Smile Peace Love Photography

I take great pride and joy in going above & beyond for my clients. Customer service is a huge priority to me. I believe the artistry of my work AND the customer service I deliver are what set me apart from other photographers. My clients always turn into loyal friends who refer their friends to me and come back again and again.

My mother is my inspiration. She guides me everyday and pushes me to be the best person I can be. In 1987 my mother began the fight of her life. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor that could not be removed. She struggled through years of Chemotherapy and radiation treatments and with the love and help of my father she was an amazing mother. She was always there to lift your spirits and to offer her "words of wisdom". My mother never wanted to talk about death or her future, she lived every day as if it were her last. In 2005, after 18 long and wonderful years my mother lost her battle. She did not lose her life, she lost the battle. Her life continues in everyone that loves her and this is where the phrase "Smile Peace Love" comes in.

As my father, brother & I were in the funeral home, trying desperately to decide on the arrangements and wondering what mom would have wanted, we got a call. We were literally minutes from signing the paperwork when my Aunt called and said she found a journal of my mother's. She brought the journal to us at the funeral home and there in the pages of her memories were instructions for her funeral service. She kept it simple and graceful and her only real request was that 3 simple words be put on her headstone...

Smile Peace Love

Since my mother's passing, this phrase has graced my life in so many ways. All of her family uses it as a goodbye & hello. It is hung in homes on walls, stenciled on furniture, painted on murals, it is repeated daily by someone who loved her dearly. The three words she cherished the most. And again, my guardian angel and my dear mother has inspired me to follow my dreams. This is where Smile Peace Love Photography comes into play. Her words, and her grandson, that she never had the chance to meet, have inspired me to move forward in my life. With her passion for life prominent in my memory, I strive to push myself and follow my dreams. I am an independent, strong-willed, passionate, loud mouth, veteran, artist & mother.

Because my business is named with my mother's favorite words, and because friends and family were very important to her, I consider all of my clients to be friends & family. You become a part of my life and because of you, I grow as a person. No matter how small our interaction, I welcome you to my life, my art & my family.

WELCOME to Smile Peace Love!

For those of you that were hoping to read my credentials and were suprised to read this story... here you go. I am a Navy veteran. I served 4 years as an avionics technician. After the military, I studied television production and photography. I obtained my A.S. in Television Production from Tompkins-Cortland Community College in Dryden NY. From there I went on to Ithaca College's, Roy H. Park School of Communications where I studied Cinema and Photography. I graduated with my B.S. in Cinema and Photography with a minor in Women's Studies. I focused on documentary work while in school. Throughout my college time, I was employed at various television stations, worked on short film projects and documentary film projects. I have shown my films in art shows and film festivals. I have had my fine art photography shown in many art shows and published in several magazines and literary & arts journals.

I am the mother to an amazing little boy and I surround myself with phenomenal, creative, loving souls.

I hope to get together and meet with you soon, so I can share my art with you.

-Jill