Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Breena Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Breena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

While it wasn’t an easy road to take in the beginning, with a lot of perseverance, courage, energy, time and most importantly passion, the road has become a journey that has led me to where I am today. I began my business in 2010 shortly after my first daughter was born. I had always had a passion for photography, but it wasn’t until after her birth that I began to take it to the next level. During that first year in business I was working per diem as a speech-language pathologist to continue to have a sustainable income while building up my photography clientele. I have an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology BUT my passion has always been photography, so I knew I had to work hard to make it sustainable and successful. It wasn’t too long after that first year that I gave up my per diem job as a therapist and dived right into the deep end with photography, and boy did it take off. Now that it’s been 12 and a half years later, it makes me so thrilled day after day knowing that I have a thriving successful photography business, and I have never looked back at my decision to go full force and fulltime with it! Serving people in this way, by capturing their most important moments in time, has always been my heart’s mission, and I will continue to do so joyfully and wholeheartedly.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m originally from WV, born and raised. My family and I moved to Florida around 4 years ago. I’m happily married with 3 daughters. My passion for photography has always been present even as a young girl. At the age of 12 with my Olympus Stylus 35-70mm in hand I would enjoy capturing everything around me. Even then I was the one in the family with my camera always by my side. Having made my passion a reality has been an absolute dream for me. Not many people can truly say they love what they do. But I can! It wasn’t an easy road to say the least. As an entirely self-taught photographer, it has taken a tremendous about of time and effort to get where I am today by perfecting the shooting techniques, editing styles, work flows, posing strategies and more that work for me, and as a creative, I will always be learning and sculpting myself and my abilities to better myself and my work. I also have to acknowledge here how immensely supportive my family has been throughout my journey. Without their support and love and even constructive criticism, I most certainly wouldn’t be where I am today. While I generally provide services for newborns, families, children, and maternity clients, I do also offer other services including elopements & micro weddings, headshots, and more. I would describe my work as posed life-style photography. I capture those raw intimate emotions along with the “perfectly” posed portraits for a combination of truly desirable images that everyone loves and is thrilled to hang in their homes. Offering unique genuine sessions tailored to each and every client has set me apart from many other photographers in the area. As a mother of three, I know how fleeting time can be, and wanting to preserve my own precious memories has allowed me to understand how important it is for me to not only do so for myself but for others as well. Being able to has given me an abundance of joy and pride.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It has definitely taken time, and with the constantly changing algorithms, it can be challenging indeed. I’ve found that having consistent content that reflects my work and who I am has been very effective. My clients and potential clients are visiting my page because they are interested in what I have to offer or because they find joy in what I produce. I’m thankful for the social media platforms and the capability I have to reach people that I wouldn’t have been able to do so otherwise.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My top 3 main ways for obtaining new clients are: 1. word of mouth, 2. social media, and 3. Google. Word of mouth has been absolutely amazing for bringing in new clients. My clients sharing their experience with their friends and family…. well, there’s just no more effective way to bring in new clients than that. Social media, as mentioned above, can be truly amazing. People find your page, and then they inquire. But it’s more than that. Clients share the sessions you tag them in. Friends and family tag you when a photographer is needed. Need I say more? It’s awesome! And Google has also been very successful for me especially with my effective SEO. I always ask my clients how they found me, and of course I love when they mention any method or even one that I haven’t spoken of, but it’s really cool when they say that they found me on a Google search. It not only means that my SEO is working, but I have a way to reach people that aren’t on social media platforms or aren’t within the circles of friends and families of my current/previous clients. In the end, whichever method they use, I’m happy that they found me! My advice for up and coming small business owners is to create good client relationships so that they are thrilled to share you with everyone they know, develop a name for yourself on social platforms that you are able to provide relevant daily or weekly content for, and improve & maintain your SEO so that your website is effectively reaching your desired potential clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jb-gallery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbgallery.breenajohnson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jbgalleryphotobybreena
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
JB gallery – Photography by Breena Johnson