Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacque Tietjen.
Hi Jacque, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I am a photographer and mountain athlete based out of Sandy, UT.
My journey to where I am today has been an adventure full of both ups and downs but I feel great about the path I am currently on and am excited for what the future holds! My love for the outdoors stems from childhood. I have been skiing since I was a toddler and have been climbing high-altitude peaks for nearly my whole life. My first time above 12,000′ was in my parent’s baby carrier at 6 months old. My first 12,000′ peak on my power was at about 7 or 8 years old.
I summited my first Colorado 14er at 13 years old in memory of my baby sister who had recently passed, and ever since have had a very special connection to the high mountains. I grew up learning about mountaineering and reading stories of mountaineers and their journeys. This was the first time I thought about the possibility of climbing Mount Everest someday.
I have always enjoyed taking pictures since I was younger, and photography was my first major in college. As I was trying to figure out my style I tried a little bit of everything including portraits and weddings. I very quickly realized how much I preferred to take pictures outdoors. As I moved on to different career aspirations, I kept shooting landscape and adventure photos on the side. I later became a high school health and PE teacher and taught for 6 years while still taking photos in my free time.
In the last couple of years, I started to take my photography and mountain athletics more seriously. I visited Everest Base Camp and climbed Kala Patthar, an 18,500′ peak in the Himalayas. I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Rainier, Mount Whitney, and 15 unique Colorado 14ers. My camera would come with me on all my adventures and I would photograph those incredible moments that truly blew me away. I was offered my first sponsorship and started experimenting more with outdoor branding photography.
In 2022, my best friend passed away. She was like a sister to me. She was a lot like me and felt truly connected to the mountains. We shared that connection every summer at a camp in Colorado. I felt so lost and disconnected when she passed. As I was working through the grief, I slowly began to realize, it was time to just go for it in regards to my photography dreams. I knew I wouldn’t be teaching forever and I decided it was time to take my photography full time so I could spend more time in the mountains where my heart belongs.
I applied for my first fine art festivals and started taking on paying clients for outdoor brand work, action sports, and athlete photos. While I will miss my students, saying goodbye to teaching and going after what I wanted most is an incredible feeling! So what does the future hold? While the pandemic and life events had delayed my climbing goals, things are back on track and I am planning on returning to Nepal to climb Ama Dablam hopefully next year (22,349’/6812m) in preparation for Mount Everest.
Of course, my camera will be coming with me. I plan to be spending the winter taking photos of skiing and winter adventures and am taking on new outdoor branding clients as well. You can find me and my fine art at several art festivals next year. Dates will be posted on my website!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As I mentioned before, the road has had its ups and downs. I think the biggest obstacle has been getting out of my way. Sometimes I wonder what things would look like if I had just stuck with photography from the beginning, but I know that mentally, I was not truly ready for it.
I am a firm believer that everything comes in it’s time. Once I was able to trust my gut and go for it, everything truly fell into place and I have never felt more confident about a career choice in my life. I finally feel like I am doing what I was always meant to do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Out of everything I photograph, I am most proud of my landscape work. I try to capture the life of the moment.
My connection to the mountains has become almost spiritual. It is where I can feel close to my late friend and sister. I feel the awe, peace, and serenity Mother Earth has to offer. When I try to capture a scene, it is something I am already truly connecting to and admiring. Nature is alive.
The colors, the clouds, the movement, the sounds; the feeling I have is so indescribable that the best I can do is try to just capture the moment and let Nature speak for itself. I don’t use presets, I try to avoid heavy editing. The colors in my work you see are the natural colors of the world.
The bright pinks and oranges from an alpenglow, bright colors of wildflowers, the powerful blue of the sky, the pristine white snow, the relaxing greens of the forest, and the purple clouds in a sunset all speak to how beautiful this world truly is and reminds us to protect it.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think most people may not realize my dark past when they see my work or hear about my adventures. I struggled mentally through my teen years and into my early twenties. I struggled with my self-worth, major depression, and anxiety for years.
I am a suicide survivor, and while I have always had big aspirations, a big motivation for those aspirations used to be driven by a desire to prove myself somehow.
After a lot of work on myself, healing, and reprioritizing, I was able to get to a place where I could finally look at my goals and aspirations and figure out what I truly wanted for myself and why. I stopped caring what others thought and finally started living life authentically for myself.
Pricing:
- Full-Day Adventure: 8+ hours of coverage Great for: 14ers, alpine climbs, full-day backcountry excursions – $2400
- Half-Day Adventure: 4 hours of coverage Great for dawn patrol, resort days, rock climbing, Wasatch local adventures – $1200
- Custom Adventures or Athletic photoshoots: start at $350
- Custom Commercial Brand photoshoots: start at $350
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jacquetietjen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacque.tietjen/ Fine art: https://www.instagram.com/highelevationadventure/ Photoshoots: https://www.instagram.com/jacquetietjenphoto/
- Facebook: Fine art: https://www.facebook.com/highelevationadventure Photoshoots: https://www.facebook.com/jacquetietjenphoto/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelynntietjen/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jacque.tietjen/
Image Credits
Jacque Tietjen
