We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Arnold. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I had no prior photography experience when I was assigned the role of a Public Affairs Officer in the Army. I taught myself through videos during COVID, and the best experience I gained was by doing. Over a whole calendar year, I captured thousands of images (good and bad) of various military events. I picked up some skills along the way and eventually learned how to create content for social media and had images published online. After I learned the basic photography skills, I wanted to branch away from military events. I began to photograph couples, weddings, portraits, and other creative photoshoots. From there I fell in love with creating authentic and true images that clients are able to cherish for the rest of their lives.

Knowing what I know now, I would have leaned in and asked more and more questions. I found that surrounding myself around other photographers that were a few steps ahead of me began to uplevel my craft. In some ways, I felt often intimidated to ask questions, but in hindsight if I leaned in an looked to them as an ally rather than competition I could have had a faster time learning and growing in my business.

However, the most important skill was to be open and receptive to try something new and meet new people. Networking was key in me finding new clients, building rapport, and growing my business. Once I moved my business from Hawaii to Florida, I continued to build my network which was essential in keeping and growing clientele. I cannot stress the importance of networking!!

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.

My photography journey started in 2020 when the Army handed me a fancy camera and told me to figure it out. Built from the ground up, I began to photograph Military events, Ceremonies, and Army Band performances along with being a full time Soldier. Looking for a further creative outlet, I branched out to the local community to do portrait and couples photography. I was named the 2021 Unit Public Affairs Representative of the Year – Runner Up for the whole Army and photograph weddings, portraits, couples, elopements and more. With my military background, I was molded into taking candid, raw and real coverage while being both behind the scenes discreet and on the front lines for high pressure events. I do whatever it takes to get the shots you want to build the vision for your photoshoot while creating an amazing experience with memories that will last you forever. I am a Army veteran and currently reside in Tampa, FL, with my husband Danny and my two cats, Oliver and Tabitha.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my audience organically through social media. I did not and still do not run ads on my social media platforms. I would follow or reach out to local creatives, models, and other photographers that I saw were in my local area. Often times there would be model calls on photographers pages and I would message the photographer to ask to tag along. Furthermore, I would attend and meet other local models, photographers, and vendors at styled shoots.

Styled shoots are a great way to build a social media presence. A lot of connections can be established when you attend a styled photoshoot where you can meet vendors such as florists, makeup artists, cake/dessert/catering businesses, etc. I made a point to connect and tag them the day of the event so they knew who I was and they would follow me back. Posting a behind the scenes reel a day or two after the event and tagging vendors is a good way to get views back on your profile. Once the photos are ready to post on social media I made sure to invite vendors to be a collaborator on the post so they get I got visibility to their following and they had access to my following.

Additionally, I have conducted giveaways with local business owners I became friends with at these styled shoots and networking events, so I was able to grow my following locally and expand to other areas where my photography services could be needed.

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

I was able to build my reputation in the market by having a true client journey that was personable from start to finish. I treated every interaction with an individual as an opportunity to add value and a chance to give them a opportunity to create lasting memories.

Another way I was able to continue to build a reputation was through constant networking and meeting new people in my community. I won’t ever burn a bridge and I always take into consideration how I would want to be treated in all situations. I wouldn’t treat or see people as a transaction. Also, if I have worked with local vendors before, I would also refer them out to other potential clients by tagging them in posts or sending their information to people looking for their services. This always works ten fold because in return these vendors begin to refer my services out to others as well!

After every client I offered them a discount on a future session or some money for coffee if they left a review. As a newer business, positive reviews really helped build reputation and rapport.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jyarnoldphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/j.arnold.photography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenn.arnold.photography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-y-arnold/
• Other: https://g.page/r/CckvVa5wZStQEAI/review

Image Credits
Maria Pena for the headshot photos of myself. the rest are taken by me.