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

Joclyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I think that being a business owner in general is “taking a risk”. I am married to an entrepreneur who opened his practice during COVID shutdowns, it was a risk, but with risk comes reward! I have always been the friend that took pictures… with my iphone haha! I didn’t care what I had, I always wanted to use photos as memories. If we didn’t have photos, it would be harder to return to that moment. There are so many moments that I am so happy I took the time to capture photos of, even if it was just with the dinky phone I had. I was previously a social studies teacher and found myself burnt out and helping at my husband’s practice. I started taking photos for the office and decided to try my hand as a family photographer. I used some friends and family to practice on and it turned out to be so fun. I am naturally extroverted so I loved meeting people. I talked to so many photographers and took small steps to better my skills until I felt confident enough to shoot an elopement! After that, I fell in love with elopements and small ceremony weddings (micro weddings). Shooting someone’s big day is such a rewarding job. Someone is trusting you to capture their natural love story and it can be intimidating in the beginning, but I seriously love all my couples. It is also so fun to watch them grow on social media. So many of the couple’s I have captured are growing their families!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I love anything and everything outdoors, I love being outdoors, hiking, hunting, running! I am adventurous and love couple’s who are down for a photoshoot on a trail! I got into this industry to help capture moments that are special to individuals, couples or families. There are moments that you can’t get back, that is why I feel so strongly about getting those moments captured! The quote by Katie Thurmes always comes to mind when discussing the importance of photography- “We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.”
My absolute favorite session to capture is an elopement.
As someone who eloped, I know how intimate and special this day is. So many couple’s that elope have the best time on their big day because they are doing everything they want and rarely worry about anything else, not to mention, they usually love being outdoors and enjoying their presence in nature. I have been blessed to be a part of a couple elopements and have such fond memories.
While elopements stand out for me, I enjoy every session that I offer- Senior, Family, Engagement & Maternity. Each are such amazing milestones in our lives and I find it exciting to capture their specific season of life. I always tell my clients to try to bring their personality to a shoot. I also know that getting your picture taken isn’t the most natural thing ever, so making sure that I can get to know them and help them feel comfortable is very important.
I believe that there is a right fit for every client, so I enjoy getting to know my clients before they book me, to make sure that I am what they are expecting and that they can feel comfortable with me. This is especially important for my brides & grooms, they need to be able to trust me and to tell me how I can be most helpful on their big day! I am so excited to work with more families, seniors and couples out in 2024!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The first time I got hired as a photographer for an elopement, it was to help out another photographer. Long story short, she couldn’t drive int he storm and I was close to the elopement site. I was so scared and felt mentally unprepared. I literally listened to a podcast about wedding photography on the way up the North Shore hoping it would better prepare my mind-lol. It was raining and I had no rain gear for my camera- total rookie mistake. After the day was done, I had shot so much I couldn’t believe it- culling was overwhelming as well. But after culling, I was looking at my work and felt so excited and proud of the work that I had done. I received compliments from so many after posting from their gallery, I learned so much from that day, more than I was expecting. I know now that you learn the most from doing. After that elopement, I felt truly confident that I could handle more shoots and basically truly opened up for business!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I think that word of mouth is the best way to get new clients. A lot of times, if a photographer does well at a wedding, the people in the wedding party will share that news with other’s in their life. I had a bridesmaid that recommended a couple use me as their photographer and it was so nice because this couple trusted her and now felt like they could trust me. You are always willing to trust someone’s advice that you know. Shopping for photographers can be overwhelming, so having someone you trust tell you good things about a photographer can help narrow your search quite a bit!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daybreakduluth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daybreakduluthmn
• Facebook: DayBreak Photography

Image Credits
The image of myself with my camera was shot by Olivia Shaner.