We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Jeans recently and have shared our conversation below.

Natalie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

Yes! I do wish I had started my photography business sooner. I have been a photographer for 7 years, but only full-time for about 2 years. I began simply as a mom looking to capture pleasing images of my son because I was dissatisfied with how his school images would turn out. I would have spent more time refining and perfecting my craft back then instead of treating it like a “hobby”. Had I transitioned from Corporate America 7 years ago to photography full-time, I would have saved myself a lot of work-related stress and been able to explore my creative side freely and unapologetically. I have always loved and appreciated the arts and with photography, I can bring stories and moments to life. For me, photography is fun, yet challenging in a good way. It is truly a privilege to capture these special moments for my clients. I can work all day and never feel drained or frustrated because I literally love what I do! Being a photographer energizes me and gives me daily inspiration.

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

I began photography as a hobby seven years ago. My son, Chase, was the inspiration behind this decision. I remember not being pleased with the quality of his school portraits, so I made it my goal to practice on my son and produce the portraits that I desired. Again, this was only a hobby because I still had a full-time job. However, in November 2023, I was informed that my Corporate position was being eliminated. I knew I wanted to focus on my photography more, so I took it as a sign from God that this was my opportunity to do so. I immediately began working on my website, social media, branding, promotions, etc. I wanted my business to be super polished and professional. As a now full-time photographer, I have been fully invested in learning as much as I can to continue to improve my craft and continue growing my business. I work for myself, I am my own boss and that makes me extremely proud. I am grateful for my Corporate background because as a first-time business owner I knew how to avoid all losses when starting my business. I managed my expenses and the money I was making extremely well because I knew I needed a plan with smart financial decisions.

What sets me apart from other photographers is the environment that I create for my clients. I am literally just me, meaning, I am not trying to be something or someone that I am not. My clients walk in and meet a real person and my real personality. My sisters have always told me that I have too much energy, well now, I can channel all of that into ensuring my clients enjoy their time with me. I want to make sure that my clients know that they can trust me to make them feel comfortable as well as provide them with a quality product. Photography is an investment and I understand that, therefore, I am very intentional on making sure they feel like they are my only priority and receive the best customer service when they come to me.

Although I offer a wide range of services to include high school/college grads, birthdays, headshots and branding- engagements and weddings will be my primary focus moving forward. I switched from Nikon to Sony within the past 2 years as well as changed my style, so I have recently rebranded my website and social media to only show my work from my Sony camera. I would say my new style is classic, true to color with an editorial feel. I want my pictures to tell a story, I want you to feel the happiness and love captured in that moment. As for my approach, I do what feels right for that moment and depending on the venue/room-so if I can capture the true essence of the moment without a flash, I will do so. If the moment is more cinematic, I will use my on-camera or off-camera flash to add a slight dramatic flare to the shot. My clients always receive a wide variety of portraits and they all have been satisfied.

My clients trust me not only to do my job, but to capture one of the most important days of their lives-a day they can never get back, so I have an obligation to get it right; My goal is always to blow them away. I want my clients to have no regrets on hiring me as their wedding photographer. My team and I go out of our way to meet our clients needs. Customer service is my priority-from the wedding party to other vendors, I treat everyone with kindness and respect.

When it comes to collaborating with other wedding vendors, I pride myself on being easy to work with and a team player. I also love the small details of the wedding and believe they are just as important as capturing the people. Therefore, I make sure there are more than enough images captured of all of the vendors hard work and I share the images with them so they have content for their website and social media pages.

I also do not believe in making the clients and vendors wait months for images. All of the images may not be complete, but the clients and vendors will receive a batch of sample images no later than 2 weeks from the wedding.

Lastly, I am a professional and my reputation is extremely important to me. News of a good experience travels fast and that is what I want.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to simply leave a legacy for my 2 children…building a legacy for my children is what drives me, I want them to look back and be proud that their mom built a photography business from the ground up. My son was never interested in my work before and now every time I return home from a session, he asks me how it went and wants to see some of the pictures. My baby girl, has had a camera in her face literally every since she was born, so she is a bit obsessed with being in front of and behind the camera; she loves posing for pictures and taking pictures of other people. It makes me happy that they show an interest in my work! I also love the fact that I am showing them that you can make a living by being a creative or an artist.

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

Honestly Google was a great source for client traction this past year. When I send clients their final images I always ask them to leave a google review and I provide the link in the email. I send a quarterly reminder email to all of my clients, just in case they forgot. This method seems to work for me, so I would suggest it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nataliejeansweddingphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliejeansphotography/

Image Credits

Natalie Jeans Photography