Life is full of amazing stories and details that are waiting to be discovered.  From the small towns of the U.S. to the international towns and villages,  each day people live out their lives in happiness while others struggle just to stay alive.  Photography allows us to capture a millisecond of that story and allow others to feel the emotion without ever meeting them.  Jess Koehler has made this journey her passion and we absolutely love her attention to detail.  From the crisis in Haiti to the streets of Mexico, Jess documents the social and life struggles in hopes of bringing change and awareness.  Full of passion yet very simplistic, her images are like mini novels begging for a glance.  Her mission is to be a visual voice of cultures wanting to be heard, where stories need to be told and a humanity that must be shared.  That’s why we’re excited to share with you our One on One interview with the very talented,  Jess Koehler.  Get to know her and then be sure you visit her website and blog to learn more!
Name three things you can’t live without.
Chapstick
Ice cream
A camera, of course.
Bad day remedy?
Oh, ice cream!! (see above) It’s always in my freezer and I am the girl who eats right from the carton too.
Your creative playlist would include…
Right now, it’s The Civil Wars, The Black Keys, Arcade Fire, Brooke Fraser, Snow Patrol, and Adele.

When you hit a creative road block, how do you find your way around?
That’s a rough one. For me, it’s definitely hard getting around it sometimes. Being a creative is so vulnerable. I think I have two things that help me the most. First, I spend time in my office updating my large dry erase board and listing out where I am on things and what my goals are. It helps me look at it all as a whole, then evaluate what the priorities are.  I usually get fired up after that. The other thing is really just talking to my husband and/or trusted peers. Part of my development over the years is really just having to remind myself that I’m not alone in this and trusted community is imperative to my growth.
How would you describe your style?
Good question.  For me, the best of what I do is exposing a visual story that reflects humans within their natural environment.
I just love studying people and the spaces that they inhabit. My goals usually include conveying words like: authenticity, comfort, private spaces, heroic and hopeful.
I want the audience to be more curious about who the person is and what their story is. I don’t want to only share the trials and devastation, but actually embrace the spirit of the people and how resilient they can be.  I believe that if the audience can be captivated by the visual story, they are more likely to ask questions, become an advocate, create change, and be changed. Hence, the name of my company, Curiosity Saved the Human.

How do you decide what to photograph?
Well, I will always listen to the potential client to see what their needs are. Most of the time, its something we can collaborate on and make magic happen! Sometimes, a potential client is looking for something that doesn’t line up with what I can offer. If that happens, I will always try to refer them to fellow photographers that are better suited for their needs. For instance, I don’t shoot weddings, but I get asked to do weddings all the time.
In regards to humanitarian projects, I decide on the premise of my passions, curiosity, and the deep desire to give those involved an impacting platform for their voices to be heard through the photography.

What type of camera do you use?
Up until last year, I was still shooting my Hasselblad for any humanitarian work. When I decided to do my first humanitarian job digitally, we were flying to Haiti. I was nervous that I was going to have a hard time with the format transition. So, my crazy side came out and I packed both film and digital (Canon) systems… ya know, just in case. Honestly, I didn’t shoot a single frame on film. I was so excited to download in the hotel at night and post to my blog. I had never been able to do that before and was addicted to the instantaneous nature of it. The next month when we flew back to Haiti, the film stayed at home. (But it is still used.)

What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera?
I’m going to say my iPad. A few months ago, I had a studio shoot and my digital tech set me up with the iPad as a secondary wireless monitor. Cool, right?
This is such a great way to work! It kept my tech, client, and crew just off to the side so I had space to move freely. They were still able to see the shots from the tech’s screen. The iPad ‘monitor’ was set up to my side so I could quickly glance at a bigger image. One of the coolest things was that I just picked up the iPad, walked over to my talent and showed them what I was looking at. It allowed me to direct them while they were still in position and they didn’t get distracted as easily with a large monitor of themselves or a crew hovering over them. Genius.