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

Jane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. So, we’d appreciate if you could open up about your growth story and the nitty, gritty details that went into scaling up.

What seems like the hardest competition is the cell phone camera.

As a photography business, there is a lot of competition. Everyone knows someone who is a photographer. I think this is awesome! However, when I first began my small photography business, it seemed near impossible to become successful because of this reality. Every where I turned, there were photographers offering their services for weddings, families, pet photography, school photos, senior photography, etc. At the time, it felt as though I was a very, VERY small fish in the large, metaphoric ocean.

How was I going to make this my full-time dream if there was so much amazing talent out there? I thought to myself, “the more I get my services out there, the bigger I’ll become.” So I offered my services at every opportunity I could; free sessions, family sessions, extended family sessions, elopements, newborn sessions, pet focused sessions. All. The. Sessions. Unfortunately, my biggest take away was pure exhaustion. I was clicking my way into burn out, one random session after another! Now, don’t get me wrong here, I LOVED the people I interacted with. Each session brought me bits of joy, especially the relationships I built with my clients. But then I started to recognize that those relationships were suffering because I wasn’t the best, rather, I was just doing my best. I realized then that I had to change something in order for my business to thrive. So I scaled up by scaling down!

Instead of offering everything under the sun, I poured my heart and soul into High School Senior and Family Photography. Now, the true key to scaling down for me was finding my specialty within these two genres. After weeks of reflecting, and a lot of research, I discovered my specialties. For high school and college seniors, I specialize in confidence. For families, I specialize in connection and emotion.

My specialty, WITHIN my two passions, is the reason why my seniors and families CHOOSE me for their pictures! I am thrilled to say, I have built a special experience for both of these very different photo shoots. When any of my clients look at their pictures, they are not just noticing a beautiful smile. Seniors are finding their confidence! They look at their pictures and celebrate themselves! Families are reliving their family’s memories, laughter, and snuggles.

As tough as the road has been to scale up as a small business owner, scaling down and specializing is the reason why I have been able to see the successes I have!

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 am a Senior and Family Photographer located in Parker, CO. I service all of Douglas County and the Colorado Springs area! I am not just your regular crazy camera lady. I take care of each of my clients from our first conversation to the delivery of your gorgeous heirloom photographs. Check out my work on Instagram, Facebook, or my website!

www.JaneKellyGallery.com

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have moved my business from Washington to Colorado. Building my business once is already, easily, one of the hardest things I have every done. Rebuilding has been even more challenging. So for any small business owners that are worried about changing locations, I want to let you know that if I can do it, you can too. My little piece of advice is to stay loud! Keep talking about yourself, keep getting out there, stay uncomfortable, and keep going. Even when it feels like everything is silent, the work you are putting in today will show up a year from now.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect for me as a photographer has been the growth I have seen within my art. Do you remember when you first began? Do you also sort of cringe at the things you created when you first started? I LOVE that ‘cringe’ feeling because it reminds me of how hard I’ve worked! I love those Tik Tok and Instagram challenges where you show something from the past and compare it to where you are now. We don’t notice our growth since we are always knee deep. When I feel stuck or uninspired, I always go back to the beginning.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JaneKellyGallery.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/janekellyphotography
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/JaneKellyGallery