We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jackie Loubriel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jackie below.
Jackie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
The story of this leap I took to go into working for myself full time as a professional photographer is a little crazy, bittersweet, but exactly what I had needed to do for a long time. I had been operating my 10-year business, Jackie Marie Photography, on the side of my office job, working as a full-time, E-Commerce (ECOMM) Product Photographer for one of the top online lighting retailers since 2019.
Before that, I was working as a freelance, commercial-photography assistant for two years out of college, after I graduated with a BA in Journalism with a minor in Photography. I had worked in the photography industry since high school, however, and had the honor of graduating from Booker T. Washington High School of Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, TX, after my mother had passed and I moved myself from Oklahoma City to Dallas to live with my mother’s sister who took me in and supported me to get to graduation my Senior year of high school.
Fast forward to post college, then getting the full-time job after freelancing as a photo assistant for two years, I’m so honored to have had the consistent work especially during the pandemic. However, I started working towards going out on my own once I was given my first annual review, which was incredibly positive, and promised a raise in writing. Then, about five or six weeks later, the pandemic hit the second week of March in 2020, and I asked about the raise I was granted at the beginning of February.
I was so disheartened that this boastfully Christian-based private company based in Garland, TX had lied and went back on their word and said that I was not going to get the raise after all, since the pandemic hit, although I was told I should expect my pay to change those few weeks prior to that even happening. That’s when I realized some companies truly do not care about you the same way that they expect you to care about them, and did not honor their word. It was an eye opener for me, but I stayed loyal and started making a plan to invest in myself and making my photography business my full-time job.
I believe COVID made everyone take a step back and evaluate their life, and with that survival mode that was ignited, I know myself and many of my peers decided to consider what we really want to do with our careers and lives in general, as time on this earth is so precious and fleeting.
That’s when I made a plan to finish paying off my student loans with the full-time job in the next year, continue freelancing my own photography business of taking photos of families and weddings on the weekends as I had been since high school and through college, and then, when I reached my goal of paying the loans off, I knew I was going to take the risk of losing more than half my income to invest in myself.
I say more than half because I was making about a 40% of what I was making at my full-time job on the side by shooting on the weekends and editing in the evenings at home. I’d come home from work and have dinner with my husband, then continue working until sometimes midnight or later almost every night, in order to keep up with my deadlines and honor my word to my amazing, loyal clients via Jackie Marie Photography. In 2020, I also began my distinctly-commercial photography business for everything outside of personal portraits, called Jackie Stills and Films, so technically, I have two photography businesses to keep non-commercial and commercial-advertising work separated.
Sadly, in 2022, my dad was terminally ill and we knew the time was nearing. I had stayed at my full-time job a little longer than expected due to that fear of taking the risk of putting all my eggs in one basket. However, when he was quickly declining, I knew it was time.
I had some savings, and I took my paid vacation time to spend the week with him before returning and immediately submitting my two-week notice. During those two weeks, he was hospitalized, but as a loyal worker, I was still trying to fulfill my two weeks of work left before going solo, where I was planning to honor my shoots for my photography business and then take my laptop to edit by my dad’s side and spend time together when the editing is done and deliverables to clients were sent.
Unfortunately, two days before my last day of those two weeks at work, my father had a scheduled doctor’s appointment and was hospitalized due to his weak conditions. We talked on the phone that Wednesday night, and he was in good spirits and chipper as ever, always the tough guy. He did admit he was tired and was going to try to get some sleep in the uncomfortable hospital bed. I heard the nurse coming in with dinner and cracked a joke about him having room service and watching whatever sports was on that night, so I knew he’d be okay. We said I love you as usual and good night for the night, and that I’d be there soon. Sadly, that was the last time I got to talk to him.
Overnight, there were complications and he began bleeding internally and was non-responsive and sedated. When his sister called me crying that next morning after neither of us were able to reach him on his cell, she told me he was on life support. I told my boss, on my second to last day, and they had the audacity to ask me to bring my work laptop to the office before leaving from Texas to Oklahoma to see my dying father. Absolutely distraught, I was already in the car and chomping at the bit to stay the speed limit on my way up and told them I’d take care of it as soon as I returned. My sister from Oklahoma City met us there, and we started going over the options. They said a surgeon was going to operate and that we would know more the next morning. On that Friday, all options were exhausted and we had to say goodbye so he was no longer suffering.
Sadly, that is how my chapter began of working on my own, but I know my mom and dad are both looking after me. After losing your parents, or best friend, or anyone in your life, you realize photos and video is all you have left other than the memories in your mind. It honestly made me appreciate what I do that much more, and cherish the people who let me capture their lives’ milestones.
This past March marked my one-year anniversary of working for myself full time, and I am now making more than I did at that full-time job that I had been too loyal to and stayed too long for. Half way through this second year, and I am hoping to nearly double what I was able to do in my first year. That’s still a tall order, but with the client base and maintained relationships I’ve been able to keep with the people who hire me, I think I can do it.
Regardless, I am just so grateful to get to continue doing what I love to do best and strive to make an even more successful business out of it, while still working on work/life balance in order to spend time with my husband and our friends and family more often. It sure as heck is not easy and there’s so many logistics that are involved besides shooting, editing and delivering, but as anything you do, it has to be something you love enough that you’re more than willing to work the extra hours in order to get consistent work and keep your reputation so people hire you again and again, which is what I keep in mind everyday and appreciate getting to do this full time.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a professional photographer who offers both non-commercial, personal portraits such as for families, weddings, seniors and all of life’s milestones via Jackie Marie Photography, and also offer coverage in the commercial-advertising industry with small businesses, award-winning chefs, musicians and destination-vacation rentals through Jackie Stills & Films. I will never “niche down” as many marketing advisors would recommend, because I love it all and if it needs photographed, I can capture it.
It’s hard for me to boast, but a part of the prompt here is to list what you’re most proud of, and one of those moments happened this year, in May, when I had the honor of being hired by a media corporation based in LA to cover the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, TX, hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks. I only got to document them from the crowd as they were on the big stage, but I did get to capture many of the awarded artists close up over the day before the event and the day of, including the most awarded artist of the night, Lainey Wilson.
I am also proud anytime a family, newly-wedded couple, small business owner or any of my clients respond back to me after sending their photos and say how much they love them, knowing that they’ll cherish those forever. There are a handful of clients I’ve gotten to capture from marriage proposal, to wedding day, to maternity, to having a newborn, and capturing those special steps along the way as their family grows that I’m honored to get to do. I’ve also gotten to document what was just a brand in the making by someone who also took a huge step into investing in themselves, and see their business grow into a successful conglomerate of a brand. These are things that make me not only proud that I get to be the one behind the lens, but proud of the people I’m doing the work for.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Consistency is what helped me build my reputation within the photography market. You have to be consistent with your word and follow through, ask what the client’s goal is with working with you and try your very best to not only execute it but go above and beyond (I try to under promise and over deliver) and hype people up on capturing what’s important to them, and letting them know that that’s extremely important to me as well!
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Oh my gosh, yes! As I was just getting serious about photography in high school, I was what they call “green behind the ears” trying to break out in an incredibly competitive industry. I wish I would have known about presets in photography, and when to use them, and how to make my own so I could have saved myself hours and hours of frustratingly trying to make an image have a certain look and starting from scratch with every single photo, versus saving my adjustments and applying them to multiple photos for “batch editing” before the fine tuning. That would have saved me so much time!
I also wish I would have know there were simple subscription services for bookings and payments as I do now, which specifically makes contracts and invoices geared towards photographers. That was always daunting to me and was disorganized for the longest time, as I was getting started and just didn’t know any better. Since then, I know exactly what I’m making and when payments are made, and it’s easier for clients to get booked with me through an easy-online contract and invoice with automated updates on when things are due to keep everything running smoothly!
It would have also been good to know that those that promise “exposure” usually do not have a following that’s willing to pay for services, as they’re not willing to pay for services themselves… So only doing something for free or as a “passion project” when you’re doing it for yourself and exactly what you want to capture, and not the other way around. For example, through college, I was broke and wouldn’t have been able to go to all the concerts I did if it wasn’t for a local publication that would give me a media pass in exchange for attending and capturing a show, and music became my first true love of a genre in photography, which was great because it was also one of the most difficult things to capture, with no control of the lighting in a usually low-light situation and sometimes fast-motion of artists with lively stage presence, so I really got my chops doing that and I will still pop into a show and bring my camera to shoot for free, but only if I feel like it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jackiemariephoto.com + www.jackiestillsandfilms.com + www.loubriellove.com
- Instagram: @jackiemariephotography + @jackiestillsandfilms
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jackiemariephotography + www.facebook.com/jackiestillsandfilms + www.facebook.com/loubriellovecollection
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackquelynloubriel/
- Other: Google: https://g.page/r/CTJr8uiy0-kVEBM/review Getty Images: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?family=editorial&phrase=jackie%20loubriel
Image Credits
Jackquelyn Loubriel