“As a full-time, traveling model I constantly strive to maintain professionalism across the board. And I genuinely appreciate working with fellow models in the industry who maintain that same level of professionalism. Jessa Ray Muse is one of those models. As the founder and co-organizer(with her husband Greg) of the Muses of the West, Jessa exceeded all my expectations for working with a professional model. She was incredibly respectful, dedicated, but also down to earth. She will never ask models to do anything she wouldn't do herself. And she is super respectful of models personal boundaries. If you are a model considering participating in one of her Muses of the West events, I highly recommend her.

If you are a photographer who enjoys scenic photographic events with models, I highly recommend joining one of the Muses of the West events. You will find it is well organized by a professional model who knows the industry from both sides of the lens. The all-inclusive events include personalized tours to beautiful locations, lodging, and personalized/catered meals(by her chef husband). The meals are truly an amazing asset to the whole experience!
A highly recommended creative experience!!”

Gazelle Powers

“As soon as Jessa Ray Muse posted the information for the Muses of the West New Mexico Landscape Adventure I knew I wanted to participate. The idea of photographing the three models in the selected interesting locations was exciting. I was drawn to the all expense pre-paid concept, including model fees, meals, transportation to all locations, and lodging. I was also able to have my wife included in the lodging and meals at a small additional fee. The 1:1 photographer to model ratio allowed for more time to make pictures.

As the start approached Jessa provided detailed information on all aspects of the event. We received a comprehensive schedule, the locations where we would stay, information about the models, and lists of what we should bring.

While we were together she was flexible in adjusting the schedule to accommodate weather and alternate photography opportunities. This led to some unexpected wonderful images.

Meals were prepared for the group and were personalized to accommodate food issues. This added to the enjoyment of everyone in the group. All were very good and contained ample portions.

The models were terrific and contributed many interesting ideas for the photographs. They all worked very hard and made the process fun.

Jessa chose varied and interesting places for us to stay. Each had its own charm and allowed us to spend more time together as a group, adding to the fun.

For the reasons above, I highly recommend the Muses of the West Adventures.”

Mark Harris

“I attended the inaugural Muses of the West tour in 2022 and it was the best put-together model workshop that I've ever attended. Communication prior to and during the event, food and housing were all great and combined with the phenomenal posing and energy of the models made for a very successful trip with lots of great photos. Jessa Ray kept in communication prior to arrival so we all knew what to bring and what to expect for locations and models which made getting excited really easy!

Having the models and photographers share a house for the tour provided more opportunities to engage with each other and share photos and concepts each day so that our pictures together could evolve throughout the trip, versus had we been isolated in our own hotel rooms. The variety of locations provided unique opportunities each day for different poses and multiple opportunities for various types of dresses that the models brought with them.

Jessa Ray picked a group of models with varied looks and styles, but still complemented each other when we did group shoots. Jessa Ray ensured we rotated models between the photographers at each location and also planned pair and trio shoots too, thus ensuring the photographers maximized their variety of photos. Jessa Ray pulled double duty in modeling, pointing the photographers to pre-scouted locations and keeping us on schedule, and even providing alternate plans when other people wandered into our photo shoot location. Although she had a well thought-out plan for each shoot location, there was still ample time for the photographers and models to discover their own unique areas at the location to come up with their own adhoc concepts.

A surprising highlight of the tour was the food. Having a personal chef, Greg, prepare healthy meals each day ensured we were all fueled and ready to go. Jessa told us at the beginning of the trip that there would be no fast food on this trip! Even when we had to leave in the early morning for a sunset shoot, Greg provided homemade super smoothies to get us going that morning and would also cook on location after several shoots so that we could eat at a normal meal time instead of waiting for a long drive back to the house.

Having a tour with experienced models in interesting locations ensures you'll get great photos, but combining that with having a well-planned tour with good food and lodging guarantees you'll have an experience that you'll treasure and remember every time you view those photos.”

Greg Holden

“Colorado is beautiful and the "Muses of the West" photography tour that Greg Holden and I attended in September 2022 was super. We all stayed in a nice home that is usually a hostel, but the organizers rented out the entire house so that we have privacy as a group but also gave us the chance to shoot in the space. The house was both centrally located for our day trips, and also provided a fine opportunity for everybody to get to know one another. The home-cooked food throughout the trip was over-the-top! Both the models and the shooting locations offered a wide variety of opportunities to get all sorts of fine shots and I have already gotten some photo awards for the resulting images.

Other outstanding features of this workshop: The model-to-photographer ratio was great, so we all got to pair off in various combinations. The photo shooting locations covered a wide range of environments. We had ample time in the evening to process and review the work as the workshop progressed. I personally learned a great deal from working with the other photographers and models, as well as having a great time.”

Bill Seelig

“I recently had the wonderful opportunity to model for Muses of the West's Sangre de Cristo tour in late August. All I have to say is wow, Jessa and her partner are just fantastic. These events are extremely well thought-out. Photographers are guaranteed to get amazing pictures as the team hand-pick incredible locations, experienced art-models and time the shoots perfectly. On top of all this, they take great care of everyone with delicious and nutritious meals, a positive attitude and a well-thought-out schedule. Highly recommended for both models and photographers!”

Lucy Tyler

“I had a great time at Muses of the West. Lots of beautiful locations, food, new friends and photo opportunities. I would definitely recommend.”

Marie Brooks