Jess Wakefield, a Certified Professional Photographer in Williamsburg, VA placed in the final four in the International Photographic Competition (IPC) through Professional Photographers of America (PPA) this past week. Jess, who submitted an image for the first time to the competition beat out hundreds of other photographers in the Reportage/Photojournalism category to place in the Top Four, also known as the Platinum round. 

In November, she found out she had moved into the top 32 and after two months of waiting, the finals were held this past weekend at Imaging USA in Nashville, TN. The images are reviewed by 5 judges and placed against other images in the same category in a bracket style competition. 

"I was super excited to make it to the top 32, so to get all the way to final 4 was amazing. Winning is always nice, but I am perfectly happy with where I placed and I'm excited to enter again next year.'

Jess is the owner of Dark Light Portrait Studios in Williamsburg and specializes in portraits, mostly of women, teens and tweens as well as sports photography for athletes of all ages. She has won multiple awards over the years and is currently working on her Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman Degrees though PPA. Jess is a member of PPA as well as Virginia Professional Photographers Association, where she was named one of the Top 10 photographers in Virginia for 2025. 

"Photography is a continual learning process and you will never know it all. People think its just pushing a button, but a true professional has so much knowledge that takes years and years to learn. You really have to be dedicated to the art of photography to continue for any length of time."

For more information about Jess' portrait work or booking a session, you can view her website at https://www.dlportraitstudios.com/