Check Out Jen Adams’s Story

Hi Jen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was a sales rep for a chemical company back in the mid to late 90’s and when my husband and I were expecting our first child, I was offered a sales management position that would require 50-70 hours a week of work. That was going to be too much for raising our child, so I came up with the idea that could work for our family. I started an “inexpensive videography business” where a bride and groom could hire me for $50/hour. I would get out on a weekend night and basically cover an event (weddings mostly) for the client that would pay a minimal fee comparatively and allow all guests to not be burdened with videoing to help their friend save some $. I came in with a tripod and a light and a back up camera. It gave my family a little bit of extra spending money, yet I could stay home during the workweek and raise my son. The business took off! I did 13 weddings from September through December in 1999 and then 40 the next year.

After a year, a B&B that also did weddings asked if I could do photography and I said, “Sure!” I was already aware of how to work my way around a manual camera since the late 80’s courtesy of a graduation gift from my father. That first client knew I hadn’t officially photographed a wedding for $, but they were on a budget and they were willing as was I. I also stood next to many a photographer in the past year, so I recalled what they had been doing naturally and tweaked it to what I felt would be better, in my opinion, for my client. Charging a fair price and giving them better customer service, honing it to be better and using what I learned from my sales background. Clients needed to share with their photographer the ins and outs of their family dynamics, and photographers at that time were mostly saying “congrats” to the clients after they had just married and then took pictures they came up with on the spot.

I also created a photo prep sheet as a tool between the client and me for learning what was important to know, whether it be something special within the ceremony to look for as well as understanding little details that may happen during a wedding. Church ceremonies were very different from outdoor ceremonies and that prep sheet tool opened conversation and understanding and most importantly a line of trust between client and photographer. One unique client had a foot washing in the middle of their ceremony, which was derived from the Bible. Anyway, twenty-one years later and twenty tweaks of my prep sheet for events, I have been able to roll with the changes over the years. (Remember, the early 2000’s I started back in film photography so many changes over the years!)

As the years rolled by, many of my past clients were becoming parents, so pregnancy pictures, newborn photo shoots, and family pictures became avenues to expand my business. I have a heavy handful of clients I still photograph annually since their wedding, and that has been so rewarding to watch their lives and their families grow. Friends and family have also caught on and realized my whole package was better for them than other photography options, of which I was grateful.

Also, I didn’t particularly appreciate how the preschool pictures were taken when my then two children attended preschool, so after they were older, I solicited several preschools for their business. Instead of one picture, I would take 6-10 of each child and allow them to purchase one 5×7 if they wanted for $10. It always made me a little agitated that the minimum would be $35 and ending up with extra prints laying around collecting dust. PLUS, many families really wanted to own the digital image and print on their own. I figured that I could offer options for clients to choose from and then process the orders, deliver to the schools, and that seems to be a nice weekday bit of work that is such a joy! Hard, back-breaking work but a JOY! I always joke that the kids don’t grow at the preschools, but the faces change. 2, 3, and 4-year-olds always seem to stay that age. (Lol) Seeing these kids as they giggle or look concerned because they don’t know what a large camera with a flash looks like is so unique compared to the other work I do.

I have changed the idea of just saying “CHEESE” with a frozen smile as well. I talk to the kids… I ask them if they like puppies or kitties, or ask them what they were or were going to be for Halloween. Instead of the stiff smile, their eye sparkle when they say they were going to dress as Elsa or Anna from the Disney movie Frozen, or if they were going to be a dinosaur, ghost, or a “good” witch.

About 7 years ago, I began offering professional headshots with many options and price points… If someone wanted me to come to them, I could bring a backdrop or use their office, but really loved getting them outside with a natural backdrop. Or they can come to my home office which is less expensive. Evolving through the years was and is essential for my business.

Especially during this pandemic of 2020, had I only been doing weddings, I would have probably had to shut down. I have never had a storefront, so I could charge less as I had less overhead. And not being the official breadwinner, I could volunteer for the kids’ schools, be team mom when asked, and head up important programs I felt important when I wanted to as well. Yes, I miss out on fun weekends here and there because I work weekends a lot with family shoots and events, but I was able to be there when it was important to my kids, and also was able to enjoy being on tennis teams the last 15 years for my own personal enjoyment.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hell to the no! (LOL) I had other photographers try to put me down and talk bad about me, and one even got me “removed” from a preferred list by mis-quoting me. I definitely shook up the good old boy’s network. I recall in about 2003 going in to interview a potential client and waited in the back while another photographer who worked under a “big name in town” photographer and listened to him as he talked about all his accolades and how good he was and he tossed a contract in front of the couple and said, “So if you want to book the best in town, sign the dotted line.” Ummmmmmmmmmm. yeah they booked me. After he left, the clients and I talked about that interview before me and they were so put off by his cocky attitude.

I know I am good so I don’t have to be braggadocious. I care and it shows in my attitude and work. I work seven days a week whether one hour or 10 hours and I have great customer service. During discussions with the clients, they see that. I went into the business being less expensive, and as the years went by, I have raised my prices accordingly to what I felt was fair and appropriate for the market. There are newbies always coming on the scene and I always am happy to see them come in. I don’t cut my prices… I explain that the extra backup equipment, and the expertise I have with 21 years of stressful moments when something goes wrong, is just something a client can’t understand until their newbie shows up and their camera breaks or they get their final product and it’s ok but not what they were wanting. I always give more and if someone is kind I give even more! Some of the giving is intangible but as some of my reviews state, they state that I go above and beyond from anything from getting them a drink, to helping bustle a dress, to spending extra time with a child that needed it because they have special needs.

Something scary that has happened: I have had a camera stop working 5 minutes before the bride walks down the aisle. I turned on and off the camera, took the lens off to see if the connection slipped, and watched as the mirror inside the camera fell and shattered on the ground! One BETTER has a backup camera… cause that CAN and did happen. I have also watched the industry go from referring people because you enjoy working with them and know they are good to turn into a kickback industry. I don’t work that way. I may treat a referrer to lunch for referring me and bond more during that time.

A sincere “thank you so much for the referral” goes so much further in my eyes. Also, brides want to know prices and do everything over email now. I really don’t like that avenue because they can’t understand anything but pricing. Your photographer BETTER have a chameleon style personality or you may really not like him/her on your special day… That doesn’t come through an email. But, potential clients don’t know better, and there is no way to really educate them unless they take the time to understand.

I have also witnessed “The Bridezilla Era” … Not a good look on a bride, ever. Thankfully that tv show has come and gone, and I don’t miss that style of bride.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am super proud of the way I have figured out how to help the non-profit sector. In the first few years, everyone would ask for a free shoot for their silent auctions. The way I work my business, you pay for your photoshoot upfront and own everything on the back end. Most other photographers have a sitting fee and then charge hundreds to thousands of dollars for the final product, so their shoot is actually NOT free. It is like a bait and switch and I really don’t care for that style. What about the middle class and the family that want photography but cannot afford that?

About five years ago, I realized that I could offer 1/2 off to non-profits I believe in and give them some of my time, AND also be compensated on a smaller scale. These non profits appreciate my work and the discount I offer. I have done work for three non profits in particular and have learned about children aging out of the foster system and have helped young women that are the first to go to college in their families. I have been able to encourage and give ideas to help them as well while working with these young adults. One client has hired me and then hired someone less expensive than my 1/2 off but came back the very next year stating she would never leave again. She fully understands now how much more I bring to the table than a super cheap price. It’s a win-win in my opinion. And when I drive home late after an event, I feel good about sharing my time with them.

What does success mean to you?
Success. Ironic question because just this very morning, I was taking my two children’s pictures for our annual card we send out, and as we walked back to our home and they walked ahead of me, I pondered what words I would add in the card… and it was going to be based on success. My son is a tinge on the autism spectrum. He’s 21 and “still” living with us. He’s handsome as all get out and so able to be successful but in a different way than what seems to be known as “successful” in our area… He just graduated from “driving school” and owns a CDL license. He missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s because he will was working his first full-time job and went across the country in a rig for the next six weeks. BUT, he is completely debt-free and able to save to pay cash for his next car, is happy, and excited for this journey. I don’t know too many other 21-year-olds that are that focused.

My daughter walking next to him just went back to college (Mississippi State University about 10 hours away) and she earned her name on the President’s List her first semester. During this crazy year of letdowns, especially for her having lost her senior year and all that that was supposed to have given her: Her last season of tennis as a four-year varsity player and two-year captain. Prom. Graduation. A special mother-daughter trip to NYC. All lost. Then a freshman college experience that was sub-par all because of Covid, that has wreaked havoc on everyone’s lives in different ways. BUT, she’s happy and enjoyed her break.

So success to me is in my children and it is different for each and glorious for each.

I searched for the definition of success: The attainment of fame, wealth, or social status. That’s crap. That’s not a success to me… Let’s look at another definition: A person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains fame, wealth, etc. Ok, that’s better, but why the fame and wealth words? Is that true success? Not to me. Here’s a good one: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Success to me is and should be considered as different to each and every human. Success to me is this third definition: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Success for me is to find joy in what I do daily in small and large tasks. I aim to accomplish things every day, and when I can find joy in making a child smile or a family take that “just right” picture, I am successful.

When they know I am a photographer and want to hire me, I have the joy in the accomplishment that I am known, not to be wealthy or famous, because I find that to be sad and empty.

I have earned the title the last two years as the “Best Photographer in Winter Park,” and that gives me joy because I didn’t pay for it. No kickbacks. I asked for clients to spend a moment to vote for me and they did. Pure and simple. They don’t mind helping me because I have gone above and beyond for them. And I reap the benefits of free advertising.

Contact Info:

• Email: avphoto@mac.com ; JenAdamsPhoto.com
• Website: www.jenadamsphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenadamsphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenAdamsPhoto
• Phone number: 407-310-8588

Image Credits
all photos by Jen Adams Photo