We recently connected with Jillian Lenser and have shared our conversation below.

Jillian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear you experience with and lessons learned from recruiting and team building.

When I started photography, I was handling consumer-facing projects like family photos and weddings, so I worked pretty much on my own. As I grew into product photography, I was wearing all of the hats: creative direction, prop and food styling, plus managing accounting and bookkeeping. As my projects grew, so did my team. Now, I have a list of “go-to” people who I call in depending on the project’s scope. It’s a delicate balancing act to weigh personalities, experience, and talent. I also ensure education, equity, and diversity are front and center when I’m building a team or bringing on new crew members.

On the backend, understanding where I need support and knowing when to bring in experts has been key to running my business smoothly. Building solid relationships with an accountant, bookkeeper, insurance agent, and creative agent has allowed me to focus on what I do best. It’s been a game-changer to find people I can connect with and communicate well.

Jillian, 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?

I photograph product, beauty, food and beverage, and lifestyle photography, both stills and motion. Originally from Minnesota, I’m based in Brooklyn, New York. My childhood passion turned self-taught career has left room for curiosity. ‘What do you notice? What do you wonder?’ These are questions I use to dig deeper and be intentional with everything, from lighting to crew and client experience. I love crafting small moments within an image that harmonize to form a final product. My lighting style bridges the gap between vibrant grit and soft tones, mirroring the energy of significant moments and the calmness of life’s little joys.

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

Something not talked about enough is soft skills, like the social, emotional, or behavioral skills that help to better connect with your environment. I’d contribute a majority of my reputation to these types of skills rather than the photography itself. Industry days of ego and gatekeeping are long gone. Today, the most valuable qualities you can bring to set are a positive attitude, empathy, and consideration.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Growing up under constraints imposed by society, school, and various other communities can leave you with a feeling that you’re not reaching your full potential. A creative life often involves diverging from these expectations, whether imposed by others or yourself, and instead, blindly pushing ahead with creative problem-solving, self-trust, and I suppose a bit of grit. The best part is there are many other creatives on the same path, and when you find those people, the connection and visibility you gain make it all worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jillianlenser.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillianlenses/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianlenser/

Image Credits

Creative & Crew: Rachel Snyder, Echo Chen, Misette, Kelsey Lee, Duane Lauge, Keith Mckenna, Curio Brands, Silverhouse Studio, Caribou Coffee, Street Factory Media, Marissa Schneider, Kaylen Larson, Grace Miller, Sara Bartus, k2 Studios, Flewd, Emily Sims, Alyson Shumeyko, Laura Touysinhthiphonexay, Lippe Taylor, Waterloo