We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jen Kandziora. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jen below.

Jen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

Transitioning to full-time photographer is not something that happens to most people over night. But for me it did.
In 2017 I was a full-time waiter, a part-time photographer, a full-time wife and mom and I was struggling with making the transition to full-time photography. Money is a factor. Time is a factor. Equipment (or lack of) is a factor. And photography is tough. It can be a very lucrative business, but… it’s art. I wondered if people would pay me enough for my art that I could afford to leave the job that actually paid my bills. And would my family support the switch?

My mom and friends were all in for me. They gave me verbal pats on the back and shared my images on social media. They were my champions, encouraging me to push forward and keep snapping away. My husband was also my advocate, but he had his reservations about jumping in head first and leaving my job, rightfully so. I mean, I was not trying to skip our family vacation or quit my Target habit and my expensive skin-care routine. So I stayed at my job.

My mom’s advice? Just stick to it. Don’t give up.
My husband’s advice? Do ALL the things. Weddings, because that’s where the money is! Family portraits, because that’s where the clients are! Senior portraits, because our neighborhood is filled with them! So I did ALL the things. And I hated it. It wasn’t my art anymore. I lost what I loved most about photography. But I stuck to it.

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

I’m Jen Kandziora, a boutique children’s photographer with a modern twist to newborn, cake smash and preschool photography. I’m always trying to figure out how I can be different from the others in my industry. I may be working for parents who want pictures of their kids, but this is my art. I always put that thought in my head first. How can I make this the most beautiful art. Every child is beautiful and I love to use their unique features to begin and see where it takes me. I do not force smiles or use cheesy backgrounds. My design is simple, modern and clean portraiture.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

After a bone-chilling afternoon of outdoor family portrait photography that was rescheduled twice due to rain, I had an epiphany. I would only do the photography that I loved. I would only photograph children. Just children. And it would be in a studio setting. I would learn all the things I need to learn, I would slowly get the equipment I needed to get started and I would ONLY photograph children.

For over 2 years I soaked up as much information as I could from people I respected in the photography industry. I developed a love for a small niche in the business called “cake smash” photography. I sought out people that took pictures that I loved, images of children that I tried to replicate in my own way. I slowly started to transfer the toys out of my kid’s playroom and into their bedrooms, and I started filling the room with backdrops, props and camera equipment. I asked for gift cards to the camera store and Amazon for my birthdays and holidays. I would practice lighting techniques and work with different lenses, learning how to use all the settings on my camera. I read the manual and discovered things I didn’t know existed. I looked my mentors up on YouTube for free tutorials. I emailed some pros and asked them advice about insurance and taxes and software and websites. I SLOWLY was developing the business I wanted. Except I didn’t have any clients.

In March 2020 I clocked out of my restaurant job. I didn’t know it, but it would be for the last time. After COVID hit the United States everything in my world changed. It’s almost like time stood still. The whole world paused and took a deep sigh. After six months school was back in session, but many parents decided to homeschool, and therefore those children did not get school pictures. So I offered to take them for a small fee. The response I got was overwhelming. From that, I built a client list that continued grow, and soon parents were calling me to do cake smashes for their babies too.

That year, my husband invested in the camera of my dreams for my birthday. He told me that he saw me putting in the work and was ready to invest in me. He agreed that I should not go back to the restaurant industry, and instead should develop my business. So I did.

I now photograph, on average, ten different Montessori preschools throughout the school year while running a successful cake smash studio. I haven’t totally given up on photographing adults. I offer family sessions about twice a year, and I have found joy in creating that art as well. It’s not easy in the beginning, even with encouragement and support. No one knows more about what you envision for yourself and your future than you, so you have to sift through the advice and take the bits and pieces that resonate. And be patient.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I am responsive. I am available. And I am aware.

Parents have a lot of questions when it comes to what I do. My first goal is to make parents feel at ease knowing that I will take care of everything. I appreciate good communication in all parts of day-to-day life, and therefore I am a big communicator with my clients.

I don’t try to make people feel like my time is extremely limited for them. I think this is a tactic a lot of photographers use to build a reputation and portray how much they are in demand. I always do my best to accommodate my clients and let them know that their children are uniquely special and worth my time.

I am extremely aware that COVID is still a thing and it’s still a threat to personal health, so I make a point to be diligently clean with my props, my gear and myself. I’m a big hand-washer, and I have a full cleaning ritual that I do after every single client. I’ve received lots of appreciative comments about the cleanliness of my studio.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.PhotoMomming.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/PhotoMomming
• Facebook: Jen Kandziora Photography

Image Credits
PhotoMomming by Jen Kandziora