About Jessie Mazur’s
About Jessie Mazur
Jessie Mazur’s Story
Jessie grew up in the once small ski town of Whitefish, Montana. From a young age she learned to navigate the forests and mountains of Northwest Montana. Her curiosity for nature and love of dramatic season changes taught her how to read the ever-changing light that moves through the Flathead Valley long before she took an interest in photography.
After graduating from Whitefish High School in 2011, Jessie studied journalism at the University of Montana. In her first year of college she developed a passion for photojournalism and film photography. She was fascinated by the mechanics behind the camera and the endless artistic opportunity she could see through her lens.
Jessie was quickly recognized as a top student, earning her a position as a cops and courts reporter for the award-winning student newspaper the Montana Kaimin. She became adept at working with a diverse range of professions and personalities from all walks of life. Earning the trust of police officers, billionaires and even inmates in order to unravel the intricacies of complex social and political issues. Today she leans on her journalistic experience to help her clients find their story and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
In the early years of her career, Jessie took a shotgun approach to her photography education. She worked as a surfing photographer on the north shore of Oahu during the Triple Crown and Eddie Aiku surf competitions, covering several red carpet events with celebrity athletes and musicians.
She endured Montana’s unpredictable weather as a white water rafting photographer on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. In India, she documented government corruption stretching from a tiny village on a Tiger Reserve to a major urban hub. She even spent a year with a beer magazine, traveling to every corner of the state capturing whimsical product images for local microbreweries.
In 2015 Jessie opened Jessie Mazur Photography & Design in her hometown of Whitefish where she could be close to the mountains, later rebranding as Picture Montana. Jessie’s wide range of experiences has allowed her to adapt with the ever changing economy and challenges brought on by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Today, Picture Montana focuses mainly on branding and marketing photography for Montana businesses bringing two decades of local knowledge to every photoshoot. With a full service studio, Jessie has become one the Flathead Valley’s top headshot photographers. Her clients like her for her professionalism and personability, making photoshoots fun and stress-free. She can work in any environment, calm or chaotic, light or dark with confidence.
Jessie still occasionally flexes her journalistic muscle by contributing investigative pieces, op eds and poetry to magazines. But most of her free time is spent with her daughter, often snowboarding, hiking or on road trips.
CLIENTS TESTIMONIAL
— Artisan Roofing
Whitefish, MT
— Kristi Root
Whitefish, MT
— Jessica Lasa
Whitefish, MT
— Sacred Waters Brewing
Whitefish, MT
— Meghan Andersen
Whitefish, MT
— Amy Perkins
Whitefish, MT
The Studio
Conveniently located in Happy Valley between Whitefish and Kalispell.
- 10 foot backdrops large enough for entire families or teams
- dozens of lights and modifiers for different looks (no two people are the same) plus natural light options
- comfortable seating area for consultation or more casual poses
- complimentary coffee, tea and water
- easy to locate (avoid downtown traffic)”
Photography
More than just photography
Jessie Mazur is an accomplished writer and journalist who contributes regularly to local and international publications. Having attended one of the top journalism colleges in the country at the University of Montana, Jessie explores uncomfortable social issues through immersive reporting and long format investigative features. Her personal essays and poems explore abstract universal concepts with focus on hyper-local nuances of life in the Flathead Valley.
Grayscale
Six Flathead Valley seniors share their wisdom on how getting old is not all it’s cracked up to be… it’s so much more.
The Creek
A poem about a 20-year relationship with a place
"Soul Sprinkles"
Sometimes the writing on the wall finds its way into your heart.
The Modern Faces of Homelessness
The circumstances surrounding the Flathead Valley’s impoverished population are complex, and the social safety net is riddled with gaps. But the individuals we characterize as homeless are human to the core.
Healing with Heat
The Kalispell chapter of a nonprofit veterans’ organization, founded by a U.S. Marine and licensed clinical social worker, helps combat veterans fight PTSD through Native American sweat lodge retreats
The Pickers
Inside the reclusive realm of Montana’s commercial huckleberry harvest
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