Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Foley.
Hi Jeff, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I became a photographer, and a Florida resident, in somewhat unexpected fashion…
Twenty years ago, I was 30 years old, working as a writer/public relations professional in New York. I was planning a vacation to Mexico, and I picked up a digital point-and-shoot camera for the trip — an Olympus C720. I could not put the camera down. I’d always been a storyteller, writing hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, as well as a book (“War on the Floor: an average guy plays in the Arena Football League and lives to write about it”), and working with a camera felt similar to writing. It’s also a form of storytelling. A camera allows me to use light, lines, expressions, mood, colors, etc., to communicate. I was immediately hooked.
Within a month of returning from Mexico, I enrolled in film photography classes at a local college with the goal of learning the fundamentals of photography and launching a new career. Most of the people around me told me I was crazy, that I wouldn’t make any money with a camera. I never listen to that kind of advice, though.
I quickly began freelancing for the same newspapers (Newsday, Albany Times Union) I’d been writing for. I worked a full-time public relations job for the next eight years and pursued photojournalism simultaneously, photographing an average of three to five gigs per week. I was never able to land a full-time newspaper photography job, however (the industry was laying people off, not creating jobs), and I was starting to burn out.
I was desperate to make a living with the camera, so I did what many photographers before me have done — I turned to weddings. I dove right in, not sure if I’d like the work but knowing that I could make money from it. I quickly learned that I love wedding photography. The job is perfect for my personality. I’m a hopeless romantic, I thrive on challenges and I like being busy. I get to do portrait photography, detail photography and photojournalism at every wedding. It’s never boring. (I do a lot of family portrait photography and corporate photography, as well.) I’ve been out of the 9-to-5 work world for a dozen years, I’m over 500 weddings into this career, and I still enjoy it. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to the people who said I couldn’t turn my passion into a career.
On the day my wife and I met, she told me how much she wanted to live in Florida. She’d spent a lot of time there as a kid, and it was her dream to move to Florida and settle down there. For years, we’d used my business (J. Foley Photography) as the reason to stay in New York and endure, among other things, the winter weather.
In January 2021, however, I got very sick. I ended up in the hospital and came close to passing away. This was a wake up call. It’s one thing to say that life is short. It’s another thing to almost experience the brevity of it. So, as soon as I got out and recovered, we hired a real estate agent and fought like heck to land our dream home in Poinciana. Me, my wife, my 3-year-old daughter, our brother and our pets are now loving the challenge of building our lives (and business) in Florida.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Making a living as a photographer is filled with challenges.
On a daily basis, you have to deal with unpredictable weather, equipment that can break, families that don’t always get along … Looking at the bigger picture though, running a small business can simply be exhausting.
From the outside, I’d guess that it looks appealing. Taking pictures for money certainly sounds better to many people than going to a 9-to-5. I have found that very few things in life, however, are as easy or exciting as they look. At least, not all the time. Photography is no different.
I work more hours now than I ever did in the “real world.” Wedding days are long (if you include prepping and packing gear, downloading and backing up images after a wedding, putting teasers on social media — you’re typically looking at 12 to 14 hours per day, sometimes two or three days in a row), but the day-of work is just the tip of the iceberg. Marketing your business, building itineraries, editing thousands of photos, designing albums, it all takes time.
There’s also the insecurity that comes with not receiving a regular paycheck. It can be downright scary. If your marketing is not effective, you won’t land clients, which means you won’t work. And not working means you don’t make money. So you need to be willing to work hard and to change the way you work when things don’t, well, work. You need to be in a constant state of evaluation. You can never say, “Oh, I’ve got it figured out now.” Rather, you need to always be alert to what is effective and what is not. Those things can change in an instant.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a storyteller. I use a camera to communicate who my clients are. I learn about their stories, their relationships, and their love, and I make pictures that help other people learn about those things.
I was a writer before I became a photographer, and I’ve always been naturally curious about people. I engage them in conversations and build relationships that help me make storytelling images. Additionally, I have studied light, posing and body language for about 15 years, and I use what I have learned to make pictures that are flattering to my clients.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I have enjoyed wordplay and a good laugh from day one. I think I was telling dad jokes before I was even a teenager.
I grew up wanting to be a writer (I spent one summer holed up in my bedroom penning my own “Hardy Boys” stories) and a professional athlete. Later in life, I was lucky enough to combine those dreams by writing a book (“War on the Floor: an average guy plays in the Arena Football League and lives to write about it”) about my brief time playing professional football.
I definitely had an independent streak as a kid. If I wasn’t interested in a subject at school (math, science), good luck getting me to do the work. But if I was interested (English), I was all in.
I lived all over New York, went to many schools, and didn’t always live with the same people. I am thankful for that experience, though, as it helped me learn to adapt quickly and to talk to people from all different backgrounds. That’s a skill that never fails to come in handy.
Pricing:
- Our wedding coverage begins at $2,825.
- Our family portrait sessions begin at $300.
Contact Info:
- Email: Jeff@JFoleyPhotography.com
- Website: www.JFoleyPhotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j_foley_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffFoleyPhotography
