We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yaro Severn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Yaro, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Before I had my photography business I worked in restaurants, serving and bartending. The most important thing I learned in those positions was to anticipate customers’ needs. I was trained to refill glasses before they were empty and check for all the right utensils and condiments. This skill has definitely translated to photography, especially newborn sessions. I bring everything needed for a session so that the new parents can just sit down and relax. I get the sets and props ready, change the baby, and bring the baby to mom when it’s time for a feeding. I walk the baby back to sleep for the next pose, which is one of my favorite parts of the job. Anticipating clients’ needs also comes in handy a lot during weddings. While one bride was getting dressed she realized she hadn’t brought the straps for her bra – luckily I was wearing a similar style and was able to give her the straps off of my bra!

Yaro, 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 am a family photographer and mother of two. When my oldest was little, my friends saw the photos I took of her and asked me to take photos of their kids too. That was 2008, and I charged $10 for mini sessions. Since then I’ve been increasing my skills, getting better equipment, and learning how to market myself. Several years ago my best friend pointed out to me that moms really just want digital files, without the added cost of prints. I knew she was right, and switched my business model over to giving all of the full size digital files from every session. This way parents don’t have to limit themselves to just a few of their kids’ adorable facial expressions. I’m really proud of the way I quickly turnover files to families, and it feels so good to get positive feedback on the images.

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

I aim to create heirloom photos that can be passed down through families. To do this, I always edit with a clean style instead of following current trends. I also back up in multiple places, and keep RAW files, which has come in handy when families lose their copies and come back to me years later hoping I’ll still have some of their images.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yarojane.com
• Instagram: @yarojanephotography
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/YaroJanePhotography
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/yaro-jane-photography-san-diego