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

Jacqueline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

Here’s what I think the key is for taking an idea to execution: just deciding that you’re going to do it.

A little background: I went to NYU and got my degree in Communications with a specialization in theater. Photography wasn’t on my radar. After graduating, I bounced around Spain for about a year, then came back to NYC and eventually convinced myself that it was probably time to get a “real job.” I worked at a boutique PR firm in Manhattan for about two years, and was actually doing pretty well. But I felt suffocated by the 9-5/M-F grind. I felt that I was just a cog in the wheel, and it broke me. So, I quit without having any idea what I was going to do next. But I knew something was on the other side of this risky decision. It was scary, but freeing.

I ended up switching gears and landing a job working in the fashion district (for a bridal designer). I loved being in the showroom, working one-on-one with clients, and having flexibility in my schedule. I eventually started a blog for the designer, and sourced real wedding photos from clients to market her work. It sparked something in me. Going through thousands and thousands of photos gave me a sharp eye for what worked and what didn’t. And I thought to myself – I can do this….

Mind you, at this point, I’d never picked up a DSLR in my life – so that was a bold assumption. But something in me knew that, if I just learned how to manually handle a camera, I could do this. I ended up taking a class at a photography school in New York. The class was about 2 – 3 months long, and by the end of it, I was shooting manually and taking pictures of everything and everyone who would let me.

The first year I started shooting, I did it as a side hustle, mainly shooting portraits and getting my feet wet. I couldn’t really picture what it would look like to REALLY make a career out of a creative pursuit. But there was one day, when someone asked me what I did. I ditched the imposter syndrome and blurted out, “I’m a photographer.” And I kind of couldn’t believe I owned it…I went from thinking I was just trying something out to realizing – this is what I do. In that moment, I made the decision: this is not my side hustle. This is going to be my career, and I’m not doing it half-way. The following year, I made about 10x what I did in the previous year. And I truly believe that it all started with making a clear decision.

My first step was INVESTIGATION phase. I researched photographers in my area who were new-ish to business, but who were already shooting weddings on their own. I emailed them, asking if I could ask them about their experience, learn how they got their start, etc. A couple of them wrote back, and one even said she’d be open to meeting for drinks in the city. After a few martinis, we were fast friends and she was an open book (thank you, Brooke Allison!). She offered to let me shadow her on a wedding. I eventually 2nd shot for her, and then for other photographers, as well. After a few months, my confidence was building and I felt ready(ish) to lead shoot my on my own…

I put out an ad somewhere (I don’t remember where, tbh) saying that I was, full disclosure, shooting my first wedding alone, and that I’d be willing to do it for $500. I was contacted by a couple having a small wedding in their family’s back yard. Overall, there were no disasters.

From there, I took the leap and advertised my business on some wedding websites, and I was able to get my first real client bookings. I remember when the first couple contacted me, I almost threw up when I sent them my price list. I could not believe they were going to PAY ME to shoot their wedding. That first real booking was for $1600.

Little by little, things snowballed, and even through 3 cross-country moves, my business stayed totally consistent.

I’m going to admit it – I never blogged regularly, I have zero concern with SEO, I’m not the most consistent on social media. Every workshop I went to early on said that photographers should focus on their business model. And I, personally, decided to expend my focus and energy on creating the best images I could and creating the best experiences for those who chose to work with me. If my images are shit, no website or system is going to change that. Could SEO and blogging have given me a higher volume of work? It’s possible, I suppose. But I know that the people who find me do so through channels that give us a really genuine and organic connection. And that makes the work more fulfilling.

I think that the success in my business has been in the fact that I DON’T make people feel like they are hiring a factory. I take my work very personally…otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth doing. I like to create true connections. When I photograph a wedding, for example, the experience that the couple has with me is equally important to the photos. I drop in fully. When I’m shooting a commercial job, I make sure I work off the shot list and then also try to incorporate something unexpected or extra that you only see when you’re in the middle of the shoot.

Bottom line: 1. Make the decision. 2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – people love to help people.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My work has been a real evolution of genres over the years…

When I began as a budding photographer, I focused largely on creative portraiture. I then added weddings, which was my bread-and-butter for about 10 years. And mixed into all of this, I created my own personal series of portrait work which I exhibited in LA in March 2020 and May 2023 with my incredibly talented artist friend Claire Elan. And for the past few years, I’ve been doing commercial work.

When I knew I wanted to start making my way into commercial photography, I had no idea where to begin. But I started by contacting people I knew in the industry who might be willing to just talk with me about it, or to connect me with people who would. A phone call with a former client led to him taking a chance on me and he brought me into some of his commercial shoots. Since then I’ve probably shot on roughly 20 commercial sets, and am still watching this evolution continue to unfold.

There are so many amazing photographers out there…it’s hard to know what sets people apart. But I think what sets me apart is 1. that I really genuinely like people and feel that anyone I photograph is a true collaborator in the images we make together. And 2. the creativity comes before the “business” for me. That might be contrary to what every photo business workshop ever tried to tell me, but it’s been my honest journey as a creative entrepreneur.

I think that the thing I’m most proud of is my ability to take chances and trust myself and the process. And to know that even when I don’t see a clear path ahead, if I carve one out one step at a time, I’ll build my own. My hope is that my experience can be paid forward and that I can be helpful to others who are being brave in launching their own creative journey.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It was 2012. I’d just officially launched my photography business and was starting to book pretty consistently for the upcoming year (and beyond) – yay! We’d just moved from NYC to Edgewater, NJ…a stone’s throw away from the West Side Highway. I had a 2 year old and a brand new baby. So, like, it was pure chaos. To top it all off, I was going through some pretty severe post-partum anxiety. That was fun.

And then my husband’s agent highly suggested that we pack up and move to LA.

Yeah, no.

But, also…we kind of should.

I’m going to be honest. It really sucked. It was a rough time. I didn’t want to move. I loved New York. My calendar was booked out a year ahead…all on the east coast. I’d worked so hard to get to this point, and things were finally taking off. But I knew we had to do this for our family. So, we took a chance and moved to LA. (If you want to know what it’s like to pack up an apartment with a baby and a toddler and move across the country and book flights but not even know where you’re going to live until 3 weeks before you depart and not have any work lined up there, that’s a whole other interview).

Fast forward a couple of months, and we land at LAX and head to an apartment in Studio City that we rented sight unseen. All of our belongings were still on a truck somewhere in middle America, making its way to LA. A dear friend (suggesting she be canonized a saint) in LA had let herself in before we got there and set up air mattresses and left us some muffins and wine and plastic cups (much needed). Might I remind you, once again, we had a 6 month old and 2 year old. And we had NO idea what we were going to do in LA. I had zero contacts in LA, and a full calendar of weddings booked out in New York for the year ahead.

Within 3 weeks of landing in California, I was already flying back to NYC to shoot. For the next 2 years, I flew back to to NYC about 40-50 times for work, missing birthdays, ballet recitals, and (omg, kill me) my son’s preschool graduation where he wore a tiny little bowtie). It was SO HARD. but I did it. And, guess what? The kids were fine. This level of commitment to my clients as I was growing my career was huge in establishing myself in the industry, and it is likely what led to a lot of the consistency of my business in the following years. Through those weddings, I became connected to my clients’ friends who were getting engaged, to planners, and to publications that began to feature my work. It was also really lucky for me that I happened to have the best clients who treated me with such respect and appreciation – so, even though it was hard, it was really rewarding.

And after a while, I very slowly started connecting myself to planners in Los Angeles, and was able to get a good mix of NY/LA shoots. But, it didn’t happen overnight.

Over the past few years, I’ve been able to become much more intentional with my time and energy. But I definitely had to earn that.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love this question. I am constantly fascinated by the concept of creating something out of nothing. As the initial question of this interview asks – how do you go from Idea to Execution? You trust in the process of making something out of what wasn’t there before. Words on a page, paint on a canvas, a photograph, a film, a bouquet of flowers, the melody of a song…creativity is bravery.

Artists are curators of the the mundane and the abstract. We see the potential of what could otherwise just float away. We collect ideas and objects and thoughts and words and shape them into beautiful things.

I think that being an artist has led me to pay attention more to the little stuff. To the way light changes in color as the sun rises and falls. How shadows create depth – both literally and figuratively. How something tastes, and feels, and sounds. And how much vulnerability exists in the process of creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jacquelinepattonphoto.com & www.jacquelinepatton.com
• Instagram: @jacquelinepattonphoto

Image Credits
My bio photo is taken by Claire Elan All other photos are taken by me, Jacqueline Patton