We were lucky to catch up with Jordan Granda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.

In my final year of high school, I had the opportunity to intern at a local hospital after deciding I wanted to pursue hospital management. On the last day of the program, we switched roles—moving from shadowing administrators to spending a day on the floor with clinicians. That single day changed everything for me. I realized I didn’t want to sit behind a desk; I wanted to be part of something bigger, to make a tangible difference in my day-to-day work.

That decision led me to a Level I trauma center, where I spent the next five years. And while the work was meaningful, it also revealed one of the biggest truths of my life: time is short. Missing important moments because of 12-hour shifts, or coming home too emotionally drained to be present for the people I love, made me rethink what I wanted my life to look like.

Photography became my creative outlet—something that grounded me, inspired me, and eventually showed me a path forward. I realized I could turn this passion into a career, one that offered freedom in my schedule, control over my stress, and the kind of financial potential that comes from betting on yourself.

So I did the scary thing: I left the job I had given five years of my life to. I walked away from seniority, benefits, and a 401k to take a chance on myself.

It remains one of the most rewarding risks I’ve ever taken.

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

I always joke with my couples that I might be a little too laid back to be a wedding photographer. Most wedding photographers I’ve met are very Type A—they run a tight ship, and honestly, that personality is absolutely needed in this industry. Some clients want that level of control.

But I’ve learned that my strength is the opposite. I try to be the calm in the chaos. Weddings come with so much pressure to be “the best day of your life” that it’s easy to get swept up in logistics and forget to actually live the moments. You can forget to breathe, to look around, to take in the people, the smells, the feeling. And while my job is to capture those memories so you won’t forget them, I can’t bottle the smell of the lilies you chose because they were your mom’s favorite flower—and she’s not here to see you walk down the aisle. What I can do is protect the space for you to feel those moments.

I built my brand on being human first. And the clients who find me value that same perspective. Wedding days don’t always go according to plan, and most of the couples I work with embrace the beautiful dysfunction of it all. They understand that perfection isn’t the goal—presence is.

So when I thought about who I am, what I wanted my business to look like, and how I wanted to show up, it started with honest expectations. I want my couples to respect that I’m human too—I can’t be in five places at once. And just as I’m committed to giving them my full presence, I expect them to be fully present in their own day. That mindset has naturally brought me clients who share my values, and that connection is what truly sets my work apart.

At the end of the day, everything I’ve built comes down to connection and a willingness to be transparent—about life, about emotion, and about what really matters.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn came from a deeply personal place. I had always loved photography, but it wasn’t until after my own wedding that I realized I wanted to specialize in wedding photography. Ironically, when that marriage eventually fell apart, it left me with a skewed idea of what love was—and honestly, whether marriage even mattered. It made navigating the wedding world feel confusing and a little painful for a while.

But that season became an important reminder: just because a chapter ends doesn’t erase the beauty that existed within it. I had experienced truly meaningful moments with that person, and the ending didn’t disqualify the good we created together.

I had to unlearn my rigid idea of what marriage “should” be and what it was supposed to represent. It taught me, again, that a wedding can’t be the singular “best day of your life.” It has to be one of many—one beautiful moment in a lifetime of them.

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

For me, it’s been a combination of word of mouth and my website/SEO. Genuine client testimonials go a long way, and having a website that truly reflects who you are is huge. Invest the time—and sometimes the money—into figuring out what you want to offer, and then commit fully to showing up that way.

And the biggest caveat to all of that? Stay true to yourself. Clients feel authenticity, and that’s ultimately what brings the right people to your door.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jordangrandaphotography.com/
• Instagram: @jordangrandaphotography (business) @jordanlynngranda (personal)

Image Credits

For personal photo : Madyson Granda @e.j.photography_