Jessica Woods Hughes is a self-taught photographer. She started out with a 110mm and moved on to an early 80’s model Pentax 35mm, gifted to her by her grandfather, Tommy Woods, and has since moved on to Nikon digital cameras. She has had a love for photography her whole life, but it wasn’t until 2012 that she started selling her photographs. Her grandmother, Faye Woods, president of the Byhalia Area Arts Council at that time, needed some artwork for the first ever art gala held at Thistledome. She asked Hughes to walk around town and get some pictures of the old churches and buildings. That’s where it all started.
Since then, Hughes has won several awards, including BAAC art contests, Cotton District Arts juried competition, The Cotton Board’s annual cotton calendar photo contest. She also had a solo art exhibit where her work was displayed at Mississippi State University’s Colvard Union gallery and sold prints at several area festivals, including Double Decker in Oxford. Hughes likes to capture what we often don’t stop to look at. Photography allows that moment in time to stand still forever preserving the character and charm of our beloved towns.