Jessica Tait is a photographer, visual storyteller, and strategic communications leader whose work is guided by curiosity, empathy, and a desire to make people feel seen. During more than 15 years as a U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Officer, she lived and worked across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, leading creative teams and documenting people, communities, and moments of historical significance.
Her photographic practice took shape while living in Okinawa, Japan, from 2016 to 2018. Working alongside Air Commandos on missions and exercises across the Pacific, Jessica learned photography by doing the work. She kept her camera close, studied independently, and immersed herself in the lives and experiences of the people she photographed. Those years shaped her approach to candid portraiture: intimate, observant, and deeply human.
A defining moment in Jessica’s public affairs career came during the internationally watched 2018 Tham Luang Cave Rescue in Thailand. As the U.S. government spokesperson, she conducted more than 85 interviews with national and international media outlets during the effort to rescue the trapped youth soccer team.
The U.S. Ambassador to Thailand later invited her back to Bangkok to participate in a women’s empowerment program through public speaking engagements and media interviews. In 2019, Jessica was selected as the commencement speaker for D’Youville University, where she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her public leadership.
After transitioning from active duty in 2024, Jessica dedicated a year to travel and creative exploration. With her camera as a constant companion, she photographed the extraordinary and the ordinary across Türkiye, Europe, and beyond, deepening her interest in documentary photography, street photography, and what she thinks of as candid portraiture.
Jessica now serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserve while studying photography at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Mary Baldwin University and an Executive Master’s in Leadership from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Jessica is bringing ten years of independent photographic practice into conversation with new ideas, techniques, and artists. Her aim remains simple: to make honest photographs that help us see people, places, and fleeting moments more closely.
