People / Meet the expert
Meet the expert: Jess Siggers
“I love the colours against the blue sky. I’ve taken this exact shot more times than I can count, but every time I walk past I just can’t resist taking another,” says Jess Siggers – full-time photographer, mum to a six-year-old daughter and veritable Instagram sensation.
Momentary reveries like this, eyes cast upward with her camera or phone in hand, are repeated several times as we stop in front of beautiful rows of townhouses, colourful camper vans and stunning skylines around north Bristol.
Strolling through the city picking out its spots of beauty and vibrancy is what Jess does best, and as soon as we set off on our walk through Kingsdown and Montpelier, I begin to get a sense of how she captures the perfectly-composed shots she’s so well-known for.
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Building up a following of more than 36,000 on Instagram in just two short years, it’s pretty clear that Jess’ photography resonates with many both in Bristol and beyond.
Giving up her office job after the birth of her daughter in lieu of something more creative, a wave of positive feedback on photos the Cliftonwood resident uploaded to her Facebook page gave Jess the courage to try and make a living out of a hobby that came naturally to her.
Standing next to Jess as she points and shoots, she makes getting one of her signature shots of a brightly-painted house or pretty vintage car look simple enough. She’s not the least bit fussy or ceremonious – a quick snap and it’s done – yet the finished product always has a magic about it that is difficult to pinpoint.
“I just take pictures of what I like,” says Jess. “I started out just wanting to show people how colourful Bristol really is.
“I’m not surprised when people complain about the city or are negative about it when they come to visit, because its beauty is often quite hidden. No one seems to walk anywhere and take the time to see the bits beyond the centre – it really is one of my bugbears.”
With no professional training, Jess has become one of the city’s most sought-after photographers entirely through talent and hard work. Alongside co-running Bristol’s official Instagram community IGersBristol, Jess has her own photography business that keeps her busy day-to-day, whether it be taking commissioned snaps for big names like At-Bristol, or working on her own greeting card and postcard collections.
She puts her success largely down to Instagram: “It’s such a great platform for photography, whether you’re serious about it or just doing it for fun. I’ve made some really good friends through Instagram because it’s such a visual way to get to know someone’s interests. It’s a really friendly community too.”
When questioned about her @porthjess handle, she visibly cringes and rolls her eyes. “To be honest I wanted to change it but by the time I was getting round to it, it was too late, people knew me as porthjess. It was a spur of the moment thing when I first joined. I used to spend a lot of time in Cornwall as a child and I still do – Porth is a harbour in Cornwall – and my friend just suggested it for the time being.”
She’s quick to shatter any illusions about the photo-sharing app too, laughing about the lengths that people will go to to get the perfect shot.
“There’s one guy who takes these incredible photos of Bristol from above, but he has to climb up to abandoned rooftops and pretty much risk his life. A few people I know have started doing this thing where you dangle your feet off of a massive chimney and take a shot of the horizon too – little did they know they use that chimney to burn medical waste most days.”
Not so into the daredevil-style photography herself, Jess still manages to get incredible shots of everything from panoramic views to the tiniest details. If you’re looking to follow in her colourful footsteps, here are her top tips for making it big on Instagram:
1. “Cultivate your brand. Your top nine photos are the first thing anyone sees when they look at your page so that should always be representative of what you’re about.
2. “Choose three things you love and focus on photographing them. To begin with, mine were colours, cars and doors. One you begin to build up a following and become known for those themes, you can then throw other bits and pieces into the mix.
3. “You get what you give, so always try to reply to comments. Even if I have 200 comments under a photo I try to reply to as many as I can – those people took the time so why shouldn’t I?
For more information, visit www.porthjess.com or follow Jess on Instagram at @porthjess.
Read more: Instagram showcase: January
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