We were lucky to catch up with Jenna Irvine recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenna, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My photography business all started after my oldest daughter was born and I got some 3-month photos taken and was completely disappointed. Being that I had a creative background (art teacher) and I knew some manual camera settings from college photography courses, I decided to start shooting my daughter’s milestone photos myself. I retaught myself manual settings again and even got together with my wedding photographer to play around with settings.

After a bit, I started taking pictures for friends and eventually people I didn’t know. That’s when I decided it was time to start a business. This business became this “side hustle” and I really didn’t know where it was going. All I knew was that it was fun to connect with people, learn their story, and help to document it in the most authentic way possible. I really wanted to capture the real giggle, the mischievous smirk, or those still moments.

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 wife, mom of two girls, and a full-time middle school/high school art teacher. I am also an area photographer. Although I’ve dabbled in most genres of photography; I specialize in maternity, family, baby, and newborn photography.

When I first started, I tried to do it all. I had a lot of Pinterest moms sending me images that they wanted to recreate. I worked with them to try to make their vision come to life, but I really wasn’t happy with the results. Through trial end error, I realized what I loved most was to do my own thing with setups, colors, and props. This got the ball rolling for finding my brand and style.

I also struggled in the beginning to find that work/family life balance. I wasn’t always the best at balancing that time and realized that I needed to spend less time away from my home and edit during times that wouldn’t conflict with family time. I started to develop a better workflow from shooting, to editing, to delivering images. Instead of shooting one session a night for four nights a week, I’d shoot two nights of back-to-back sessions. I also changed from shoot and burn to a disc, to an online gallery system. These changes seem simple, but it took me a while to figure it out and everyone starts somewhere.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I have a very chill vibe and I really just go with the flow. Newborn sessions can be stressful for some photographers, but I actually look forward to soothing a baby back to sleep. I love to accept that challenge. First-time parents are always a little unsure or have that tension that a baby can sense; so I enjoy showing them ways to help their baby relax. I can also go with the flow when shooting an outdoor family session.

You’ll get that family with the one child that doesn’t want to cooperate for family photos. I always find the best way to connect with that child so that they think we are on an adventure and leading the way. I give them choices; we look for rabbits, butterflies, or even turtles. For smaller kids, you can see me singing songs and acting goofy to get those laughs.

I’m most proud of my newborn work. My setups are layered, textured, natural, and earthy. I design each setup with different materials and try to make sure no two setups are ever the same. I’m constantly adding plants and flowers to the setups and use more muted tones in my work. Some clients like to choose a few colors for me to work with for inspiration and others just want me to “do my thing,” to give me free reign of setups.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I would have taken photography/business workshops sooner to better understand successful workflows and also studio lighting. I live in Wisconsin, and winters can be very dark. I now use a light system that mimics natural light. My light is the same every time I shoot; which saves a TON of time when I edit. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, which is wonderful!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Going back to the “pinterest moms”… I don’t shoot anything that isn’t my brand anymore. If I have a prospective client that sends a bunch of images they want to “recreate,” this is a red flag for me and I don’t feel bad declining the session. I would want them to have a photographer that is excited to shoot their vision and if it not my thing, I no longer feel the need to be the people pleaser I once was when I started. I only shoot what I want now and I find that the clientele I work with seeks me out because they like what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jennairvinephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennairvinephotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennairvinephotography

Image Credits
Portrait image of me (first image) taken by Fox & Eve Photography. The rest is from my body of work within the last year or two. (Jenna Irvine Photography)