went into her photography. We would definitely recommend her for any couple looking for a wedding photographer (or any other types of photo shoots). She’s excellent at balancing the professional side of photography while also providing a very personal experience.

– Jaclyn and Joel

Jessica’s work is exceptional!

Jessica’s work is exceptional! Not only is she professional but she’s also down to earth and really fun to work with. We will cherish our wedding photos forever. I’d highly recommend her!

– Kristen & Devin

She was an absolute dream to work with.

I cannot tell you how excited we were to get to work with Jessica. She was an absolute dream to work with. She is personable, creative, enthusiastic. We loved working with her and will definitely be going back to her for any family photos that we will want in the coming years!

– Tanis & Ryan

You are a perfect peach and a gem to work with.

Jessica, it was an honour and super fun to be photographed by you. You are a perfect peach and a gem to work with. It is impossible not to fall in love with you. You’re The BOMB!! Thanks again for the amazing photos.

– Melissa and Rhys

She was so easy to work with.

We got married May 2016 in Kelowna and are very happy that we chose Jessica to be our photographer. Her bubbly yet laid back demeanour immediately put us at ease and the photos from both our engagement shoot and wedding turned out beautifully. She was also very accommodating of our schedule and our desire to spend as much time with our guests as possible, all without compromising the number or quality of photos. She was so easy to work with, incredibly responsive to our emails and got the finished photos to us almost before we were back from our honeymoon!

– Janel & Donovan

Simply put, Jessica completed the best day of our lives!

After Garrett and I got engaged, and the planning began, my first thought wasn’t the dress or the venue, it was the photos. Perhaps I’m not the typical bride, but the most important part of the wedding to me, is the captured memories. Even though our wedding package we booked in Costa Rica included a photographer, I talked my (now) husband into bringing Jessica with us instead. Who knows what kind of photos you’d get from someone in a foreign country! She was definitely the best money we spent on our entire wedding! Jessica just seems to have an innate quality about her. She knows how to bring out the best in people -no matter how grouchy, irritated, hot or un-photogenic they may be. When she’s around, you can’t help but smile. Her upbeat and giggly demeanour made everyone feel at ease, not an easy task since it was 38 C the afternoon of our wedding! The response we have got from our photos has been overwhelming!

I can’t tell you how many of our guests commented on how wonderful and professional she was. Many of them have said they plan on using her for their next events. My husband, (like a lot of guys) wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as I was, about getting our pictures taken. I think he thought of it as a necessary evil… but I can honestly say, that even he had a good time while we were being photographed! I think that if you have a destination wedding, you owe it to yourself to have a great photographer. You will not often go back to the same location, and every time you look at your photos, you will re-live the feeling of your wedding day. I would absolutely recommend Jessica for any wedding, whether at an exotic location, or in your own back yard. Simply put, Jessica completed the best day of our lives!

– Amanda & Garrett Hidber

I cannot say enough positive things about working with Jessica.

I cannot say enough positive things about working with Jessica. She is super friendly, and honestly a bit of a dork which I LOVE (she’s totally relatable). She was very professional and helpful leading up to, during, and after the wedding. She always got back to us promptly with any questions we had, and even had our pictures online before we’d come back from our honeymoon. Having great photographs was really important to us, and we could not be happier. All the pictures she sent us were beautiful; what you see on her blog is what you get. Jess, if you’re reading this – THANK YOU!

– Janine and Dave