Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Barrett.
Jennifer, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I always loved taking pictures but for most of my life it never occurred to me that it was something I could do for a living. I did the college thing, tried the 9 -5 situation, but it wasn’t working for me. I felt like I was missing something integral, I just didn’t know what it was. So, I decided to travel for a while and see the world and try to figure out what it was that I was missing. I grew up a military brat so traveling is kind of in my blood. I went to Africa with my sister and I bought my first DSLR camera for the trip. It was amazing. Taking photos was such an easy way for me to connect with people and to share a part of their life and experience. I fell in love with it and when I came home I decided that was what I wanted to do. It was not easy! Especially since I didn’t know anything about being a photographer or the industry, but I was determined. So, I got a second job and started saving up to pay for classes and equipment. At first, I only took photos of my friends and family, and looking back they were absolutely terrible, but I kept at it. I rented a tiny studio in the heights that was barely big enough to turn around in but it was great and I was working around the other artists there and finally found a channel for all that creative energy that I hadn’t known what to do with. Every day I felt that I was getting better and I kept pushing myself. I had studied physics in college so I definitely think that was something that helped me immensely in my understanding of light, and the more I learned to incorporate that into photography, the more I loved it. I am constantly meeting new people and having new experiences and going new places and now I cannot imagine having done anything else. I also love that a huge part of what I do is making people feel beautiful and special. It is not easy being in front of the camera, and I always try to make it the best experience that I can and make sure that everyone is having fun.
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?
It has definitely NOT been easy! There are so many photographers out there, you have to really work hard to stand out. You are constantly challenged to be creative and unique, to do things that are new and innovative.
One of the hardest things that I had to learn to deal with was the criticism and other people’s unsolicited opinions.
Any type of art, including photography, is so personal to the artist that it is hard to separate it from yourself. I had to learn that it was not about me, and that people that were negative and hateful for no reason were just that way. After that, each time I heard something negative and every time I was told no, it motivated me to try harder and to get better. I am still constantly working to improve myself and to grow and get better every day. You can never please everyone, and you shouldn’t try. Being creative is about doing what you love and sharing your vision of how you see the world around you and I don’t believe that anyone can tell you that your vision is right or wrong. I have made it a mission to always try and be positive and uplifting with others and to share any successes that I have with the people around me. I believe in building people up and helping each other, instead of criticizing and judging, especially with other women. I hope that going into this new year that ideal will continue to manifest and grow.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I specialize in fashion and portraiture photography and I am known for having an artistic flair to my images. I am a bit of a control freak so this type of photography is perfect for me. I constantly have ideas, I have lists and lists of them that I have to narrow down to what I can actually do and then I am able to create a vision and guide every step of the process. I am involved in the hair and makeup, the styling and costuming, location selection, etc. Being a small business and a single woman also means that this process has involved a lot of DIY creating! I sew, have a ton of power tools, reupholster furniture, and am a master hot glue user.
I believe one thing that sets me apart from others is that I genuinely care about my clients. Many of them become like family to me, especially those that I have worked with for several years. I often find myself writing letters of reference, recommendations, and attending performances that clients are in (I do a lot of theater headshots!), and I have even gone and helped clean houses after the hurricane damaged them. I will never criticize a client during a shoot or speak negatively to them, unless it is to laugh with you because you are making a crazy face. I want everyone to leave with a positive self-image and a smile and I believe this makes them feel welcome and special, which they are!
I am most proud of the awards I have won. My biggest three were for contests that had thousands of incredible entries to them. One had almost 15,000, another 12,000 entries, and the third almost 7,000. So that was a big deal for me, especially seeing how talented the other photographers where it was such an honor to be chosen. Each time I was notified as a finalist and saw the other photos I thought, there is no way I will win this, they are all so good! Then when I did it was such an amazing feeling!
What were you like growing up?
Oh, wow. I was such a nerd. Not a cool nerd like they have today on The Big Bang Theory and those shows, a legitimate nerd with giant glasses and terrible taste in everything. People never believe me when I tell them that but then I show them pictures and the reactions are always hilarious. “THAT is you??” I loved to draw, usually anime characters with the big exaggerated eyes and crazy hair. That’s probably why I want big hair in all my photoshoots!
I also liked to dress up and have my mom do my hair and makeup – and it was the 80’s so you can just imagine how awesome I looked, and we would do “photoshoots” at home and mom would print out the pictures for me at the local store. My other great obsession as a kid was with space and everything to do with it. I wanted to be an astronaut for a long time, that’s mostly why I got into physics. Sally Ride was my childhood hero, she was the first American woman to go into space and was also a physicist. Recently I was able to do a photoshoot at NASA JSC and it was beyond awesome for me. We were taken on a private tour and got to go to mission control and behind the scenes and it was one of the best days I have had as a photographer because I was able to combine both my passions!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1315 Sterrett St. Houston Tx 77002
- Website: www.antheminart.com
- Email: jenna@antheminart.com
Image Credit:
Anthem in Art Photography
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