Meet Jessica Turich, mum of three and the woman behind the lens of Jessica Turich Photography. We spoke with Jess about her involvement in the campdrafting community and how it was a pivotal launch point for her successful photography business.
Growing up in central Queensland, Jess was always riding as a means of mustering as a child on her family property. She had a strong interest in campdrafting but did not delve into the sport until her late teens. Taking a 12-month gap year after finishing school, Jess worked with Ian Francis, Tony Mortimer and Huon Smith where her love for training young horses and campdrafting was ignited.
(Jess winning the Balonne Novice Horse Series riding Missy)
She finished her Accounting degree and became a qualified CPA while still campdrafting as much as time would allow with her busy timetable. During this time, it was campdrafting which led her to find her second love, photography. She was approached by several rural publications (the Queensland Country Life, Australian Horseman Magazine and the Australian Campdrafting Magazine) to document with an old film camera, the campdrafts and challenges in which she was competing. After several years of doing this, along with capturing rural life and animals at home, she was approached by several couples to photograph their weddings. Having no official training, but an incredible eye for photography and a work ethic most would admire, Jess took the plunge and has never looked back. She now is one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the country, capturing around 45 weddings a year.
She and her husband Peter now live on a cattle property just outside Theodore in Central Queensland with their three little girls, Isabelle, Adelaide and Audrey. It is no mean feat juggling all of these facets in her life however when asked how she does it, she replied “I don’t get to sleep much as I’m editing until midnight most nights, however I am very lucky to be home all week and then Pete holds the forte of a weekend when I duck off to capture a wedding (or two). There is often a lot of late night solo road trips however I love what I do and feel a sense of calm and fulfilment when I arrive at a wedding.”
(What life looks like now - photo by Tessa Cox)
Whilst campdrafting may have taken a back seat for a little while, Pete and Jess are still heavily involved in the horse industry. Their horses are ridden as part of their daily lives on the cattle property and are highly sought after at some of the biggest horse sales in the country. They have focused on breeding quality and still get to the odd campdraft when weddings permit.
Jess’s story is a wonderful example of not only how the rural industry and campdrafting community has helped shape her career, but how even after a change of focus, the love Jess has for campdrafting will always have a presence.
To see more of Jessica’s beautiful work, visit www.jessicaturich.com