my Story

Hello, I am genuinely happy you are here! A little bit about myself. In 2005, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Photography from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. After graduation I worked in Hollywood but my mom’s cancer was progressing so I moved back home to Sacramento to be with her. A year after she passed I was given an amazing opportunity to teach high school in San Diego, and then in L.A., and finally in Greenville, SC. I have lived in the Upstate for 11 years. I met my husband here and we have a 4 year old boy and a dog. Since 2006 I have taught high school as well as operating Jen Patton Photo where I took family portraits and photographed weddings. In 2023 I formed Chronicled Moments, LLC and taught my last semester after 17 years!

The idea from Chronicled Moments started 2 years ago when a friend asked me to photograph a letter her mom had written to her best guy friend. This letter changed their lives and ultimately led to them getting married! She asked me to photograph the letter and envelope so she could print them and frame them for her mom and husband for Christmas. This got my head spinning. We all have items that we cherish, and most are just sitting in boxes or drawers, or only taken out on rare occasions, if taken out at all. What a great service I can provide to get those cherished items out of the boxes and onto the walls of people’s homes where they can appreciate them!

Then about a year ago a friend of mine showed me an heirloom portrait and asked me to take photos of her kids in the same style. Heirloom portraits are very southern so I had never seen them before but I fell in love with them. They are timeless, beautiful and show the joy of childhood. 

I am excited you are here and I can’t wait to chronicle the moments in your family's lives! If you have any questions or would like to learn more about my keepsake photography or heirloom photography please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to connecting with you!