Have you ever had one of the moments when you look at your life, sit back, and think, "Younger me would be proud"?


Honestly, I'm not sure little Jess would be impressed with how my life turned out because she had visions of taking on Nashville and becoming the next Faith Hill, but I would like to think that teenage me would be proud.


I first picked up a camera as a high school freshman in a journalism class. I quickly fell in love with photography. I entered photography competitions throughout high school and won a blue ribbon at the Virginia State Fair. 


I started college at VCUArts with the hope of building my confidence to one day become a wedding photographer, but after a few years, life took me in a different direction. 

In 2018, I moved to Newport News to work for the newspaper. While working as a journalist, I met my now-husband on Tinder. He proposed in May 2020, and we started the long and difficult process of planning a wedding during the pandemic. 


We're a pair of beach bums who love to spend as much time as possible by the water. We became "fur parents" in the fall of 2020 to our beloved Australian Shepherd Ronan. 


Josh and I were married on a perfect June day at the Lesner Inn overlooking the Lynnhaven River. Our wedding day was everything I could have ever wanted. 


In 2022, I left my job at the newspaper and launched Jessica Albert Photography. I focused on family and maternity sessions while Josh and I tried to grow our family.


In the back of my mind, I was still itching to photograph weddings, but I thought a new business endeavor would be too much with a pregnancy and, eventually, a newborn. I was fortunate enough to start working as a second shooter for several incredible wedding photographers in Virginia. 


Unfortunately, my husband and I were having difficulty getting pregnant. We started infertility testing and quickly found a bleak diagnosis. We will never be able to get pregnant on our own. So far, we've had two failed IUI cycles, and we're hoping to pursue IVF later this year. 


As we wait and hope for baby Albert, we're working on several home improvement projects and spending lots of time spoiling Ronan. I'm also excited to continue growing Jessica Albert Photography by offering wedding photography as well as engagement, family, maternity, and in-home lifestyle newborn sessions.