Our March member zoom meeting features speaker Jacki Spearly.

Curtain raiser: Pat Yankovitz

Jacki Spearly: LENS BABY- CAPTURING CREATIVE IMAGES/ PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY 

Jacki’s love for photography and nature began as a young child with her first camera, a Konica 35mm film camera. She carried that deep interest into Penn State where she mastered developing and printing her own black and white images in the darkroom, as well as writing a curriculum for Black and White Photography in public schools.

Jacki’s purchased her first DSLR in 2013 and shoots with a Z8 Mirrorless camera by Nikon. She continues to spend her time honing her craft, shooting flowers, landscapes, wildlife and birds, spending much of her time in nature.

Jacki first learned of the creative art lenses in 2020 by Lensbaby. Her masterful use of these lenses and accessories allows her to compose images that have become more creative and playful and in doing so, take on a more expressive and abstract form as she experiments with the various effects she achieves with their use. She also teaches and often uses several different camera techniques including multiples in camera, Intentional Camera Movement, Slow Shutter Speed as well as layering textures and painting her work in Photoshop. Her current work now takes on an almost ethereal feel.

Jacki is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Art Education.

She is an active member of the Lehigh Valley Photography Club and was a board member for 3 years. Three years ago, she stepped down to lead the club’s monthly Lensbaby Project Group.

She became a Lensbaby Ambassador in 2020 and has continued to achieve further recognition within Lensbaby, most recently being named one of only 25 Lensbaby Trailblazers in February 2025. She continues to participate in beta-testing of new prototype lenses and Omni products and shares her knowledge and information on Lensbaby International Photo Walks, conducting Lensbaby workshops, private and small group instruction and as a guest speaker and judging at photography clubs and museums.

Jacki has been recognized and received numerous awards and Best of Show placements in juried exhibitions for her images. Jacki’s work can be viewed and purchased on her website and is currently on display at Art Beat Studio in Emmaus, PA.