Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Moore.
Hi Jenna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been shooting professionally for fifteen years now and I’ve had a camera basically glued to my hand since I was ten. It all started with my mom’s love for capturing and celebrating all the moments of our childhood, we had disposable cameras galore. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got some undeveloped ones in a box somewhere along with every negative I ever developed myself, and all their corresponding prints.
From childhood the ember fanned into a flame as I started taking photography classes in high school. A couple of years into my college career a friend reached out and asked if I’d be willing to take some headshots of her and I posted them to MySpace, which led to my first client and the rest is history so to speak. I realized over time, and through a couple of different majors in college, that my love never went away and settled into fine arts of photography. I’ve never stopped pursuing making and developing my artistic skills. I’m definitely a mix of educated and self taught which continues to shape my style.
I shot mostly weddings for the first ten years in my business but definitely didn’t let that stop me from trying my hand at everything that peaked my interest. I spent time photographing children and families in retail studios for a year and realized my forte isn’t in that area. I have thousands of photos that’ll never see the light of day of flowers, trees, and random objects. That definitely tied into my love for ring shots and every little detail. These days I mostly shoot portraits like headshots and events, with some weddings thrown in, and am transitioning into more commercial work through honing my studio on location skills.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d love to say that it’s been all rainbows and sunshine as that’s generally my outlook on life when I’m behind the camera but alas it’s definitely been a journey of learning to embrace the one constant in life, change. Some of my challenges included learning to really focus on the client experience and making it a memorable one, as an artist I find that I can get easily wrapped up in the technical side of things while trying to tame my perfectionism monster that says I’m not good enough. I’ve learned to build up my confidence and resilience through balancing my craft with my various day jobs I’ve had in customer service, retail management, and sales. These positions gave me a strong foundation in understanding what it truly takes to be in business as a creative.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While a lot of photographers specialize in one genre of photography be it weddings, families, real estate etc., I specialize in three areas. Headshots, Events, and a genre I call creative. All three stem from my highly technical and storytelling focused approach. I bring a unique skill set of being a natural light photographer, a studio trained photographer, and a fine art photographer from my college days. I’m a mix of higher education yet still continuously self taught. I’m most proud of the fact that I spent years developing my craft in film before I ever switched to digital and I still apply a lot of those skills to my work these days.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have a few that have really shaped and inspired my journey over the years including a couple that still encourage my continued growth and journey to keep going. First is my mom and my dad, my parents both have always encouraged me to go for what sets my soul on fire and have given me the space to feed my whims and obsessions with photography over the years. The next person who really deserves a shout out would be my high school photography teacher Mrs. Sheppard, she was the first introduction I had into what the world of photography looked like and I’ve never forgotten the valuable creative skills she taught us. I am grateful to the various college professors I had over the years, they all gave me a unique perspective on what makes someone an artist and they all encouraged me in different ways to express myself in a genuine way. Lastly while it’s not just one person I have taken a lot from studying the artists who came before me, art history truly still plays a role in my ever deepening sense of style.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jdotreneephoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdotreneephoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdotreneephoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-moore-jdotreneephoto
- Twitter: https://x.com/jdotreneephoto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jdotreneephoto
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/jdotreneephoto
Image Credits
J.Renee Photo
