Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jaclyn Horton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jaclyn, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever been on is being a photographer for the Peter Mayhew Foundation in December 2019. The Peter Mayhew Foundation is a non-profit based out of Boyd, TX started by the actor who played Chewbacca in Star Wars and his family, which I’ve now supported for a few years. The Peter Mayhew Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to the alleviation of disease, pain, suffering, and the financial toll brought on by life’s traumatic events.

To keep a long story short and some details private, we partnered with the actor Christopher Sean through a random series of events that knew of a school’s special education program that had a need. In a Star Wars related convention in Los Angeles, we were able to support the school with chromebooks which has shown promise to special needs children in their education. Due to the friends Peter made along the way, the foundation was able to have one of families from the school come out to the convention to meet some of the actors through the various Star Wars franchise.

One of the kindest individuals you will ever come across is James Arnold Taylor who voiced Obi-Wan in the animated series. The entire series of events came out of James’ mind in minutes – none of it was planned. We had planned to give the family and the child a few tokens as a reminder of their fun day at the Star Wars convention. The first item was a toy lightsaber, and it was presented to the child by Obi-Wan Kenobi at that point. James using his Obi-Wan voice was explaining how it was so important for the family to be there and if they would use the force, the child would get their own special lightsaber that they could use if they ever needed. My friend RAN in circles to get behind James and the family so when James said that if they believed in their ability to use the force, the lightsaber would appear.

In true Star Wars magic, we were able to give this child and their family a fun day and have the child and their classmates updated equipment to better facilitate their learning.

I got to photograph every moment of this interaction which was so extremely special. This entire project caused me to decide to open the photography business professionally and no longer just dabble with it as a hobby.

Photos are one of the most important things that you leave behind in this world. Since I recently faced the loss of my precious mother, I believe this even more now. Every photo of my mom is a memory and just the things that show this person was here.

Photography is the art of humanity and I’m glad I am able to capture it.

Jaclyn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi everyone, my name is Jaclyn and I am the owner of Jaclyn Rena Photography LLC based out of San Antonio, TX. I am a portrait and event photographer which means I cover things such as individual portraits, couples, boudoir, cosplay, and various events such as conventions, fundraisers, banquets, corporate work, and more.

As a photographer, I have a keen eye to provide all bodies and ethnicities beautiful portrait work. I am proud to also support the LGTBQIA+ community with a safe and welcoming environment as everyone deserves to have a skilled photographer who will capture their memories behind the lens.

I truly believe photos will live on forever and getting a strong photographer is the first step to having memories of a lifetime.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When we talk about a particular reason why I am a creative and why I choose to continue in this sea of artistry, it all comes back to my mother.

My mother was my biggest cheerleader when it came to anything I ever did that made me happy. My mom would pick up a camera when I was young while I painted or sketched, and I always observed her and why she took photos. She always wanted photos around so she could pick them up and remember good times.

Since her passing, it’s the same for me and I want to be able to provide that to others as well.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’ll be absolutely honest. I hate posting on social media. I’m not a marketer by any means, I’m a business major with a creative side.

One of the biggest things you need to do to grow on social media is post consistently and NETWORK.

You can’t just expect overnight people to like your stuff. Initially when I opened my instagram, it was pretty much just my friends and then I joined probably every photography related facebook group and just started posting and interacting with others.

I have probably 15-20 photographers I’ve never met in person on my page but we are all under the same mentality of community over competition.
I am not a newborn photographer, but I know is and I can recommend a client to them if needed just because I took the time to interact with others.

To summarize, learning a little bit of the SEO/algorithm of social media and networking will grow your audience bit by bit.

Contact Info:

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