Hi! I'm Jessica.

Let me tell you how this whole thing started — and fair warning, it involves a lot of ice time and even more laundry. I'm Jessica McGraw, a photographer based here in Cicero, NY ,and I'm also the very proud, slightly exhausted mom of 2 boys that both chose that ice hockey was their first true love.  My oldest decided that being a goalie in TWO sports simultaneously was a good idea.

When my oldest son strapped on goalie pads for hockey and then again for lacrosse and my youngest developed a slapshot the goalies feared, I discovered something every sports parent knows: you can't just watch. You have to capture it. Those saves, the slapshots that almost always show up on the scoreboard, those gritty glove blocks, that post-win grin under a mask — I couldn't let a single one slip by undocumented.

So I started shooting. First from the bleachers with whatever camera I had. Then with a real camera. Then with a better real camera. Somewhere between rinks and turf fields, I realized something that changed everything: the same thing that made sports photos so special — real moments, real emotion, real light — was exactly what was missing from most family portraits.

That's when Painted Anchor Images was born. The anchor? It's my reminder to stay grounded in what matters: family, honest moments, and light you can feel. The painted part? Well, I like to think every photo is a little brushstroke of the story you'll tell for years.

These days I photograph seniors, families, milestones, and the occasional puck-stopper of my very own. My style is warm, sun-drenched, and completely un-stiff — because nobody remembers the yearbook pose. They remember the laugh that came right before it.

When I'm not behind the camera, you'll find me in a hockey rink (obviously), on a lacrosse sideline (naturally), or editing photos at a youth game with a coffee that's gone cold — again. If that sounds like your kind of photographer, I can't wait to meet you.