We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmin Tafreshi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmin below.

Hi Jasmin, thanks for joining us today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?
Being a self made photographer in San Diego where many have already established their territory, its easy to feel small. The biggest challenge of being a photographer is to establish a recognizable style. Where no matter the subject, one can look at the photo and through the unique nuance, style, and direction taken one can be like “oh obviously this is ____ work”. This is something many artists can attempt their whole careers trying to achieve. When I first started and for years and years after that, the thought of never reaching my own style terrified me. How was I supposed to prove to be different from the thousands of other photographers in the area? I spent a good amount of time trying to find my own recognizable style. I began attending more meet ups to get myself out of my comfort zone and collaborate with other artists. I remember being absolutely mesmerized by all the different techniques other artists used to achieve their shots. I enjoyed watching as each photographer would capture the same subject but the resulting shot was so different from one photographer to the next. I decided to finally speak up and ask artists about how they were able to achieve their own style and as I did so I realized almost half these photographers I had already been following on social media.
Then it happened, as I began to make my way around the meet and chat with these artists I slowly noticed a few people pointing towards me. Although I was concerned at first, the group came up to me and said “wait, aren’t you @jasminshotme on instagram? I love your work!”. This was the first time anyone had ever recognized me and my work in the public eye. This may be small to some but to many artists its these moments that keep you creating.
From this day on, I knew I had finally achieved my personal unique style.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I began to indulge in the industry in high school, where I created a photography club solely because I enjoyed the idea of capturing a moment that would never change. This craving for saving a moment started when my grandfather developed dementia. As his memory began to fade, so did the beautiful memories of our time together. He handed me my first camera and this further inspired me to capture as much as I could. I had the power to allow him to remember, again, through these photographs. This became a tool in our fight to overcome this awful disease. My career began with simple portraiture and everyday life type of shots and throughout my career has advanced to more high fashion and emotion based nuances. I now capture everything from weddings, parties, and grad shots to high fashion, fantasy, and editorial shots.
My goal is to allow the subject to be effortlessly themselves. It’s very easy to get sucked into what we think we should look like and once a camera is in front of you, the nerves can take over. I take my time with each subject to establish a solid connection to where they let go of all expectations and simply enjoy the moment and can truly celebrate themselves and their individuality.
Watching my clients reactions as they go through their final cuts has to be the most rewarding part of what I do. I often get the reaction of “Is that really me?”. That always brings the biggest smile to my face. Capturing someone in their purest form and allowing them to see and celebrate that, is a privilege I hope to continue to do.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
In order to gain solid clientele, it all begins with trust. That being said I truly believe that you have to show professionalism and passion towards everything you do. Once you begin shooting whether its collaborative or not, the best way to gain new clients if word of mouth! People are going to want to know that they can trust you and what better way then to take the advice of their friends. Establish that connection, follow through, and allow your current clients to do the rest.
Bonus points for being active on social media! Of course as we know, social media has quickly became the quickest way to gain the public eye and thus new clients. Its very easy to lack in postings, trust me I am guilty of not being as active as I want to be. However, the greatest advice I can give for this is to simply each week queue photos so you can quickly go to your drafts everyday (or as you please) and have a post already to go!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the individuals I have met. I have had the opportunity to work with such outstanding individuals, in which some I have became very close to. Creating has allowed me to not only get others out of their shell but even myself. Through the camera, I have allowed myself to let go. With all the stress and uncertainty that life can bring us, especially during these uncertain times (personally working in a hospital) during a in what seems like a never ending pandemic, creating is that one escape. Where I have control of what I want to create and what emotion I want to release that day based off how I am feeling.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Jasminshotme
• Other: Email for inquiries: [email protected]

Image Credits
Models: -@Bekahchurch -@Shutesforthepeople -@heavenlyhokulani -@mikespicerphoto -@Petitebutterfly -@Jaennaration [email protected] -@Ashleytayloo