We recently connected with Jenni Hecht and have shared our conversation below.

Jenni , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

In 2013, I was working a full-time job in a factory and working part-time as a photographer. I despised the factory job as it was hot, dirty, and hard on my body. When I received my tax return that year, I realized it would be enough to pay my bills for three months, so I approached my fiancé (now husband) and told him I wanted to quit my job and dive into my photography business full time. He was adamant that I keep my job and worried that we would be put into a situation that would hurt us financially, but I reassured him that if it didn’t work out I would get another job. I am still full-time ten years later, but it’s been hard. There are periods when no one books a package and I feel defeated. There are times that I wish I had a stable income, evenings, and weekends off. There are also moments I wish that someone else ran my business and I only took the photos. These moments pass when I take the time to focus on gratitude and how amazing my career and my clients are.

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

15 years ago, I dreamed of traveling the world and photographing sunsets. I was laid off and asked my friend to help me buy a camera. I paid her back and took portraits of her family for years afterward. I have always loved taking photos and I still have friends from high school who message me with little memories of me with a camera! My passion lies in capturing a person’s vision. I think that is why I love senior photography so much. They have a vision and they come to me to make it real. That is badass.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

People Pleasing is the absolute worst within our industry. There are images EVERYWHERE. Humans are bombarded by beauty and life through images every single day. It can make photography as a career seem very daunting. People make requests that you cannot follow through with but you try, because within my artistic heart, I only want to make everyone happy. Now, though, I am beginning to shoot for myself and it’s helping me fall in love with my career all over again. I made the move to a bright, colorful, and bold aesthetic with the hopes of adding in film one day. I love it! If I had one piece of mental health advice besides therapy it would be to shoot what you love and not what you think will make the masses happy.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

I was photographing a beautiful autumn wedding but along with it came the autumn weather. It was chilly, rainy, and so windy. I believe wind gusts were over 40 miles per hour the entire day. The venue lost power and had to run off generators, it was insane! This venue has the prettiest covered bridge and the bride really wanted images on it. So, we set off, along with the video team, through the woods to the bridge. We were less than a half mile in when we heard a rumble. We all stopped in our tracks and watch the top of a tree fall right beside us! The video team got to film it! We were shaken and made the decision to turn back. I have never shot in the woods since then in wind gusts over 30 mph.

I also got burnt by a smoke bomb that I didn’t know was double-sided. It was included in my order as freebie and I didn’t read the label correctly when I packed it for my session. I am so glad my client was a friend and able to get me to my car so I could get to the hospital. I have used smoke bombs since then, but I am more alert as to what I grab.

Contact Info:

• Website: jennihecht.com
• Instagram: @jennihechtfotoco
• Facebook: jennihechtfoto