We recently connected with Jennifer El-Haddad and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

I was reached out to by a male potential client in October 2021 about proposing to his then-girlfriend. They had recently moved to Charleston from Nashville, TN. I spent about 4 weeks communicating and helping him plan the perfect proposal. The big day came, and he proposed to her on the beach at golden hour on November 13, 2021.

Fast forward about a month, and they started wedding planning. His fiancé reached out to me and said that she couldn’t imagine her wedding day without me. And from there we spent the next 8 months planning their perfect beach wedding. All of my wedding packages include an engagement session, which we did at James Island County Park and on Folly Beach. The session was perfect, and once again the sun shined.

A few months after their engagement session, she reached out to me about doing a branding session, as she is a yoga teacher. We once again, had a blast and were laughing the entire time.

In August 2022, the couple tied the knot and the day was perfect! It was smaller, intimate beach wedding and everything was incredible. Since then, I have also done their Holiday Session with their adorable puppy.

This couple is a prime example that building relationships is the most important part of my job and the reason I love what I do. I strive to achieve and provide the best possible customer service, and turn my clients into lifelong friends.

Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Most of you might already know me, but my name is Jen El-Haddad. I am a Charleston photographer and the owner of Jennifer Mary Photography. I relaunched my business part-time in March 2021, and went full time in May 2021, after being laid off for the second time in 9 months.

My love for photography started as a child with the need to take photos of EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING! My parents gifted me a sticker Polaroid for Christmas in elementary school, and I felt the need to constantly take photos of everything in sight. Years later, as a Junior in high school, I decided to take Photography I; which was a black & white film class. I learned how to develop my own film and prints, and realized that I had a true passion and love for the art. (I even started to do my high school boyfriend’s photography projects because I loved the dark room so much!) While applying for universities, I started to explore Photography programs and ended up choosing Shepherd University; a small D2 school, located in Shepherdstown, WV.

In 2010, I started Jennifer Mary Photography as a class project and it escalated to Senior Portraits, Proms, and Graduations. I continued this as a part-time gig through college, and slowly felt the creativity being sucked from my soul as I entered the corporate world. Somewhere in the hustle and bustle of the corporate world, I applied for a promotion and relocated to sunny Charleston, SC at the end of 2017.

Fast forward to 2020, in the midst of the shutdown and pandemic, I needed my creative outlet again. So I did what I knew best, I picked up my camera and headed down to Folly Beach, SC. In March 2021, I applied for my LLC and business licenses, and made my business official while working as a Marketing and Social Media Coordinator. At the end of May 2021, I was laid off for the second time in 9 months; this was my sign.

I truly believed that God had given me the sign I had been looking for my entire adult life. A sign that I was created to do something more and something that truly fulfilled me! I hit the ground running and started picking up clients full time. In July, I decided to do my first pop-up event with my landscape prints. Between May and December 2021, I did 36 markets, 40 sessions, and 6 weddings! I truly cannot express how blessed and grateful I am.

On June 27, I re-devoted my life as a Believer and was baptized in the ocean. I truly believe that I was put on this earth to share my passion and serve others. These last few years have been part of my testimony. The more I have leaned in, the more He has blessed my life.

BUT WHO IS JEN? I’m a curly-heaan early-2000s emo kid in the fall/winter… There’s absolutely NO in between.

When I’m not working and growing my business, I love going down to the beach or walking around downtown. I love to try new food and restaurants (and eat primarily plant-based and gluten-free), and traveling (I’ve been to 7 countries and 28 states). I’m a HUGE fan of all things Friends and Schitt’s Creek, Lilly Pulitzer and lululemon, and celebrating holidays (Halloween is celebrated the entire month of October, and Christmas begins on November 1).

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As I mentioned, I started my business in March 2021 and went full-time in May 2021, after my second layoff. I can’t say that I know anyone else who hit the ground running as hard as I did. In 2022, I was able to match my previous salary. I have been able to create a life that I only dreamed of. I truly didn’t know that I was capable of creating such an incredible experience for myself and my clients.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal in creating my business has been to create a life of freedom. When I worked in the corporate world, I had to constantly ask for time off and ask for permission, now I plan trips back to Maryland regularly to see family and friends, and while I’m there, I am able to work as much or as little as I please.

My goal is to create a world of financial and time freedom for the day I choose to have a family. Ultimately, I want to create a life that I can be there for my future children, the way my mom was there for my brother and I. I want to pack kids up in an RV and roadtrip across the US; but most of all, I want to create a life that I am proud of. I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of things in my 20s and 30s because my job did not allow me to participate. I never want to let a friend or family member down and say “Let me check with my boss” again!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jennifermaryphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jennifermaryphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jennifermaryphotographyllc
• Other: https://www.jennifermaryphotography.com/blog/