Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Wade.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jenna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I don’t think my start is much different from other people in my business. I had a full-time job teaching when my first child was born and I picked up a camera off craigslist to have some fun documenting all of his firsts. My hobby and passion started to grow and with that my desire to photograph subjects outside of my family.
By the time my daughter was born two years later, I had a little Facebook page up and running and more requests coming in to take pictures. It was at this time, I was feeling depleted of my best self at work. As a teacher, I felt like I could give all of myself to my kids at school but would sacrifice my best self for my own children in return or it was the other way around. It was a horrible feeling. I never felt like enough for everyone.
Then, my husband approached me with an idea. What if I stayed home and built up a business in photography? We wouldn’t have the childcare costs that took up most of my salary (by then, I had gone down to part-time) and he would pick up extra shifts for a while. That’s when I set my goals. I gave myself two years to make this work with the goal being to be at or over the part-time pay I had been making if I were to continue. To do this, I would create a website. I would file for a business license. I would get insurance. I would turn my hobby into a business. So in 2014, Jenna Wade Photography became a reality. For a time, I even had a rental space in Downtown Monroe, Georgia and it was a physical place too.
But as you grow, you figure out what works and what doesn’t. I think when you work in the arts or you are a creative, finding your niche, staying true to yourself, and all the while making a profit is part of the process. That usually means taking the curvy road to success. Still, here I am more than two years later, and it is safe to say, I met that first goal.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth? Sure. Surprisingly so. There have been more successes than failures. But like I said, while my road might have been smoother than I thought, it was filled with a lot of curves. I meandered and I still do from time to time trying to find my right path.
It can be easy to get distracted by other successes who are in the same business as myself. Some of them started their businesses at the same time as me and have reached a higher level of success financially. It can be distracting until I remind myself of what my goals were and are today. My goal was to live the same lifestyle I had when I made half of what I make now and to be my best self for my children, my husband, and my work. If I measure my success that way, the comparison fades.
I would tell other women that comparison is natural. As much as you don’t want to do it and even if you are able to cheer those other people on with all your heart, every now and then a piece of yours will fill a slight pinch. Allow those pinches, to refocus you on your own goals and push you forward. You aren’t here to be them. You are here to be you and that is what everyone who wants to work with you is counting on. One of my favorite quotes is from Lysa Terkuerst. It is actually on the homepage of my website. “There is an abundant need in this world for your exact Brand of Beautiful.” These words are there as much for me as for any potential clients that come my way.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I work with natural light to photograph mainly families at their different stages. Sometimes I meet my families as young couples or expectant parents. Other times, I meet them when I get the honor of being one of the first people to hold their newborn baby. Many times I get to watch those babies grow up and capture their milestones along the way. It is the simplest pleasure I take from my work, getting an intimate look at life unfolding.
Some of my favorite pictures to take are Senior portraits. I like it when the parents come along. You wouldn’t expect it, but they are some of the most emotional photoshoots I work on. The kids, of course, are always fun to work with, but it the parents that I like to watch the most. I can see a thousand memories flashing before their eyes as they look at their “baby.” I try to make the pictures reflect that. I want my Senior pictures to show the world who that Senior is becoming and all the excitement that comes with that while at the same time honoring the child their parents still see in them. That moment I know I have done that for a parent is probably what I am most proud of.
What sets me apart? I should hope all photographers share in the same heart-driven motives I have so I don’t want to say that sets me apart. Instead, I would say my clients set me apart. I think they reflect back the same support and trust in me that I try to give them. My client is someone who sees value in pictures and who trusts me when I tell them that the best prop is a daddy twirling his daughter, a mom cuddling her boy that will never be too big, and hearing the words I love you instead of a forced “Cheese.”
Outside of photography, I am most proud of fulfilling a dream to flip a cabin in Blue Ridge, Ga. alongside my husband, Mark. Our kids, Luke and Kathleen, who were at the time, seven and five were there every step of the way too. I am proud they got to see us achieve that accomplishment. We created an Airbnb rental business from it called Wade and Wander. The cabin itself we named Petey’s Peak, after our dog who adventured with us to the mountains in his final summer. We hope this is just the beginning and can’t wait to see where it leads us.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I started with some in-person understudy type courses. Then moved into online training and now attend conventions when I can. Once you start to understand the verbiage and the basics, I would say the bigger task at hand is making sure you have two circles you can then join. The first circle is of people with your same interest/craft. There is something to be said about being in a room of people with like-minded thoughts and goals to yours.
Yes, it can be intimidating, but mostly it will feel like you finally found some people that speak your language which can unleash so much inspiration and motivation. The second circle is a supportive network of friends. These can be other artists or creatives or entrepreneurs that understand your struggles and help to fill in the lonely gaps that come with working on your own. They are the people that remind you of how far you have come when you get too focused on where you are trying to go. They are also the people that drag you out for a margarita.
Pricing:
- My family session fee is $75-$100. Picture orders can be placed from a gallery topping out at $300 for the digital collection.
- Senior portrait sessions range from $200-$400.
- I offer photography classes starting at $125.
- My Signature Smash N’ Bath 1st Birthday Sessions are $155.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jennawadephotography.com
- Email: jennawadephotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wade.and.wander
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennaWadePhotography/
Image Credit:
Jenna Wade Photography for all but my family picture on the couch. Brandy Anderson Photography should be credited for that one.
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