Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Rohling. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
As a professional photographer, we hold ourselves to a higher standard of running our business. There are times we agree to takes jobs that might be better suited for someone else, but if we never jump outside our comfort zone we never know what we are capable of.
Early on a Saturday morning I was waiting for my client to arrive in Golden, they called and said they were running a few minutes late. I took a little stroll along the river contemplating which yummy eatery to go to when my session was done.
My client and her mom arrived, got out of the car and just stared at me. Something was wrong. Mom looked at me and said she didn’t know if we could still do her daughters session. Her daughter went for a spray tan the day before, took a shower that morning, and there were streaks…. Streaks everywhere!
Yes, we went on with the photo shoot and she ROCKED IT! The photos we got were amazing, the editing of the streaks were time consuming and took forever. Yes, as photographers, we can fix most things with editing.
The end result was was nothing short of a miracle, but one of those learning lessons in life and in business. I now tell all my clients before a photo session, if a spray tan is in the cards, please have it done several days before the photoshoot.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2014 Rohling Photography was created. After years of taking photos for friend and family, I decided open my own photography business.
We started our business shooting family portraits and high school seniors and have also moved into shooting Real Estate and Branding photos for businesses. We love personalizing our sessions to our clients personalities and business needs. If you have a vision, we will help you bring it to fruition. If you want balloons, hot rod cars or your fury best friend in your photos, were happy to accommodate.
Your photos are “All About You” so let’s show off your style.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When donating my time and photography to a local business they did not want to sign my contract. My contract states that I retain the ownership rights to the photos but they could use the photos for any marketing purposes free of charge, only giving me photo credit.
As a member of the Professional Photographers Association, a contract protects the client and my business. Going through a situation where the business did not want to agree to the terms of the contract in return for free donated services, I refused to complete the work unless the contract was signed. We came to an agreement for use of the photos and the contract was signed.
If you have a standard in your business that will protect your and your client, sometimes you have to stand your ground.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
When starting my business, I used money that I had saved up for about a year and relied on a credit line from the bank until the business started making a profit.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rohlingphotography.com
- Instagram: @rohlingphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/rohlingphotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-rohling-318a3131?trk=people-guest_people_search-card