We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenna Sasala a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jenna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I’m a photographer in the Pittsburgh area specializing in high school senior, couple, and family portraits. I’m located north of Pittsburgh (in the most adorable small town of Zelienople!), but I travel around the greater Pittsburgh area for photo sessions!

I’m someone who’s passionate about relationships and people and who LOVES asking questions. Photography has naturally become an extension of how I love to connect with people to learn (and tell!) their stories. I couldn’t be more thankful that I get to call this my job!

One of my favorite quotes is: “People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” (Maya Angelou) And that is a summation of my approach to photography. This career is more than a job to me – it’s how I love to love and encourage people who are in so many different seasons of life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started taking photos back in 2011 as a senior in high school as a fun, side hobby. I decided shortly after to study Graphic Design & Web Design at Robert Morris University and worked for a start up marketing company for a few years, all the while continuing to take photos and build my business on the side. My photography business grew and grew until I wasn’t able to manage both my marketing job and photography business any longer and had to make a choice – and ultimately in July of 2016, I chose to leave my marketing job and pursue photography full time!

Within the last few years, I’ve reached back a bit to my marketing roots and have started creating social media content for a few other businesses in my local area. Much like how photographing people gives the opportunity to show who they are, working with businesses has given me the opportunity to tell the story of a brand and connect with current and potential customers. My aim with social media content creation is to always create content that gives value and/or serves the customer, or potential customer. Sure, trends can be fun, but I find that the type of content that creates (and connects with) loyal customers tells the story of who a brand is at its core.

When it comes to photography, I photograph high school seniors, proposals, families, engagements, and weddings, with my primary focus on seniors. My approach is to create an environment that feels laid back and relaxed – we talk throughout the session and have fun, instead of going from stiff pose to stiff pose. I like to use a lot of movement and direction to help my seniors loosen up and to get more natural smiles in front of the camera! My goal is always to get the “real” smile – you know, the one that the senior’s mom & dad will look at and say “that’s her!” – not the fake “look at the camera and smile” smile.

Photographing seniors is a joy to me because I love getting to encourage those seniors in front of my camera. Many come in a little shy and a little nervous towards the beginning. But by the end of the session, the vast majority of my seniors are telling me how much fun they had and how good they feel. It’s a blessing to get to infuse some confidence into teenagers who can sometimes compare themselves too much, to the point where they can’t see how individually unique they are. I love getting to give them some confidence!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Believe it or not, my blog! I do NOT believe that blogging is dead in 2025. Ever since the start of my business (back in 2014), I have blogged at least a handful of photos from almost every single session I’ve photographed. Because of that, I have really high rankings on Google, and have not been at a loss for new clients. The key is to make sure you are using relevant metadata (titles, tags, keywords) within the blog post and “alt tagging” the photos with keywords, too.

In addition to blogging photos from every session, I also take any FAQ’s my clients ask and answer each one in a blog post. Some FAQ’s I’ve answered on my blog are: what locations would you recommend for photos? (I’ve broken that question into several blog posts, including: the best places for senior girl photos, the best places for fall photos, etc.) What should I wear for my photo session? (I’ve also broken this question down into multiple blog posts, including by gender, by season, etc.).

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Consistent, reliable communication, as well as a “tell-a-friend” worthy experience.

I’ve found that being able to answer a potential client’s questions before they even have to ask is a huge way to build trust on the front end – which is why I have all of my package and pricing information on my website. When I was planning my own wedding in 2014/2015 and researching vendors (including photographers!) I remember being a bit frustrated by the amount of vendors who did not include pricing or package information on their website. I didn’t have the time to schedule a phone call with every single vendor just to find out they were out of my price range – which is why I like having all of the information up front!

I also find that it’s helpful to position myself as an expert by answering the questions potential clients have up front, too. I have lots of FAQ’s on my website that touch on specific questions I’m asked – where should I have my photos taken? What should I wear for my photos? And the like. When people view me as an expert who can anticipate and answer their questions prior to even working with them, it builds trust.

I also work hard to create a worthy client experience that goes above and beyond. For example, I always tell clients that their full gallery will be ready in about 4-6 weeks for a portrait session, but aim to deliver the gallery in 2. I often give clients an extra 10/15 minutes of portrait time during their session so we are able to get a few more images for them. The premise that I’ve always lived by: under promise and over deliver in as many ways as you possibly can!

Beyond under promising and over delivering, I also work hard to create an environment at my sessions that is relaxed, fun, and encouraging. I’m always looking for ways to connect to my seniors and their parents – I want to get to know them individually! They are not just another client for me to photograph – they are a human being with unique quirks, and the more I get to know who they truly are, the more comfortable they look and feel in front of my camera. They feel encouraged, I get better photos because they look more natural – it’s a win-win!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jennahidingerphotography.com/
• Instagram: @jennahidinger
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennaHidingerPhotography
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jennahidinger

Image Credits
Dani Mecaskey, Nick Sasala