We were lucky to catch up with Jenna & Emily Spets recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna & Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Prior to us starting our photography business together, we actually both worked at the same doctor’s office. We had been working there as receptionists/techs for several years and it was the main source of income for both of us. We would be working our office job during the week and then nights and weekends working on the photography side of things. When you’re at a job where you’ll know you’ll be getting the same amount of money every 2 weeks, it can be scary to jump into a new career where X amount of money isn’t a guarantee.

We had gotten to the point where we couldn’t keep up with both the office job and the photography business. We knew that trying to give 100% to both was no longer a viable option. When it came down to it, the office job was solely there for us to make a living and pay our bills. We dreaded having to go into the office and the job itself wasn’t a job we wanted to be in long-term. The photography business was what made us happy, it was work we looked forward to doing and it was something we were really passionate and excited about.

We finally had to have the conversation on what we should do next. We were booking a good amount of jobs, but was it enough to support us separately? Would we be comfortable giving up a guaranteed paycheck? We felt it was taking a risk to give up a sure thing. Both being logical people and trying to be financially responsible, we waited a couple of months…but all the two months of waiting did was show us that we had no choice but to take the risk and put it all into the photography business. We knew that was our next step and even though it was risky and scary, we took it at the end of 2021.

We both quit our office job and went full-time with the photography business. Our first month out the gate, we both brought in more money than we used to bring in at our office job. We’ve been so much happier since taking the risk to go full-time with our business. So far, everything has been working out just as we wanted it to!

Jenna & Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I, Jenna, started my photography business “Jenna Spets Photography” in 2018. I had always loved photography and started my business solo. Behind the scenes, my sister, Emily, was always there. She’d location scout with me, I would ask her opinion on certain editing choices I was making, I taught her how to use my camera and how to shoot so that she could take headshots for me. She was doing this all as a helpful sister and was definitely not getting paid for it.

At the start of 2021, I was wanting to expand my business and start offering wedding services. I knew I wanted to always have a second shooter at weddings and I knew I was a perfectionist that wanted someone I trusted. I texted Emily and asked how she felt about teaming up. I said we should change the name to just Spets Photography and be business partners. Since we had already worked in an office job together for several years, we knew we worked well together. And she already knew the required tools as I had been teaching them to her since I had started my business. When she got my text message, she didn’t take it seriously and thought I was making a joke.

Fast forward a year later and here we are! Full-time photography partners running our own business.

Being a photography duo is something we feel sets us apart from others. Our clients get 2 photographers at every session and every event, no matter how big or small. Where most photographers charge extra for a 2nd shooter, with us, it’s a guarantee. We both have different shooting styles and not only do our clients end up with more photos, they end up with a more dynamic gallery. It’s so fun for us to upload our photos from our sessions/weddings and seeing the different shots/angles we were able to get of the same moment. We offer a unique experience for clients and a lot of perks come along with hiring a duo. Things like faster email responses and gallery turnaround times, being able to take on more jobs and work with more clients and covering a lot of ground quickly (a great perk for our family sessions with little kids!)

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part is everything we have to look back on and show for our work. A lot of jobs are just clocking in and clocking out and what happens in-between doesn’t leave you with a lot, especially if you’re working for someone else. It’s so so rewarding to be able to have a body of work we’re proud of to show for the hours we put in, and to be able to create things that last for so much longer than just an 8 hour workday. We definitely don’t take for granted how rewarding it is to be able to create art and then give it back for our clients for them to love it as much as we do. Just getting to be creative and make art for a living is so rewarding all on its own, but then to know that we also get to capture such important moments for our clients and create these images for them to have forever is beyond special.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We love to follow our clients on social media because then we can keep up with their journey. We are usually shooting large milestones for clients (graduation, maternity, family milestones, engagements and weddings) so to be able to see where they go next is so fun to watch. We love reacting to their posts and stories and keeping up a connection through social media.

Fostering brand loyalty in the photography world is important to us! We try to give our clients a great experience and give them photos they absolutely love. If our clients connected with us and were happy with how their photos turned out, they’re inclined to book us again in the future. We’re so happy to have so many repeat clients. Nothing makes us happier than yearly family photos with our repeat clients. It’s so fun watching the kids grow each year. We put a lot of love and care into each session and into each gallery. We know our repeat clients recognize that and that’s why they choose to book with us again!

Contact Info:

• Website: spetsphotograhy.com
• Instagram: spetsphotography

Image Credits
Spets Photography