Support Jessica Claire Norwood's Boys

On April 3, 2020, Jessica went home to be with God after a long and hard-fought battle with malignant PEComa - a very rare and aggressive form of sarcoma cancer.

Since being diagnosed in 2016, over the course of 8 surgeries and dozens of rounds of chemo, Jessica privately waged a grueling battle with this disease - a battle she kept up far longer than her medical team initially thought possible. (They clearly didn't know who they were dealing with.) Jessica's tenacity and fighting spirit kept her photographing weddings through March of this year. True to her nature, she never wanted her illness to be a burden on anyone, and her top priority was being there for her clients and her team until the moment she was no longer physically capable of staying on her feet. But in recent weeks the inevitable course of the disease took its toll, and as her condition rapidly declined, her ability to run her business and photograph her beloved clients' weddings came to an end. 

This campaign is a chance for everyone in our community - her friends, fellow photographers, and dear clients - to pull together and help support the family Jessica loved so fiercely: her husband Jeff and their wonderful young boys, Locke (8) and Archer (7). Recent events have hit the Norwoods in multiple ways, as Jeff's restaurant business has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the most immediate help is needed in covering expenses: medical bills for Jessica's recent procedures and palliative care, especially pressing given the loss of her income, as well as securing a future for Locke and Archer's education, the thing she was most committed to throughout her battle with this disease.

This would also be a great time to take a moment to remember your favorite time with Jessica, how she left an impression on you, and to share your favorite pictures or memories of time together, so we can shower her boys with warmth and love in the days to come. Let's show them the impact she has had on our community throughout her life, by sharing this campaign, giving whatever we can, and helping to take care of her beautiful family in the face of unthinkable hardship.

What Jessica meant to us:

There isn’t a wedding photographer in the world who hasn’t heard of or been influenced by Jessica Claire. In the early 2000’s she rose in popularity by leveraging a new internet invention: the photography blog. As one of the first women to revolutionize the male-dominated field, she shared her voice and her art, gaining an international audience that loved her perspective. With her talent and savvy, she helped reshape and elevate a wedding photography market that was heavily stigmatized by the industry at large. Named one of the top wedding photographers in the world, Jessica was able to accomplish what few others have: a two-decade-long career in which she succeeded in evolving, maintaining relevance, and attracting the most discerning clientele.

For her friends, Jessica owned every room with tenacity, generosity, and an unforgettable laugh. She never stopped raising the bar and paving the way for others to follow, no matter how big the challenge. For her clients, Jessica was a steady and reassuring presence, there to capture the most treasured moments of the biggest days of their lives. Beloved most recently by the vibrant Persian Jewish community in Los Angeles, she leaves a legacy of thousands of priceless memories, captured for her couples’ children and grandchildren to cherish.

But bigger than all of her accomplishments is the love that she shared with her husband Jeff and their two precious sons, who now face the unthinkable challenge of a future without her. She has meant so much to so many people, but her biggest fans have been the three boys waiting for her at home after every shoot. Those closest to her have had the privilege of seeing how much joy Jeff, Locke, and Archer brought into her life, and the three of them will need to lean on each other - and on all of us - in the days and years to come. 

Please share or donate whatever you’re able to, big or small, to help in their time of need. Together we can help lighten the load of countless medical bills and expenses faced by Jeff and their two young boys, who will be missing their wife and mom.