We were lucky to catch up with Whitney recently and have shared our conversation below.
Whitney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?
If I could go back in time, I think I would have started my photography business sooner.
Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was about 10 years old, my mama sent me to a photography summer camp at Ijams Nature Center. Most of the kids showed up with fancy DSLR cameras, but all I had was a little point-and-shoot camera. And back then, you didn’t get to instantly check your photos on a screen. I had no idea if any of my photos even turned out until I got the film developed. If you remember those days, you know the anticipation!
I picked photography back up again in high school when I became the yearbook photographer. I was always the one taking photos of my friends and family, but I never truly thought of it as something I could make a career out of. It was just something I loved doing.
I went on to college and studied Mass Communication and Advertising. It wasn’t until my junior year that I was finally able to take my first photography class. My professor actually told me I should make photography my major, but by that point I was so close to graduation that starting over didn’t feel possible.
After college, life moved quickly. I worked in advertising, banking, and eventually dentistry while also starting a family. Photography stayed in the background as something I loved, but never something I seriously pursued. I would occasionally wonder what might have happened if I had taken that leap earlier.
Then life threw us an unexpected curveball.
One morning my husband woke up with severe back pain. After a trip to the emergency room, we discovered he had a serious blood infection that had spread throughout his body. He spent a full month in the hospital before finally being able to come home. We were incredibly grateful he pulled through, but the experience left us with a long recovery ahead and some overwhelming medical bills.
At the time, I was working full-time as a dental office manager. I knew I needed to find a way to bring in extra income while my husband focused on healing. The funny thing is, it was actually my coworkers and friends at the dental office who encouraged me to try photography again. They believed in me before I really believed in myself.
So I did something simple to start. I set up several sessions in the grassy area behind the dental office and photographed my friends and their families. Those were my very first clients, and those sessions helped me begin building my portfolio.
Thankfully, I remembered just enough from my advertising days to get started with marketing through social media and SEO. Slowly but surely, the business began to grow.
Looking back, yes—I sometimes wish I had started sooner. But at the same time, I think every step of my journey prepared me for where I am now. My background in advertising helped me understand marketing. My other careers taught me how to connect with people. And life experiences gave me a deeper appreciation for the moments I get to capture.
Today I feel incredibly grateful that I get to document memories for families and couples visiting these beautiful mountains. Watching my business grow year after year has been such a gift, and I’m thankful I finally listened to that little voice telling me to pick the camera back up again.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Whitney, and I’m the photographer behind Whitney Jo Photography. I’m based in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains, where I specialize in photographing families, couples, and special moments for people visiting the area.
Photography has been part of my life since I was young. My love for it started when my mom sent me to a photography summer camp at Ijams Nature Center when I was about 10 years old. From there I continued taking photos of friends and family throughout high school and even served as the yearbook photographer. Although I didn’t initially pursue photography as a career, it always stayed in the background as something I truly loved. Years later, after a difficult season in my family’s life, I picked up my camera again and started photographing friends and their families. That small beginning eventually grew into the business I run today.
Now I spend my days helping families and couples capture meaningful memories while they’re visiting the mountains. Many of my clients are traveling to the area and want photos that truly capture the beauty of their trip. I guide them to some of my favorite scenic locations around the Smokies, places that give them those beautiful mountain backdrops they were hoping for when they planned their visit to Great Smoky Mountains.
One thing I hear from clients all the time is that they feel awkward in front of the camera. That’s completely normal, and it’s actually something I plan for. Before every session, I prepare poses and prompts that help guide the experience. Instead of feeling stiff or unsure of what to do, my clients can relax and simply enjoy the moment with their family or partner. My goal is for sessions to feel laid-back, fun, and natural rather than overly posed or stressful.
Another thing that sets my business apart is how much I value connection and communication with my clients. From the moment someone reaches out to book a session, I try to make the process easy and comfortable. I help with location suggestions, answer questions about timing and lighting, and guide them through what to expect so they feel confident going into the session. By the time we meet in person, it feels less like meeting a stranger and more like working with someone who already understands what they’re hoping for.
What I’m most proud of is the trust families place in me to document their memories. These sessions often happen during really special times in people’s lives—family vacations, anniversaries, honeymoons, or simply a rare moment when everyone is together. Knowing that the images we create together will be part of their family history is something I never take for granted.
If there’s one thing I want people to know about my brand, it’s that my goal isn’t just to take pretty photos. It’s to create an experience where people feel comfortable, seen, and able to enjoy the moment with the people they love. When the session feels natural and relaxed, the photos reflect that—and those are the memories that last.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One thing I had to unlearn when starting my business was the idea that I needed to follow someone else’s formula in order to be successful.
When I first decided to start my photography business, I spent a lot of time listening to podcasts and learning from online educators. I was trying to absorb as much information as possible, which can be helpful—but it also made me feel like there was only one “right” way to do things. A lot of what I was hearing at the time focused on mini sessions, where photographers schedule multiple 10–15 minute sessions back-to-back in the same location.
So I decided that was how I should start. I tried marketing mini sessions several different times, thinking that stacking sessions would help me get clients quickly and build momentum. But every time I posted them… nothing happened. No bookings. No inquiries. After a while, I started to think maybe my business was over before it had even really started.
That experience forced me to step back and rethink what I was doing. I realized that photography (especially the kind of photography I love to do) is really about connection. Families and couples want to feel comfortable with the person behind the camera. They want to know that the photographer cares about their experience and the memories they’re creating.
It’s hard to build that kind of connection in a rushed 10-minute time slot.
So I changed direction and started offering full sessions instead. That allowed me to slow down, talk with my clients, guide them through the experience, and let the session unfold naturally. It made a huge difference not only in the quality of the photos but also in how my clients felt during the session.
Looking back, I’m glad those mini sessions didn’t work out the way I expected. It helped me realize that while it’s great to learn from others, you still have to build a business that fits your own personality, your style, and the experience you want to create for your clients.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being a creative, especially as a photographer, is knowing that the work I create becomes part of someone’s memories and family history.
Of course, I love the creative side of photography—the light, the scenery, and the joy of being outdoors capturing beautiful moments in places like the Great Smoky Mountains. But the most meaningful part of what I do goes far beyond just creating beautiful images.
What truly makes this work special is knowing that the photos I take can become lasting memories for the people in them.
Recently, I received a message from a past client that really reminded me why I do what I do. She wrote to thank me again for taking their family photos during a trip in 2024. She shared that all her dad wanted during that weekend was time with his family. Sadly, he passed away in November of 2025. She told me how grateful she was to have those photos from that weekend together.
Messages like that stay with you.
As photographers, we often think about lighting, locations, and posing, but moments like that remind me that what we’re really preserving is time. Families change, kids grow up, and sometimes the moments we capture become far more meaningful than anyone expected when the photo was taken.
Knowing that something I created can bring comfort, joy, and memories back to someone years later is the most rewarding part of being a creative. It’s a responsibility I take seriously, and it’s exactly why I love what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://whitneyjophotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitney_jo_photography/
- Facebook: Whitney Jo Photography
