We were lucky to catch up with Jaylyn Begay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jaylyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

I was surprised to learn that within one of my companies, we didn’t have enough queer individuals seeking our services for wedding photography. After discussing our concerns with Tirzah Stein, an inclusivity coach in Denver, CO., I found the power of inclusive writing to be pretty important when demonstrating a safe and respected space for not only our clients but for people we work with in the industry. It’s also important to showcase your company values and providing that space for people to show up as they choose is VERY important as a photographer.

Inclusive writing is something I’ll continue to practice so that not only do I make my clients feel comfortable but also when working with other creatives it’s important they feel safe and respected while we create art together.

Jaylyn, 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?

I’m Jaylyn Begay, a Native American editorial portrait photographer based in Colorado. I discovered my passion during my time studying for my Bachelor’s degree at The Art Institute of Colorado; after spending hours mindlessly working on projects without contemplating giving up when it felt difficult. Through understanding the technical side of the medium, I later found that photography could be an outlet to capture stories or subjects that we want to highlight to their fullest potential. Viewers don’t want to see the subject being photographed in poor lighting and bad angles – with photography, you have the power and control to highlight a subject at its best. I will never get bored of this medium because every photograph has the potential to tell a story – whether it’s about the person being photographed or about me as the photographer telling their story.

As a creative I find it important to be fluid in your medium, therefore; I have three companies that offer different services such as, WILD BBY Studio Ltd. specializing in boudoir photography, Wild Sage Creative Photography LLC specializing in couples / wedding portraiture, and my personal brand which offers editorial style business & branding portraits. Though I have different channels to express my art, throughout this interview I want to primarily focus on my personal brand (Jaylyn Begay).

As a photographer I want to allow my clients/subjects to embody who they have always wanted to be. By doing this I can represent more than just the person but also inclusivity and culture. Having inclusivity in our society creates community and connection and without this I think our society would seize to exist. In addition, I don’t believe its justifiable to allow our culture to effect the self-esteem of children because WE chose not to represent everyone as they are. As a mixed indigenous woman I understand how this feels, and where the lack of identity of who I am and what I represent means in our society. Thus far, I am most proud to be representing not only myself but of others within body neutrality, sexual expression, gender identity, POC, and also our smaller and or local companies.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

With the intention of showcasing inclusivity and individualism through my photography; the personal goal for me is to have a gallery exhibit that will allow my audience to connect to the souls/faces that have been captured. I’ve always dreamed of having giant images that allow the subject to feel so big and grand that it almost makes them feel uncomfortable- having this moment to question “Do I deserve to be displayed this grand? Am I uncomfortable seeing myself this grand? Why me?”. This work is about elevating who we think we are to who we have always desired to be and feel strong and confident in that. Will large scale photographs change the tenacity of this?

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

One of the biggest resources I wish I could have known earlier in my creative career was the power of networking. It pretty incredible how knowing people and meeting different people can provide you with other resources you need or didn’t know you needed. I wish I knew more people within the other areas of the creative field especially within marketing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jaylynbegay.com/
• Instagram: @boo_jay_snaps
• Facebook: Jaylyn Begay
• Twitter: @boojaysnaps
• Other: TikTok: @boo_jay_snaps VERO: @boo_jay_snaps

Image Credits
The faces in the photographs: Image 1: Shatasia Griffith Image 2: EJ Engler, Medicine Hat Image 3: Whitney Gaffari Image 4: Lucine Visions Image 5: Brain Patrick & Joseph Daniel Image 6: Chava Friedman, Chelsea Cheyenne, & Stephanie Monge Image 7: Jaylynn McDaniel Image 8: Ishimwe Manoa & Syd Image 9: Noah Berg All photographs created by: Jaylyn Begay