The basics

Hello! First things first, my name is Elise Jimenez. I am married, a mom of four beautiful kids here on earth and three babies in heaven. My passions are my faith, photography and helping those who have been through miscarriage and baby loss. My life isn't perfect or an instagram aesthetic. It is chaos and fun and loud. This is the way I like it. I am clumsy and usually prefer comfortable clothing above the latest trends. Because I myself am not the most comfortable in front of the camera my goal is help you and your family be comfortable in front of the camera. Also my life comes with ample experience with children in front of the camera. Sessions with kids can feel chaotic but that's my life anyway so bring it on.

Why photography?

I have always felt like a creative person. Growing up I tried several different avenues like drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. Pretty much everything but photography. And I failed, horribly at every single one. I actually had an art teacher tell me that maybe art wasn't for me after taking her class three years in a row and I wasn't getting any better.

My mom was actually the first person to really point me in the direction of photography, probably without her realizing it. I found one of her old film photos from when she took a photography class in college. I loved it. She looked great so I asked her about it and she started telling me about the class. Later after I had lost my first baby, I realized how fleeting life is and how powerful photographs can be to loved ones who have lost someone.

As I started diving into it I realized that my vision of art could actually translate through the camera. I absolutely love looking at an image and seeing someones personality shine through. Thats what I love about looking at the past photos of my kids.

Why include miscarriage in your intro?

As a mom, my kids become a huge part of my life. They are my every day, buckets of love and chaos that I am in charge of leading and learning. They are my first priority, always. However, as I entered the realm of loss moms, I realized that just because my baby is not in my arms, that doesn't mean that I didn't have a kid. Since my babies are not here on earth with me, one of the ways I parent them is through speaking about them and creating ways that they are apart of my daily life just like they are always in my heart.

There shouldn't be a taboo about speaking about miscarriage, baby loss or infertility. Because I am a very personable photographer, more than likely my kids will come up in conversation and with that will come my kids in heaven. I am not one to tiptoe around the love I have for those babies and I welcome any conversation about them. I have had many a client who have experienced miscarriage or baby loss and once they find out that I have too, a connection is made. Not just for the sake of the photos but also so women and couples feel seen and heard in their loss.

Also, feeling the loss of my babies is what drives my photography style. I am someone who focuses on personality in photos. I love to see the candid moments that naturally happen in my sessions. Those are the best photos in my opinion because the focus is on the emotion and detail of the moment. Those are the things you want to remember when you look back 10 years from now.