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

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I started my photography business the first time in 2014. I was young and had not idea how to run a business! Things were also a lot different in the photography world at the time. Needless to say, I didn’t make enough money to survive and always had to have a full time job while running my own business. I burned out very quickly and decided to focus on my full time job that I had. I explored several different career options, but could never shake the passion I had for photography. I tried starting it back up a few times with no success. Finally as I got older, and gained knowledge from all of my previous jobs, I decided to take the plunge again and things started to gain momentum! I wish I had all of the tools and knowledge I have now back then, because I feel it would have been an easier path to success.

Jessica, 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?

My name is Jessica, and I am a lover of all things fun and adventurous. I’ve always been a creative soul, which lead to my passion for photography. I first picked up a camera when I was 14, and haven’t looked back. Since then, I’ve studied with peers and sought guidance from mentors, simply to learn more about photography. I first began my photography business in 2014; unfortunately, fate had different plans for me. Due to unforeseen economic hardship, I was unable to pursue my passion longterm, and had to put photography on hold for a few years; however, I couldn’t shake my passion. I have experienced many challenges throughout my career, but a few bumps along the way have not dampened my passion to empower my clients through photography. I seek to embolden my clients by offering style and coordination guidance through mood boards, once approved, we begin our adventure together.

I enjoy building a genuine connection with my clients before their photoshoot; I find that it relieves stress and awkwardness on the day of our shoot and allows for me to capture authentic moments as a friend rather than a stranger. Everyone has a story to tell; I love documenting their treasured moments, so they may fondly reflect on their most valuable memories.
I am humbled and honored that every client I have leaves as a friend, and repeat client. I feel that the photos I produce reflect the true connection that my client’s have with each other and with the camera because I put so much effort into making them feel comfortable and at ease. The authenticity of the moments captured on camera truly shine through after the experience that I strive to give to each client. Aside from the business, I just LOVE what I do, and everyday I spend doing it makes me feel energized and fulfilled.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As simple as it sounds, I had to unlearn that things will not just fall into your lap even if you’re good at what you do. When I was young and first started my business, I thought that if I just advertised my photography and showed off my work people would start to flock to me for my services. As any of you seasoned small business owners know, that is absolutely NOT how it works. Wouldn’t it be so easy if it did though! To my disappointment, I did not have a good first year of business due to this mindset. I had to learn that you have to work very hard for what you want and build trust with your community as a small business. I have learned that volunteering and offering services for free when starting out are some of the best ways to build up a good client repertoire. I treated every client that I did free sessions for as if they were a client that paid me my highest photography package. How you treat one client is how you should treat all of your clients, and every time you interact with them their experience should be exceptional. I have learned that it takes a lot of giving to receive the reputation of value that you want people to see in your business.

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

During the start, I had to still work my full time job. At the same time, I was working on my photography business with every free moment I had. Every minute that I wasn’t doing a photoshoot or editing photos, I was looking up educational resources to grow my knowledge on the subject. I was on the go constantly and I wasn’t making that much money from photography. After working hard, things started to ramp up and I was getting very excited at the thought that I may be able to make my own business into my full time job. Then suddenly, I had zero business. I did not have one single inquiry or photoshoot for 2 months. To say I was frustrated and burnt out was an understatement. I was ready to throw in the towel and give-up because I was frustrated that all of my seemingly hard work had gotten me no where. Then it hit me. My business slowed down because I burned myself into the ground. That is when I decided to accept the slow season and let myself recover and take the free time to spark my creative flow again. When that happened, I felt renewed and re-energized to throw myself back into my dream of becoming a full time photographer. I noticed that allowing myself the time I needed to recover allowed me to become who I needed to be for my future clients, and I started to see a resurgence in my inquiries. I needed to learn that lesson, and I feel like every new business owner learns the same lesson at some point. Figuring out how to ease the season of burn-out and learn to light that spark again for your business is such a crucial skill to develop.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicakatherinephoto.com
• Instagram: @jessicakatherinephoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicakatherinephoto

Image Credits
The photo of me was done by Mirari Photography. All other photos were done by me (Jessica Katherine Photography)