OUR STORY

From the founders of 505 Photography,

For more than fifteen years, we’ve worked side by side serving families throughout Durham and the surrounding communities. What began as two photographers learning how to blend technical skill with genuine respect for the people in front of our cameras slowly grew into a partnership that felt natural, steady, and deeply meaningful. Over time, we discovered a rhythm that shaped not only how we work, but why we work. Steve brings a thoughtful, artistic eye to every session, and Jen creates an experience that feels welcoming, guided, and personal from the very first conversation to the final delivery.

Our journey eventually led us to a realization: we wanted to offer something more intentional. In 2024, we created 505 Photography as a place where families feel seen, understood, and cared for. A studio rooted in connection where the process is just as meaningful as the final artwork.

When you walk into our studio, we take time to learn about you. The relationships, personalities, and small details that make your family uniquely yours. That understanding becomes the foundation of everything we create. It allows us to craft portraits that feel honest, warm, and deeply rooted in who you are.

Steve leads the creative work with a focus on light, composition, and the quiet moments that reveal genuine emotion. Jen shapes the experience with thoughtful design, clear communication, and a commitment to making every family feel supported from start to finish. Together, we guide you through a simple, enjoyable process that results in artwork created to last.

Our portraits are crafted with care, printed with intention, and designed to become part of your home for years to come. And we want you to know this: we are grateful for every family who chooses to trust us with their story. It is an honor we never take lightly.

We’re excited for the chance to meet you, learn about your world, and create something meaningful together.

Warmly,

Steve & Jen

UNIQUELY CRAFTED PORTRAITS IN DURHAM, NC

OUR STORY

From the founders of 505 Photography,

Dear Friend,

We're Steve and Jen, the founders of 505 Photography — and there is something we have noticed, in the fifteen-plus years we have spent serving families here in Durham and the surrounding communities. Families come to us at different moments — some are celebrating a new baby, others are marking the year before a child leaves for college, and some simply arrive because they sense, quietly and urgently, that time is moving faster than they expected.

They are right. It is.

We created 505 Photography because we believe, deeply and without reservation, that the people we love deserve more than a blurry smartphone snapshot buried somewhere on page forty-seven of a camera roll. They deserve to be seen — truly seen — in an image made with intention, with care, and with the kind of artistry that transforms a moment into something that endures.

Steve brings a thoughtful, artistic eye to every session — an intuitive sense of light, composition, and the quiet, in-between moments that reveal a family's truest character. Jen shapes the entire experience with intentional design, clear communication, and a genuine gift for making families feel comfortable and cared for — from the very first conversation through to the reveal appointment. Together, we built 505 Photography to offer something more intentional: a studio where the process feels just as meaningful as the final artwork.

A fine art portrait is not merely a photograph. It is a declaration. It says: this family matters. This moment matters. These people are worth remembering beautifully. When that portrait hangs on your wall, it does not simply decorate a room. It anchors your home. It tells your children — every single day, without a single word — that they belong to something bigger than themselves.

We do not take that responsibility lightly. When a family trusts us with their story, we are humbled by it. We bring every ounce of skill, artistry, and care we have to make sure the images we create together are worthy of the wall space they will occupy for the next generation — and the one after that. Time is the one thing we cannot buy back. But we can preserve what we have of it — in beauty, in print, and in the heirlooms we leave behind.

With gratitude,

Steve & Jen · 505 Photography

For more than fifteen years, we’ve worked side by side serving families throughout Durham and the surrounding communities. What began as two photographers learning how to blend technical skill with genuine respect for the people in front of our cameras slowly grew into a partnership that felt natural, steady, and deeply meaningful. Over time, we discovered a rhythm that shaped not only how we work, but why we work. Steve brings a thoughtful, artistic eye to every session, and Jen creates an experience that feels welcoming, guided, and personal from the very first conversation to the final delivery.

Our journey eventually led us to a realization: we wanted to offer something more intentional. In 2024, we created 505 Photography as a place where families feel seen, understood, and cared for. A studio rooted in connection where the process is just as meaningful as the final artwork.

When you walk into our studio, we take time to learn about you. The relationships, personalities, and small details that make your family uniquely yours. That understanding becomes the foundation of everything we create. It allows us to craft portraits that feel honest, warm, and deeply rooted in who you are.

Steve leads the creative work with a focus on light, composition, and the quiet moments that reveal genuine emotion. Jen shapes the experience with thoughtful design, clear communication, and a commitment to making every family feel supported from start to finish. Together, we guide you through a simple, enjoyable process that results in artwork created to last.

Our portraits are crafted with care, printed with intention, and designed to become part of your home for years to come. And we want you to know this: we are grateful for every family who chooses to trust us with their story. It is an honor we never take lightly.

We’re excited for the chance to meet you, learn about your world, and create something meaningful together.

Warmly,

Steve & Jen

About Steve...

I have a Bachelor's degree in psychology and spent 17 years working with individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. My professional photography career began with The Picture People in 2008, where I was a studio manager before co-founding J and S Photography, Inc. with Jen.

As a Certified Professional Photographer, Master of Photography, Photographic Craftsman through the Professional Photographers of America and member of several professional organizations, I'm dedicated to continuing education and improving my craft. I couldn't be happier turning my passion into a livelihood, making each moment memorable for my clients.

About Jen...

I am often the first person you meet at 505 Photography, and my role is to guide you through every step of the portrait experience. From our first conversation, I help you understand the story you want your portraits to tell and how that story can be expressed through the artwork you choose.

Before 505 Photography, I worked as a photographer, a sales consultant, and a studio manager, gaining a deep understanding of how meaningful portraits are created, and how they become heirlooms.

Today, I use that experience to make the process feel effortless, offering the knowledge and support you need for a beautiful session. I walk with you from the first conversation to the final artwork, helping you select the portraits that tell your story through wall art, portrait boxes, or story albums.

Every family arrives with a vision, even if they do not know it yet. My job is to bring that vision to light and guide you toward pieces that reflect your family with honesty and intention.

About Steve

I have a Bachelor's degree in psychology and spent 17 years working with individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. My professional photography career began with The Picture People in 2008, where I was a studio manager before co-founding J and S Photography, Inc. with Jen.

As a Certified Professional Photographer and member of several professional organizations, I'm dedicated to continuing education and improving my craft. I couldn't be happier turning my passion into a livelihood, making each moment memorable for my clients.

About Jen

My work has always centered around helping people feel confident, prepared, and excited about the artwork we create together. With more than twenty years in the photography field, I have learned how meaningful portraits become when clients feel guided and supported from the very begining.

I am often the first person you meet at 505 Photography, and my role is to guide you through every step of the portrait experience. From our first conversation, I help you understand the story you want your portraits to tell and how that story can be expressed through the artwork you choose.

Before 505 Photography, I worked as a photographer, a sales consultant, and a studio manager, gaining a deep understanding of how meaningful portraits are created, and how they become heirlooms. Today, I use that experience to make the process feel effortless, offering the knowledge and support you need for a beautiful session. I walk with you from the first conversation to the final artwork, helping you select the portraits that tell your story through wall art, portrait boxes, or story albums.

Every family arrives with a vision, even if they do not know it yet. My job is to bring that vision to light and guide you toward pieces that reflect your family with honesty and intention.