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

Jezurine , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

When it comes to asking my family and friends to support my business, it can be a delicate balance between maintaining a personal relationship and promoting my own professional wants. There are a few ways I ask my family and friends to support me and that could be through sharing my work through social media or through word-of-mouth. I do respect their boundaries by not pressuring them or guilt tripping them into supporting me; if they share my work or tell their friends about me then that alone shows how much they care about me and my work. It makes me feel like they’re proud of me and my work. When I think about what’s appropriate and what’s not I had to go back on boundaries and maintaining a work/life balance. While I love capturing their moments, I do offer discounted sessions in exchange of sharing my work or promoting me. I draw the line when they assume I will work for free and it took me awhile to get to this point. I have done a lot of free sessions to get my feet up and that was exhausting to do all while trying to raise my own family. It took me while, but I now know my worth. Even if that is lower than most photographers out there, I know that this is all part of my growth.
Starting this business has been a tough journey for me because I didn’t know how to start. But, the more I kept pushing it back the more I felt like I was never going to grow. I believe everyone’s photography journey is different so I have to constantly remind myself that this is mine and I will grow as long as I am being consistent.

Jezurine , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For those who do not know me, I’m Jezurine, I also go by “Jez.” As many other photographers, I started out at a very young age and fell in love with capturing moments when I had my first camera. I took a lot of self portraits, pictures of my family and friends and just grew an interest in that over the years. I do consider myself as an editorial photographer, I have a passion for capturing candid moments and creating creative portraits. I enjoy working in a variety of settings from family shoots to weddings, small business, and modeling careers. My expertise lies in capturing authentic and spontaneous moments, as well as producing visually stunning portraits that showcase my clients unique personalities and stories.

While this industry is a tough industry to get into, I believe what sets me apart from other photographers is my style, skills and approach. I try my best to build a strong connection with my clients by understanding their needs, desires and personal stories. I believe by capturing genuine expressions and emotions, it can truly reflect the essence of my clients in their galleries.

Another thing I believe sets me apart from others is my editing style. There are a ton of photographers out there, but its our style that people love and gravitate towards. We promote and market ourselves through social media and that’s showcasing our editing and our artistic eye.

And lastly, is my versatility. From photographing weddings to families, small business, and modeling careers, I have a board range of experience and can adapt my skills to various scenarios. This allows me to cater to diverse clients and capture their unique stories effectively.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Starting my business was a tough step to make especially when it came down to the finances. What a lot of people don’t realize is cost of camera equipment. My camera body alone was $2000. It was a huge jump for me to purchase that and to be completely transparent, I had to put it on a credit card. My goal was to book enough sessions so that at the end of the year I would have it paid off. Talk about motivation!
With the amazing support from my spouse, I was able to be completely off on my own. I launched my website, established my socials and was able to put my portfolio together.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Being a full time photographer does have its challenges. Aside from being a business owner, I am also raising a family. With 2 kids, ages 6 and 1, and a home full of pets, I had to prioritize my life. I started my photography business before I was pregnant with my second. I had a good work flow going and felt comfortable since my son was old enough to be with a babysitter. But my business and my creative flow drastically shifted when I was pregnant in 2021. Baby #2 was hard on my body and recovery time took longer than anticipated. And as most moms would understand, I didn’t want to leave my baby in the care of someone else. So I became a stay-at-home mom. With the help and support from my husband, I was able to do so until I felt like I was ready to leave my kids and start working again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jezurinepaulsenphotos.com/
• Instagram: @jezurinepaulsen_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jezurinepaulsenphotos
• Other: Tiktok: @ugcwithjez

Image Credits
Models: Olivia (ig: olivia.aesthetically), Keah (ig: @aunaturel_keah), Dommique (ig: _dommique), Xavier (ig: xaivervon), Wedding Couple: Heather and Justin Couser, Justine (ig: justinee_xoxo), Jesse Paulsen