Meet Grace Hefley | Freelance Photographer & Creator of To Jupiter Love Grace

We had the good fortune of connecting with Grace Hefley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business began with embracing my passion for photography. Once I moved to the Oregon Coast half way through my high school career in 2014, I immediately decided to pursue my new school’s yearbook and newspaper. After my first day at Newport High School, I was photographing a boys basketball game. During, I connected with a whole community of people that I had never met before, and yet it was so easy and natural. After that, photographing was my outlet for making friends and becoming a part of something bigger than myself. I quickly became the Photo Editor in both classes, and after graduation went on to work as the Media Arts Photographer at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. Once again, I found myself connecting with my community through photos. I realized that photographing people was my strong suit, and what made me the happiest. After that realization, starting my own photography business was a fairly obvious decision. I knew once I took the plunge and went full force into photography, that many doors would open and I would be able to connect with my community in a deeper way.

After LCC, I attended the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. I worked with Ethos Magazine and Flux Magazine as a photojournalist, and fell in love with in-depth storytelling. My experience at those publications really inspired me to go deeper with my subjects in my own business. That’s when I started to really set intentions with my photography clients, and tell their origin stories through the images that we created together. Everyone has a story to tell, a photographers job is to tell it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I started to take photos, I immediately recognized the different energies that my subjects exuded. There were always certain shoots that radiated an energy that I knew were my calling. Even when I was a young girl, I distinctly remember bringing my friends into nature and capturing them in their truest form. That hobby grew into a powerful way to connect with the community of women that surrounded me. The spaces that I created back then are the same ones I create now with my subjects, and are at the foundation of my brand. Using photography as a tool of empowerment, and a way to afford people the opportunity to feel embodied is what gets me out of bed in the morning.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First stop is brunch – I’m a slut for brunch. Anywhere with the best bloody mary’s and mimosas is on the top of my list. A good eggs Benedict never hurts either. Afterwards, we head to an alpine lake to go swimming – you have so many to choose from around these parts in Portland, so whichever we are feeling will do, either way we will picnic. After soaking up the sun, we head into the city for dinner at one of the gazillion amazing, authentic Thai restaurants that we have – my personal fav is Paadee. Once our bellies are full we are off to Good Foot for some dancing. And that’s just one day! Imagine what we do in a week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mother, Michelle, always said “you have an eye Gracie girl.” She was my biggest supporter and always believed that my passion would take me far. She passed in April, but the loss of her has only inspired me more to keep creating and photographing. I owe my life to her, and she is my driving force towards capturing my community in an authentic way.

Website: https://tojupiterlovegrace.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tojupiterlovegrace/