20/20: Esthetic Images

Touched by an Angle- Local lady behind the lenses sharpens your SHINE.

Meet Jaila “Jai” Thomas of Esthetic Images. Poise, punctual, and precise in visual output. A passionate creative with an eye for detail, this photographer speaks her photogenic statements in high velocity. Check out her story!

“The world is just so beautiful to me.” 25 yr. old photographer and entrepreneur Jaila “Jai” Thomas finds inspiration in the world’s whimsy theatrics and nature. “To capture the images and keep forever is just awesome.” The visionary knew early that the camera was her vice and that capturing life in high shutter speed was her muse.

Thomas’ catalog of work can easily interpret the Grand Center Arts Academy grad’s sharp eye for angles and agility. “As a third grader, I drew this bug.”, explains Jai. “I guess the way I drew it, my teacher was like, “You have a great eye. You’re very talented.” So for me, I draw inspiration from nature. I can be in the park and see trees, and the whole time I’m thinking about how to do a photoshoot there. Something triggers my brain into art mode.”

Jaila’s first memorable project was her long exposure course in high school. “That was the first shoot I had trouble with. I shot over a railing and was shooting cars. They were zooming and I couldn’t get it to streak how I wanted to.”, she recalls. “Now I know what I did wrong, but I always think about how I couldn’t correctly capture those cars.”

The visual artist’s objective with her work is to be a “storyteller”. “I just want each photo to tell a story.”, Jai shares. “Just let it speak to you. To be able to see all of the moments that led up to the picture.” The St. Louis native photographer leans more toward “dark esthetics” in her editing process. “Each subject of course is different, but that’s what I lean towards the most. So, I guess I can say that’s my style. Also, there’s no such thing as a bad photo or bad model. You can work it out with both.” The photographer specializes in headshots, themed and propped photo shoots, editing, and event photography.

Jai Thomas is also a graphic designer and owner of her clothing brand, Eternal. She looks forward to building a broader scale of support and exposure. The creative is currently growing her portfolio through local shoots and collaborations. “Five years from now, I would hope to have more engagement.”, says the entrepreneur. “In St. Louis, it’s a lot of big names. So, me being new to the scene, I want more people to give me a try.”