We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful E. L. Jones Jr.. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with E. L. below.

E. L., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

I am blessed to come from a line of entrepreneurs. My great grandfather was very industrious and had many business ventures in Pensacola, FL. My grandfather owned a cleaning business that my father and the rest of the family helped with, when we moved back home. My father instilled in my a work ethic that still drives me to this day. The one thing I will never forget him telling me is, “Learn as much as you can, about everything you can, so you’ll never starve.” I have taken that to heart and I attribute my widespread knowledge of various processes to his teaching.

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

Well, I got into photography while in middle school. I was a part of the photography club and learned how to shoot and develop photos. I put it aside for sports in high school, but I picked it back up on the tail end of my Army career. While working on my graduate degree, in a totally unrelated field, I really got more interested and decided to invest money and time into my passion.

With the help of some awesome mentors and willing models, I was able to hone my craft while living in Detroit. I cut my teeth with event photography while living in Mississippi. And I sharpened my skill while living in Tennessee. From there, I have continued to develop my skill set and I have had wonderful opportunities to showcase my photos.

One of my more recent focuses is helping professionals upgrade their head shots. I am also a graphic designer and too many times I’ve had pictures submitted for flyers that were subpar. I strive to help people present themselves and their businesses in the best possible like. I am honored to provide my clients with images that represent them well.

I guess I am most proud of the opportunities I’ve had to shoot celebrities and clients who are not expecting much, but get the images and immediately post them to social media. I’ve had numerous clients and artists use my work for advertising and profile photos. Many will use photos from years ago, because I’ve relocated and they haven’t found a photographer they liked to shoot them. Customer loyalty is a great feeling.

I believe that my tendency to go above and beyond for my clients is the key to my longevity. I strive to make the session as comfortable as possible. I try to over deliver on my work and give them more value for their dollar.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been the work I produce for my current clients. Between word of mouth and social media, have gotten almost 100% of my new clients. My work is my best advertising and I strive to do my best in every shoot. I am my own worst critic and I strive to grow every day.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’m sure I’m not the only one that had to pivot due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to that, I getting my gigs for event photography and was looking forward to an awesome 2020. When the pandemic hit, I had to shift my focus to doing more video work. Then, as things loosened back up, I realized that there was a market for head shots, because many people hadn’t had updates in over 2 years. So, in addition to my other services, I focused on better head shots and offer a last minute head shot options. I can provide a client with a professional head shot scheduled the same day or next day, if they have a short deadline for a head shot.

Another shift I made was to broaden my audience and shift from my long time (13 years) photography brand into a new brand to reach a more corporate audience and clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: BlueSenoj.com
• Instagram: @bluesenoj
• Facebook: Facebook.com/bluesenoj

Image Credits
Photos by E. L. Jones, Jr. for Blue Senoj