Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenni Lauren.
Jenni, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Oh gosh, where do I start? I picked up photography in college, but really didn’t know what I was doing (both as a photographer and being able to market myself). So I put my camera down and went to work for corporate. In 2020, I fell prey to the covid-madness and was laid off. That was the last job in a string of terrible jobs, and decided that was the perfect time to pick my camera back up. I had learned marketing, social media, and made a lot of contacts. It was the best thing to happen to me, honestly, and I haven’t looked back.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing worth having will ever be an easy journey. Honestly, one of the biggest struggles is finding myself in my work. There are so many photographers, and each photographer has their own style, but trends definitely influence a lot of the work we see. And I started to fall into those trends, only to realize, none of this was really me. It may not seem necessary to see yourself in your work, but at the end of the day, photography is still art. And art should reflect the artist. Creating art/photography just to appease people lacks that emotional draw that you can really feel, and I wanted to make sure that I was treating each photo session or wedding as an art piece. Not just a reflection of the day, but something you can hang in a gallery.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a wedding and elopement photographer. Really I specialize in elopements, making it my job to not just show up and photograph the day, but to also help my couples navigate the process of eloping. In theory, you only get married once, so knowing what to do, where to go, and how to make it happen aren’t instinctual. I want my couples to have a fully stress-free experience knowing that they have someone in their court. I think what sets me apart is that I also shoot fantasy photography. And I bring that creativity to every wedding and elopement. Fantasy photography isn’t just showing up and clicking a button, it’s understanding the story behind the photo. It’s getting to know the character your client is portraying so the entire scene matches. And I want my weddings and elopements to feel just as seen and understood.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I sew. That’s actually how I got into fantasy photography. I would sew some fun or elaborate costumes for myself and take my own photos. It’s such a fun creative outlet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jennilaurenphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennilauren_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennilaurenphotos
