Meet Jerren Willis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerren Willis.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jerren. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Born and raised in Houston, TX, I picked up photography while I was a Mechanical Engineering major my junior year at Texas A&M University in the fall of 2006. My first photography job was working for the university as a student photographer, capturing “campus life” for the Marketing and Communications Department. Along with working for the school, I started to do my own thing under a different, unofficial “business” name. In July 2007 I bought a web domain, had a website created, bought new photo gear, and went down to the courthouse in Houston to officially start Jerren Willis Photography. In efforts to get some exposure, I took the risk of going out to various nightlife spots, paying the $20 to get in and taking photos of partygoers. I did that all summer every weekend, until eventually I caught the eye of one promoter in particular and he hired me to come to their weekly parties and be their in-house photographer. That singular moment helped jump start my business, because other promoters hired me to be their photographer as well. The pay wasn’t great, but it helped establish a network that I still use to this day. I returned to A&M in August 2007 and my business grew as I continued to work towards my degree. My website was getting millions of hits a week as people always went to look for the photos I posted of them on my site’s online galleries. Additionally, I was getting booked all over the state.

After graduating in 2009 I moved back to Houston, started working in Corporate America and did photography on an weekend/part-time basis. In 2014 I decided to take a huge leap and make a concerted effort to expand my business and take on as many opportunities as possible.

When I was laid off from my engineering job in 2016 due to the oil downturn, it presented a bigger opportunity to further expand and a grow as a small business owner and photographer. When I finally got back to the Corporate world two years later Jerren Willis Photography LLC was stronger than ever.

This year will be my 12th year in business.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting a business is never easy, especially when you don’t have any formal training. I taught myself how to be a photographer and took a lot of lumps along the way. In the early stages of my business, I struggled to attract clients–it took a while to get many to take me seriously as a professional photographer, and rightfully so. As I became more experienced, the quality of my work continued to improve.

Pursuing your passion is great, but sometimes that doesn’t pay the bills (initially). I continued to work in Corporate America in the Oil & Gas Industry as an engineer to help sustain my living as my appointments continued to increase year after year. I like engineering as much as I do photography, so I have the best of both worlds.

Continue to believe and trust in your processes, and don’t be afraid to adjust and look for better ways to do things.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Jerren Willis Photography – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Jerren Willis Photography specializes in capturing moments and memories. One of the things I take pride is in working with all my clients to create a customized photo experience that will showcase the stories of their lives. I’m mostly known for my portrait work, which includes anything from children & family sessions to graduation shoots, corporate headshots, maternity sessions, and engagement shoots. Additionally, I have experience in covering all types of events, as small as a family dinner or baby shower or as large as a three-day national conference. Among other types of photography, I have experience in sports, real estate, and product photography.

I am most proud of the yearly growth in my business, for the past four years over 80% of my clients have been new people. Also, I’ve been blessed to be the go-to photographer for several clients since the early days of my business.

What sets my business apart from others is my professionalism, attention to detail, my diverse photography experience, and ensuring that all my clients enjoy themselves and the entire photo process from beginning to end. I understand that sometimes taking photos is more of a task and I try to make the process as fun as possible for them.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan on using the knowledge I’ve acquired from my years by instructing others on how to be a photographer on a beginner’s level and helping those who want to take their photography to a new level.  I plan on starting those classes this summer, so if you’re interested in signing up let me know!

Another part of my business is using what I’ve been blessed with to be a blessing for others — last year, I started an initiative to help educators in the Houston area with getting their classrooms stocked up for the upcoming school year (#JWPDonate2Educate). This was something I did on a smaller scale for years, but in 2018, 30 volunteers along with myself helped over 40 teachers! I’m looking forward to seeing that grow in 2019.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jwilphotos.com
• Phone:8329473211
• Email:jerren@jwilphotos.com
• Instagram:@jerrenwillis
• Facebook:Jerren Willis Photography
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/jerren-willis-photography-houston?utm_campaign=Jan-02-2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email_share_business

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.