We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jama Pantel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jama, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I feel like this is a loaded question. In the portrait photography industry, our biggest differentiating factor is ourselves. Having the courage to put your true self out there is intimidating, especially if you are an introvert like me.

I feel like I can differentiate myself in the industry by taking the time to really get to know my clients before they ever step foot in front of my camera. Before any session, I always get to know my clients. I listen to them and what they want. I want them to be seen and heard. I want them to feel special because EVERYONE is special.

Last year I started a new project, the 40 Over 40 Portrait Experience. The idea behind it was to the tell the amazing stories of everyday women over the age of 40. As a woman over 40 myself, I know how we tend to put everyone else before ourselves. I wanted to change that. I have some incredible women in my life who have shaped me in so many ways. With this project, not only am I giving these women permission to put themselves first, but also providing them beautiful portraits to remember this time in their lives. We sit down and chat, I learn about their fears, I ask what advice they would give their younger selves or the younger generation, and just dig deep and really get to know them. Sharing a story is a huge part of image creation.

We also work closely together on outfit selections, so they end up with portraits that they LOVE. I have even gone through closets with many of my clients to help them in that way. Talk about really getting to know someone. A huge differentiating factor.

Each session also includes hair and makeup, because that can also be stressful. By the time my clients get in front of the camera, they are relaxed and look and feel amazing! This shines through in their portraits.

I feel like the portrait industry standard focuses on youth. I want mature women to have a place to be seen for their beauty and who they are as well. They deserve to be treated to a pampering portrait session and feel like a supermodel for a day too.

Another part of what I do differently, and something I don’t feel like I talk about enough, is donate a portion of my art sales to local non-profits. I have been doing this for years. I feel like I don’t talk about it enough because giving is so personal and not something I want to sound like I am bragging about. But, as a business, giving back is a HUGE part of what drives me. I recognize how fortunate I am today and that wasn’t always the case, so being in a position to do this provides me personally with great satisfaction. As an introvert, there are so many personal things that I do that I keep close to my heart so they aren’t as easy to share.

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?

For those who don’t know me, I am an Austin, Texas based portrait photographer, but I have a passport and LOVE to travel. I have taken portraits for clients all over Texas, in Arizona and as far away as Kauai, Hawaii. I have a session coming up in Cancun, Mexico, so will be putting that passport to use. I feel that travel has given me the best education I could have asked or, and taught me how to capture amazing people with minimal gear. Some photographers only specialize in studio portraits or natural light. I have been a photographer for over 20 years and have mastered it all. That is very helpful for so many reasons.

I have been featured and published in The New York Times and have been named “Best of Austin Portrait Photographer” for the past 6 years.

How did I get here? Well, another aspect of how I differentiate myself is that my clients all get finished art. As I mentioned previously, I have had many influential women in my life that have made a lasting impact on me. The most notable is my paternal grandmother. She had a portrait of herself from her senior year of high school in 1948 up in her house my entire childhood. I loved looking at that framed portrait growing up. When she passed away my senior year of high school, I was devastated. I still have that portrait today, and it’s one of my most prized possessions. I want all my clients to have that legacy piece. A piece of art that they can pass down. Most women say, I don’t need a picture of myself. Yet, the truth of the matter is, you just might not realize how much impact a single picture could have on someone in your life. Sharing images and stories create lasting memories for those you love. I can still hear my grandmas voice sharing stories while showing me pictures. Talk about priceless.

I was already involved in high school yearbook and took and developed pictures, but when I got to college, I took it up a notch and minored in photography. My business is a tribute to my grandmother and all the images and stories she shared with me. I honestly hope I am making her proud.

I specialize in women’s portraiture, including family, high school seniors, women over 40 and headshots, branding images. My clients love their wall art (canvas images), albums and folio boxes. Whenever I deliver art to my clients, I think to myself, who will they impact by showing off them and sharing their stories?

My grandmother is the story behind my mission!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that “everyone just wants digitals” and not finished art. I started photography back in the film day before digital was even a thing. I used to love matting and framing my images. That was part of the final presentation and why I loved photography in the first place. Putting together albums brought such great joy.

Then, the age of digital was born and other educators in the industry had me convinced everyone just wanted digital files…so started off my business only providing digital files. To this day, I feel that was the biggest mistake I made in my business. So many of those clients came back to me later because they lost or misplaced their cd, flash drives, etc. Some never got around to printing because they were too busy and the cd or flash drive became corrupted. They all will eventually. Drives crash, cd’s scratch…technology is always changing.

So, I had to unlearn the “digital only” concept and have faith that providing a custom service and experience for my clients was worth it. Now, my clients come to me because I do everything for them! They are busy working women who love the service of having everything done for them.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The whole unlearning a lesson thing illustrates resilience. Pivoting your business after everyone knows you for something was HARD! It took a lot of hard work and learning to ignore the naysayers. I focused on education and mentorships of people who had achieved what I wanted to achieve. I re-learned everything from the ground up and built a business I am proud of. It taught me so much…especially that I am resilient and can do anything I put my mind to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jamapantel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosbyjamapantel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jama.pantel.photography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/485079/admin/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-7oa2tZ0N7A_A7E7DL9G7w
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamapantel/