By: Jessica O’Conner
Jessica O’Connor of Ridgeville, SC is the newest addition to The Press and Standard’s team. Originally from Chapin, Jessica studied agriculture and animal science at Clemson University. After college she made a career in the consumer finance industry, within which she and her mother have been running a family business since 2007.
An avid lover of books and writing since childhood, Jessica has been published in a number of newspapers and magazines. She’s also a photographer specializing in hunting and show dog imagery, as well as equine event and portrait photography. Jessica is currently the official horse show photographer for both the Palmetto Paint Horse Club and Carolina Paint Horse Clubs. She has also worked for the in-house photography team at the internationally acclaimed Tryon International Equestrian Center.
When she’s not working, Jessica enjoys spending time with her hounds. An all-around houndswoman, she shows, hunts, and loves Treeing Walker Coonhounds, Bluetick Coonhounds, and foxhounds. Jessica has traveled the southeast competing with her hounds over the years, and she credits her deep involvement with these sports on her introduction to deer dog hunting as a young woman. She’s very passionate about showing the non-hunting public the beautiful aspects of life with sporting dogs and improving the relationship between those who participate and those who do not.
Jessica looks forward to reporting on all things horses, hunting, outdoors, and agriculture in Colleton County. To view her work, you can find her online at www.southernsoundphotography.com and on Facebook at both Southern Sound Photography and Jessica O’Connor Equine Imagery.
