Slaw Dog
Since our relaunch, we’ve been able to work with a bunch of talented people from around the industry, one of those being Jessica Hare. Jessica has been covering the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship for us and she is killing it. We’ll let her explain how she got to this point.
“Hey man! Sick shots, bro! Thanks, dude”
Those are the messages and comments you’ll see on my Instagram (@j_reedphotos) and the typical assumption is that most motocross photographers are men. I laugh anytime I get messages like that because most people don’t realize that I am in fact not your “bro”. Social media is funny that way, you can share your whole life on a platform but I have always preferred to stay behind the scenes.
My name is Jessica, but you can call me Jess! I’ve been shooting MX photos for around eight years now. I grew up going to the local tracks in Iowa watching my brother and dad race, and I even raced the 50 JR class myself! I started shooting photos at our local track in 2012 and quickly realized how much I loved it. I took pictures every weekend for several years after that, and in 2015 went to the Spring Creek National to shoot from behind the fence. I was hooked and haven’t missed a Millville since then.
Fast forward four years, I got a little more serious about photography and road tripped with my husband Tyler to High Point, RedBud, Ironman, and Spring Creek and shot from behind the fence. I quickly realized just how expensive traveling to the races is and found a greater appreciation for the privateers who travel all over the country to race. Everything came full circle when I got my first Pro National media credential in 2020 for Spring Creek and was able to shoot on the other side of the fence after five years of trying to prove myself from behind the fence. This led to getting another opportunity to shoot at Thunder Valley in 2020! After shooting those two races I knew that I had to do whatever I could to get back out there. I started saving money from shooting photos at my local tracks in order to fund my way to all of the nationals in 2021. Whether I had a media credential or not I was planning to road trip and shoot as many Pro Nationals as I could this summer while continuing my day job as a competitive gymnastics coach and gym owner in my home town.
So here I am in 2021 with a credential for all 12 rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Vurbmoto has given me an amazing opportunity, I’m living out a part of my dream and am able to share my passion through my photos with all of you!
This sport is incredible and I love being able to capture all of YOUR memories as riders and families, who share the same passion that my family has for many years. It’s been a long journey this far and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
-Jess
@j_reedphotos
Sooo sick! Such a grinder. Just more proof that if you want it bad enough, you’ll get there!