Jessica Fike Photography

Jessica Fike Photography Deep Creek Lake, MD Wedding and Portrait Photographer Deep Creek Lake, MD Portrait and Wedding Photographer

I was invited to join their small group of 14. A casual hang at their house to start the day, ceremony at the nearby sta...
05/28/2026

I was invited to join their small group of 14. A casual hang at their house to start the day, ceremony at the nearby state park, post-ceremony boat ride included.

As a wedding photographer, I have a job. To observe and capture the day as it evolves but to also step in and interact to make sure the couple gets what they want out of their photos. Sometimes when it's a small group, it can feel hard to find that balance.

With Amber and Brady and their families, it was easy. Everyone was calm the entire day and they weren't fussing over little things, at least from what I could tell. I could comfortably step back and be a lingering presence while also mixing and mingling to suggest some direction.

Thank you for a lovely day to all who were there, boat captains included! 🥰

Amber and Brady and their Codorus State Park wedding, May 2026

Always yes to bubbles when there are littles during photo time...My goal here was to just let the kids play. Turn on the...
05/27/2026

Always yes to bubbles when there are littles during photo time...

My goal here was to just let the kids play. Turn on the bubble machine and see what they do! For this group, instant happiness and distraction from the fact that there was a strange lady with a camera hanging around. And definitely some magic in the kids' eyes, too.

Added magic: a little girl with a camera who wanted to take some pictures of her own at the end. 🥰

The first picture is my favorite from a recent fog chasing escapade. Hopped in my car, two cameras in the passenger seat...
05/26/2026

The first picture is my favorite from a recent fog chasing escapade. Hopped in my car, two cameras in the passenger seat and went to where the trees disappeared.

But the goal was always to eventually find the trees...and to not have to leave the car to capture them.

I think Collen DuBose should paint at least a couple of these...😎

05/22/2026

The inspiration: FOG. The method: Chase it. The challenge: Don’t leave the car. The result: Art that got a little crazy. 🤪🤩

Deep Creek, what are we doing this summer??
05/20/2026

Deep Creek, what are we doing this summer??

I shared this wedding in 2024 but it deserves another share...I feel a lot when I think about this wedding and look back...
05/14/2026

I shared this wedding in 2024 but it deserves another share...

I feel a lot when I think about this wedding and look back at the pictures. It was unlike any other wedding I had ever been a part of.

Sheri and Russ married on the trail between Swallow Falls and Herrington Manor State Parks, just beyond Deep Creek Lake. They had visited the trail months before to pick out the ceremony spot. It was a 15-minute walk into the forest to get to the spot and the "forest walk" to and from was one of the best parts.

Two more best parts - Sheri and Russ and their wedding ceremony.

Sheri and Russ were absolutely wonderful. So friendly and so welcoming, definitely some of the sweetest people I've ever met. They really made me feel like a part of their day. Eight of them and one of me. The nine of us together in the forest.

Their wedding ceremony was bursting at the seams with meaning and emotion. A heartfelt, genuine, incredibly personal ceremony. I checked the capture times on my photos - the ceremony was over 30 minutes long. It was just the nine of us together in the forest and yet, the ceremony felt so grand, so inspiring.

When I go through these photos, I stop, feel and remember. Some of my best work with some of the best people in what I think is one of the best ways to marry...

These all came from a 2023 external hard drive that I spontaneously decided to plug in. I do this occasionally. I'll be ...
05/13/2026

These all came from a 2023 external hard drive that I spontaneously decided to plug in. I do this occasionally. I'll be editing a session and my mind starts to wonder about the old hard drives and what I might find on them. So I go to the hard drive box and randomly pick some, not knowing where I'm going to land. I grabbed a handful this time and then realized only one or two could actually be plugged into my computer (Does anyone else wish we could still plug into USBs!?)

I found such a wide variety of photos! Snowy photos, glowy evening photos...photos from family sessions that made me smile and photos from family sessions that had me remembering "oh, that was a tough one."

As I continued to look through the 2TB of archives, I kept a recent question from Photographer Tracy Jade in mind: Do you know your best work? I think my best work lies within the photos that make me stop, feel and remember...and these do that.

Continued "Matching Floral Dresses & Hair Bows Not Allowed Mini Session" photos...I photographed the F Family three year...
05/08/2026

Continued "Matching Floral Dresses & Hair Bows Not Allowed Mini Session" photos...

I photographed the F Family three years ago. It was a beautiful evening with sunny glow. We met at a local park and their house for family photos. They had coordinated outfits. Holly said it was quite the task getting those outfits figured. This time, she walked into the photo space saying "This is us."

I gave permission for people to be more free and to put less pressure on themselves for these sessions. To actually let everyone choose what they wanted to wear and not force them into some dressed-up, coordinated, uncomfortable clothes.

I love the natural, colorful, comfy results!

I am so glad The Gallery Shop & $MART ART Spaces gave us this inspiration and invitation to do things differently for family photos. I might do another round...comment if you're interested!

Mixed media art by Heather Togbetse from the Shared Terrain Exhibit also featured

Lindsay told me her kids were excited to pick out whatever they wanted to wear! She also informed me there would be some...
05/07/2026

Lindsay told me her kids were excited to pick out whatever they wanted to wear! She also informed me there would be some bikes!

WORKS FOR ME! And is exactly what I wanted to hear for the "Matching Floral Dresses & Hair Bows Not Allowed Mini Sessions" at The Gallery Shop & $MART ART Spaces.

I might do more of these mini sessions...let me know in the comments if you're interested! 😎

Mixed media art by Heather Togbetse from the Shared Terrain Exhibit also featured

There's something special that goes on at Wildom Farm...The pigs in the forest, the moving of the animals, the farm stor...
05/05/2026

There's something special that goes on at Wildom Farm...

The pigs in the forest, the moving of the animals, the farm store, the communal events...

The amount of hard work that does into the daily chores, the art that sometimes appears, the invitation to wine and dine in the pasture and eat food straight from the land...and sometimes the wining and dining is done with witch hats on.

I've photographed this place in a lot of different seasons and activities, a sunscreen shoot in the river and an afternoon on film, both included.

I visited yesterday morning to pick up beef donated to our elementary school's Staff + Teacher Appreciation Week (we're serving walking tacos today) and had an impromptu meeting with the leading ladies about our upcoming Wildom Wardrobe Revival event. We're combining an excitement for unique fashion and a consideration for sustainable clothing choices with the outdoor nature of the farm after a successful event last year.

Pigs, witch hats and fashion on a farm, all in one. I told you Wildom is something special. 🥰

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McHenry, MD

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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