We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jamie Hardin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jamie below.
Jamie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.
Inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community in wedding photography has become a bit of a tokenizing term for people who are not a part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves. Many wedding photographers and industry professionals say they are inclusive as a means to monetize people but they do not reflect that inclusivity in their portfolio, websites or social media. At the end of the day, saying you serve the LGBTQ+ community and actually doing so are two very different things. As an ally for the community in my personal life, it was important to me to set an industry example of how to be a true ally in business too. Every day couples are having to experience the daunting task of coming out to wedding vendors over and over and facing possible rejection. What a terrible and dehumanizing thing to have to go through. They have found their person, proclaimed their love, and then face judgement and discrimination during what should be the happiest of times. I find this heartbreaking. I wanted to do better than the industry standard. I wanted everyone to feel comfortable in my space and to create a work environment for myself where I felt comfortable and happy with the clients I bring in.
I knew that the key to finding a wedding photographer that you love is being able to see yourself in their photos. How can people do that if they donʼt actually see themselves in my work? Making it a point to do model calls, discount weddings and really asking people to trust me was something I hit the ground running with early on. My goal has always been to make sure that everyone from all backgrounds and cultures feel comfortable hiring me. Itʼs easy to get wrapped up in the beauty of weddings: the flowers, the clothing, the table settings and cakes. Some industry professionals forget about the humanity and how beautiful it truly is: the way that you smile at your partner, your momʼs hands as she buttons your dress, the way your family looks at you as you walk down the aisle, the sheer joy that happens when you belly laugh with your partner. My clients are real humans who have weddings on their own terms surrounded by the things that bring them joy. That brings me joy as well. I hope that my business sets a new standard for the industry in creating safe spaces for people and can lead by example.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Jamie Hardin and I have been a wedding photographer for 14 years. I got into this industry the same way that i think many of us do, I grew up with a camera in my hands and a have always had a creative soul. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Poultry Science because I thought I needed a standard job. At the time that I went to college, I picked my degree based on the hiring rate at graduation. I still have yet to use that degree because I met my husband around the same time and we moved for his job. I had the freedom to explore my creative side for the first time in my life and I found happiness.
I have always run my business by my own terms. It is a direct reflection of me as a person. I am an introvert by nature, an observer of life, but at the same time I take charge in spaces where I feel comfortable. I realized after a few years in business that weddings made me the most comfortable. Itʼs an always changing space where everyone is always happy. A wedding day is busy and every day is different. This is where I found space for my ADHD brain. Rather than have to work against myself to sit still, I found an environment that is fast paced, always changing, and I can put my problem solving skills to work.
My photos are best described as documentary. In order for my photos to tell the right story, my clients not only need to be relaxed, but they also need to be comfortable and stress free. This is where my experience shines. Iʼm in the background solving problems my clients donʼt even know exist. Iʼm moving around timelines. Iʼm sewing buttons on dresses. Iʼm finding just right right light on a rainy day. My clients should never have to worry about anything except marrying the love of their life. On a wedding day, Iʼm not there to be your best friend, Iʼm there to be the professional you need to make sure the day flows and the photos are amazing. Itʼs my job to observe, to anticipate, and to be flexible. My clients are not models or social media influencers. They are not comfortable in front of a camera and often have a lot of anxiety about the photos. By making sure that they are relaxed I create an environment where they forget about my camera and trust me as a person. In this trust, I can create magic: real smiles, real laughter, and real moments.
Iʼm often told that I was hired “because everyone in your photos are always so happy.” Thatʼs the biggest compliment I could ever received as an artist and thatʼs what Iʼm most proud of. That Iʼve created something that makes others feel beautiful, comfortable, and important. To leave my mark on the world and create these photographs that will live on forever is powerful to me.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My reputation in my industry comes from being consistent. Everyone who works with me or has worked with me knows what to expect. Whether itʼs in the initial meeting with a client or my first time working with a planner on a wedding day, Iʼm very upfront about how i work and what I need to do that work. I know what I am doing and no one is ever left doubting that. Itʼs important to me as a professional to never leave people wondering what they are getting from me when they hire me. I always think about how I would want to be treated as a client and thatʼs how I run my business. Anyone who has ever worked with me in any capacity knows I”m dependable and Iʼm always professional.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Early on in my career I was insecure. I compared myself to others and I had no idea what I was doing, but I never wanted to admit that. Never once in the first few years of my business did I reach out to other professionals and ask for advice or insight. Nowadays I donʼt know how I did it. I spent so much time just trying to figure out things that I could have just asked others how they do the business side of things I have a community of other professionals now that I can ask advice from or even just vent about the realities of our jobs to. People are helpful by nature and creatives want to connect with other creatives. I really wish I had found my community earlier in my career. I would have been more successful sooner and would not have wasted so much time figuring out things on my own. Also, owning your own business can be lonely but it doesnʼt have to be. We need community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jamiehardinphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiehardinphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamieHardinPhotography/
Image Credits
Jamie Hardin Photography