Jake Beerman

Who I am

I am Jake Stephen Beerman, that’s right, Beerman. I’m a creative, an artist, a lover of people, and a firm believer in fostering community. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a total introvert. But when I break through my comfort zone, meet new people, and share common interests, I just might take you out to coffee and get to know you better. Faith is important to my wife and I, and we do our very best to leave people feeling uplifted and encouraged.

Where I live

I was born and raised in the Great White North – Canada. In the beginning of 2014 I moved to Pennsylvania and married my wife a few months later. After we got married, we lived there for just under a year, and we are now residing in the heart of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. I love living in the city for so many reasons. You see so many different personalities and characters when you live in and spend lots of time in a city, and yet all of them are accepted and welcomed. Just as it should be.

What I do

I do what I love with who I love. My wife and I are wedding + lifestyle film photographers, shooting locally as well as across the globe. She has been photographing weddings for about 4 years, and I joined her last year to completely rebrand our business and give it new direction. We are jake+heather. We’re all about entrepreneurship and local businesses, and very passionate about what we do. My motto is: “Find out what you love doing, and figure out how to make money doing it.” We did exactly that, and wouldn’t change it for anything.

(P.S. I wish I could photograph more bearded grooms, so if there are any beardsmen out there getting engaged, hit me up!)

Why I beard

Where do I begin? Ultimately, I beard because I feel that it’s true to who I am. I have more confidence with a beard, I like the way I look, and it fits my lifestyle really well. Too often, beards are looked down upon or seen as “dirty” or “straggly.” I’m not sure whether it’s because of the corporate stigma of completely shaven professionals, or whether people are simply caring too much about what other people think.

Personally, I’ve received more compliments than criticism. If you’re thinking about growing a beard, choose to do it for yourself, not because it is a “fad”, or a current “trend”. I’m currently in the process of growing my first yeard and even though I’m only 4-5 months in, it hasn’t always been easy. There were many times I was tempted to shave, but I kept persevering through knowing that my beard would become magnificent.

I’ve got many more months to go until my yeard comes to fruition, but until then, beard on!

Connect with Jake on Instagram: @jakestephenbeerman