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Rachel Jessen

@rcjessen

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Documentary Photographer
Operations & Outreach at @photofarmnc
📍Durham, NC

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I had zero idea what I would be getting into when I received an email last week from a photo editor at ESPN asking if I would be available on Saturday for an assignment in Wilmington.

Apparently the 00s hit TV teen drama “One Tree Hill” has a very significant basketball plot line??? I still don’t remember why I didn’t watch the show when it first aired (but you best believe I’ve started watching it… first as “research” and now as a not-so-guilty pleasure).

For the uninitiated: there’s a main character, Nathan Scott, whose basketball jersey number is 23. The show was filmed in Wilmington, the high school scenes at a real high school (Laney High), where none other than Michael Jordan (#23!) went. This year was the 23rd anniversary of when the show started (more specifically on September—you guessed it—23rd).

So that was the impetus for this anniversary basketball game where all the actors came back and donned their old uniforms (okay, probably not the original ones but…). There were so many fans??? Like around 5,000 people came to JUST the game?? AND THEY TRAVELED FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, from places like Greece, Israel, Switzerland—there was rumor of someone who came all the way from Australia. I met a pair of young French folks whose first time it was in America—that is, they came specifically to Wilmington for the week to absorb everything One Tree Hill. What!

Beyond the game there were soooo many other events put on, including a convention where people lined up to get autographs, and where iconic settings from the show were constructed for people to take selfies in. Of course, I had to go to a handful of the other important OTH sites, like the bridge and the river court.

It was bonkers and I loved every second of it!

Appending to add that 1. You should read the article. It is long but it is good! @notoryous2 was a dream to work with. 2. Speaking of dreamy people to work with: @kacy.burdette is a gem of a photo editor. 3. Many of the images included here are not in the story but are Classically Rachel frames and I love a lot of them. taken in Wilmington, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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23 days ago

Putting in on the main
Phy Phy on the fire pit at PHOTO FARM taken in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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24 days ago

My sissy and Nicky got married and I love them both so much!
(And thanks to @giantmendez for taking the pics I had to be in 💕) taken in Saint Paul, Minnesota by @rcjessen

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2 months ago

Faces of friends!
(My little keychain camera actually works!) taken in Minneapolis, Minnesota by @rcjessen

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2 months ago

Resting near Utah taken in Normandy, France by @rcjessen

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4 months ago

The amount of stoked I am to have images I made for @wired back in the fall appear in Wired Japan’s @wired_jp print edition does not match the poor quality of this video. Also, the design is beautiful!? The weight of the paper is choice!

A couple of the other photos shown here by @lnweatherspoon and @skyebattles taken in Durham, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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5 months ago

On a mountain last year celebrating Archer’s birthday; one Egg. taken in Beech Mountain, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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7 months ago

A couple a cutie couples <3 taken in Durham, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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7 months ago

I can’t help but smile at the daffodils when they make their early Spring appearance taken in Durham, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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8 months ago

January in January 💕 by @rcjessen

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9 months ago

chemigram pt ii (also made at @photofarmnc) taken in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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a year ago

Chemigram pt i (made at @photofarmnc) taken in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by @rcjessen

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a year ago