Hi there, I’m JEM, or Julia E. Mena… Thank you for visiting my site! Let me tell you a bit about myself:

Born and raised in Miami, FL, I moved to New York City in 2020 to earn my degree at New York University (NYU). A recent graduate as of May 2024, I completed a double major in Dramatic Writing at the Tisch School of the Arts coupled with a Broadcast Journalism degree from the College of Arts & Sciences.

After years of production work through video journalism documenting cultural events, local politics, and profiling individuals with compelling stories, which can be viewed on my Instagram and Youtube channel, I enrolled in my first formal photojournalism course in my final semester of University. Not knowing it at the time, this course would eventually set me on my post-grad path, JemsJournals.

Starting out with photoessays of my hometown, to offering to take fellow artists’ headshots, then offering graduation photoshoots, I quickly learned that photography was a skill I not only loved but found myself to be pretty good at.

Featured throughout my website includes a visual journey of my work as I take you through the vibrant streets of New York City, capturing moments that last a lifetime. Whether it's the joy of a graduation day or the love shared on the sidewalk, I specialize in freezing those precious memories in time.

With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, my lens is ready to turn your special occasions into timeless masterpieces. Let's create memories together, one click at a time.