We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Husted a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Last year, around this time, I launched a new website for my photography business. I was working with my business coach, Molly McCauley of Make Pretty Workshop, and we were doing what she refers to as an “overhaul”. It’s where she comes in and truly makes everything pretty again. While my old website was beautiful, it just didn’t feel like me and I wanted to step more outside of the creative box I’ve been in for so long. So, Molly found templates that she thought would work best with the direction I was going in and from there I chose one and then she implemented the imagery from my galleries. I worked with a copywriter, Kaitlyn Parker, from Copy Uncorked as well as an SEO specialist, Sara from Sara does SEO.

Working with Kaitlyn is what ultimately brought my vision and brand to life. She captured everything I was trying to say but didn’t have the words for. She breathed a breath of fresh air back into my business.

For years, I’ve always wanted to bring the world of editoral/timeless and mix it with candid imagery/story tellling. I wanted both things to be able to coexist in a stunning space and I wanted to be able to tell a story as it unfolded whether that be a couple that needed more direction with posing or one that wanted me to capture the day as it was around them. I really wanted to encourage people to let go & lean in, truly living through every moment of their wedding day.

This was such a big risk for me because for years I felt like there was no way I’d be able to bring these things together or be able to step outside of the creative box I’ve been in for so long. It was such a relief when I finally decided to just go for it and I couldn’t be more thankful because this risk has paid off in so many ways. I’ve been booking people who are truly excited to work with me, who trust me to tell their story wholeheartedly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For me, being a wedding photographer is about the artistry, of course, but it’s also about loving & serving people well. I aim to create a safe, comfortable, welcoming space for your story and beliefs to be on full display.

Often described as a people person through and through, I genuinely care about getting to know others, being there when you need someone to turn to, and operating as a professional who can be trusted like family.

A camera has been glued to my hip since high school. Over the years, I’ve poured myself into education, never staying stagnant, mastering my craft, and earnestly delivering each client’s dream wedding gallery since 2016. I’ll never get over the places this career has taken me – and I’d be honored to be there by your side, wherever there is, as you wholeheartedly marry the love of your life.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I truly wish I would have found a business coach that I connected with on a deeper level early on in my carrer or even attending more networking events.

It took me about 10 years before I finally decided to hire a business coach back in 2023 and I worked with her until mid year of 2024, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. With her I gained a whole new level of confidence when it came to my business and the things she guided me through.

I love being a part of a community and truly connecting with people which is a huge reason I wish I would have known more about networking events when I was first starting out. I think being able to connect with other creative business owners that were at the same level as I was would have been back then would have been so great to foster those friendships and grow with them as we scaled our businesses.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first began my photography journey I learned from someone who was leading in the wedding photography industry and while she’s great, everything was very cookie cutter. I often found myself doing the same things over and over and longing to be different or truly follow my artistic vision but in the back of my mind I aways had her teachings there telling me “that’s not the way to do it”. Even though the beauty of art is that it’s all subjective. I have spent years unlearning those practices in order to see the world a different way and approach weddings with a fresh prespective especially when it comes to story telling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicahustedphotography.com
• Instagram: @jessicahustedphotography

Image Credits

Jessica Husted Photography