May 8, 2017

Meet Jennifer Conti of Jenny V Photography in Kennesaw

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Conti.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a child, I coveted disposable cameras. Walking into Walgreens and seeing them lined up at the registers. I remember the sound as I wound up the film and counted down the numbers on the back of the camera. The time when one hour development and paying for doubles is where my money was spent. Heaven forbid something might happen to a picture, and if school needed them for a project, I had a protected backup.

When high school started, I signed up for photography each semester, and those four years, my most beloved time was spent in the darkroom. Getting film on the reels was a thorn in my side, and I was extremely impatient in allowing my exposed images to properly develop in their solutions. Never the less, it was my assignments and completed images that gave me such love and excitement for this art. My senior year I had my first publication in the school art book, and first paid photography session. Fumbling throughout a brief time in college, I was bored in my photography class. Our weekly critique wall from our professor gave me a craving for something more than composition rules and depth of field. Where was the connection? Tell me the story. I want to feel something. Is that not the beauty of art? Within two years, my life drastically changed, and the new adventure of being a young wife and moving across the country was before me. Besides my pocket Canon, my pursuit of photography was over. We were blessed with Baby one and Baby two within our first three years of marriage, and my faithful Canon followed me along, documenting our days. As Canon grew old and worn, I knew it was going to be time for another trusting companion to come along side me, and help me capture life. With baby three arriving in 2011, I purchased my first Nikon DSLR. Disappointed in my lack of understanding my camera, I knew that putting it away wasn’t going to be an option. Over and over, image after image, I could see change and growth. The mastery of executing my vision had really just begun.

In 2015, I put down my insecurities and picked up an old dream. I decided I would rather fail than regret, and would be satisfied with whomever the Lord would bring on my path. Whoever would allow me to photograph their world. Just shy of two years in my business, I have been published through www.weddingfanatic.com, www.borrowedandblue.com,and a coming up feature through Lady Marry app for wedding planners.

It’s knowing that you have shared in moments like myself that are buried deep within your soul. The greatest struggle for any artist is communicating a plethora of emotion, stories, and vision into one single image. I understand behind a portrait, a smile, it represents these collective memories that make up you. I simply display the extraordinary people who I get to know. Some briefly, some become friends, but I do count it a privilege to get a glimpse of you.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My biggest obstacle is struggling with the idea if it’s worth it. Being a stay at home mom and homeschooling four children is my greatest investment and joy. Knowing all the hours, money and time a business can take away from your family can allow doubt and insecurities to creep in. My husband has been very supportive of my dream, and I just take it a day at a time. I also didn’t realize how much about business I needed to learn. From creating and sustaining a website, marketing, taxes, branding, printing, to collaborating with other business owners, photography is really a small part of the time investment.

Please tell us about Jenny V Photography.
Jenny V Photography is a fine art,full service photography service that specializes in creating custom and personal imagery with beautiful, heirloom prints and products. All my clients receive personal attentiveness and relational communication. I don’t think I can create meaningful portraits if I don’t know a little about my clients, and just a quick email is not going to cut it. I photograph everything from weddings, families, to headshots and marketing images for other businesses and blogs. I specialize in children and families. They are so fun!!! I am known for having fun, relaxed sessions that put everyone at ease. My clients, especially nervous dads or frazzled Mommas, are surprised at how smoothly things go, and the images that I capture. My clients love the quality of their prints, and our custom wall art creations!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have photographed more families before I launched as a business. I was so excited, I just got started. I think I could have had a lot less business work in the first six months as well, if I would have done more research. I felt I spent so much time learning things I should had already known.

Pricing:

Portrait Sessions are around one hour and are $200, which includes a $75 print credit
Weddings begin at $600 and collections are created all a la carte
Gift prints begin at $35 & Wall Art (prints 16×24 and larger) begin at $350

Contact Info: