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

Hi Jenna, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I’ve taken lots of risks, but I think the biggest I’ve ever taken in my career was uprooting my entire life and moving to Jerusalem, Israel for two years. I was primarily doing photojournalism with a non-profit organization. I had felt this strong pull (I’m a professing follower of Jesus) by the Lord to go and little did I know, those two years would stretch me creatively, and spiritually…more than I have ever been stretched in my life actually. Doing photojournalism and street photography taught me how to really notice things. It was in the little moments like the shop owner putting his produce out in the gleaming morning light reflecting so beautifully off the ancient Jerusalem stone, the woman praying fervently at the Western Wall and rocking back and forth like she was truly in the posture of receiving, and the little Arab kids riding their bikes in the Old City giggling as I pointed my camera at them, those tiny tiny moments, helped shape me into the artist I am now. I truly feel like my job as a wedding photographer is just to pay attention and notice little details that paint the picture of one of the most special days in my clients lives.

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.

I’m Jenna, and I am a luxury wedding and editorial photographer serving Cincinnati, Ohio and beyond. I started photography when I was 15 years old. My grandfather was also a photographer – it was his passion – and I remember watching him with so much fire in my eyes dreaming of how I could be like him when I grow up. He took notice, and on a family trip to Washington D.C. he let me take photos and started showing me the ropes and rules about composition, setting up your lighting, and how to tell a story in a photograph. From there, I fell completely in love with the craft. I prided myself on doing free photoshoots with my friends and families at my church, gleefully sharing my favorite images to my Papaw after each shoot. The winter of my Freshman year at college, he passed away. I realized just how important images are as my family and I were combing through photos of him leading up to his funeral. I knew instantly I needed to continue his legacy. And now here I am today doing the very thing I watched my grandfather do. Now I get to tell so many peoples stories through a camera lens all over the world. Although my main focus these days is in the realm of weddings, I love crafting and bringing a story to life.

My brand and my goal is tell stories in the most honest way I possibly can, never fabricating anything, and taking notice of the finer details. I try to take my time when I’m shooting, and I aim to really get to know my couples throughout the entire client experience. I believe what really sets me apart is my intentionality to bring a wedding day to life. A messy reception table? To others that looks like a bad photo, to me it means a good time was had surrounded by really good people. I love focusing on reactions during toasts, guests fashion choices, and even the heels that got tossed aside. Anything that better tells the story of the day, I’m taking a photo of it. It’s hard to stand out in such a saturated industry, but I try my hardest in my client experience, and my intentionality during the wedding day.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Because I started at such a young age, there were so many resources that weren’t available to me when I first started out in the wedding industry. Things like online courses, or editing tools. Those things didn’t exist yet, so I tried….and failed…a lot. Almost anyone can be a great photographer today because there are SO many great tools out there to better perfect your craft, and that’s awesome. Everything I do today in my business was all self taught and while I take great pride in that, I also wish I had the tools offered now to save a ton of time on editing, marketing, etc.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

After I came back to the states from Israel, I uprooted my life again mere months later and moved from my home state NC to Cincinnati, Ohio, where I’m based now. I had no presence here. My first year of business in Cincy was an absolute train wreck. I booked two weddings for the whole year, and had to re-evaluate how to get my name out in my new area. I started offering things like free venue photos to wedding venues, and second shot a ton. I did anything I possibly could so vendors would start to recognize my name, and I’m now well on my way to being fully booked for the next year of weddings. Word of mouth is your best marketing tool. That’s something I’m extremely passionate about. If you’re not generating many bookings from social media, start working on your word of mouth referrals, and up leveling your client experience. This will lead to great strides in your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jennamartinphoto.co
• Instagram: instagram.com/jennamartin.co
• Facebook: facebook.com/jennamartinphoto