Jamie Thrower
“The most rewarding part of my work is being able to share and celebrate the love stories of my community,” Jamie Thrower tells GO. “To me, it feels like I’m not only recording personal family history for couples and families and even individuals, but our community’s history as well.” When Thrower opened Studio XIII, now located in Portland, Oregon, she did so with the queer community in mind. The studio caters exclusively to the LGBTQ+ community, creating visibility and space in traditionally heteronormative territory like the wedding industry. The website is a montage of queer weddings, family portraits, and expressions of love both celebratory and intimate — and Thrower wouldn’t have it any other way. “When someone comes back to me and really feels like they are reflected in my work and they are seen and affirmed by my photos, it’s the biggest compliment I can receive,” she says. “I feel honored every day that I get to work with my own community and serve them in this way.” Her work, which has been featured in such diverse publications as Buzzfeed, Brides Magazine, HuffPost, and Martha Stewart Weddings, is bringing LGBTQ+ life and love to the mainstream. For someone who describes her own coming out process as “slow and timid and scary,” visibility is an important step toward self-realization. “To be visible and vulnerable and share my own story within my business and create a business dedicated to my community feels so empowering to me,” she tells GO. “I hope that through sharing my own experience as a Queer femme, I give folks the encouragement to be out and share their own stories — and that if I’m lucky enough to photograph them, that they will feel truly seen by another member of their community.” —RK
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