Tell us a bit about your approach to the work you do, your time in the business and a few personal facts about you.

Hey there! I am Jill. I have been shooting professionally for approx. 5 years now. I have spent 8 incredible years married to my husband, and we have two kiddos, a boy and a girl. Our life is complete chaos, but it is beautiful chaos. I go into each session expecting this sort of chaos from my families I work with. Kids will be kids. I am always telling parents, “Embrace it. Let them be.” Part of my “brand” is those in-between moments, and that is what I strive for with each family session. I want my families to be prepared for every aspect of their session, and I feel having that communication with them helps in building a connection with them, which helps the session go as smoothly as possible. Building trust and having open communication is key for me. I know how stressful being photographed can be, and I want to minimize that as much as possible. We chat about wardrobe, their expectations, and mine for the session. While I do go into each session with certain shots I want to get, I don’t stick to that. Each family is different, so I adapt to that. While I want to photograph them at their best, I also want to photograph them just “being”.

What makes you the most nervous during a session?

Crying kids. Hands down. Having children of my own, I completely get that
if they don’t want to do something, they won’t ( especially little kiddos). It can be tough to bring them back from tears, and when that happens I rely on those in between moments. Mom and Dad comforting them, running their fingers through their children’s hair etc. Most of the time, they come back around, but until then, I am a hot mess inside.

What about this session was most memorable?

I mean….everything. I loved watching Mom and Dad love on their kids, 
the emotion and connection between all of them. We had the best light in one of my favorite locations. Building trust with children is so important, and once I was able to do that, just watching them be themselves made my heart flutter.

Were there any hurdles?

Of course! There were two children involved. Their little guy wasn’t really having it, so I let him and his sister run out some energy. They played, picked flowers, ran etc. When this happens, I see most parents start to stress a bit. It is my job to calm them down, let them know that this is normal.

 Your best photographer/session advice?

This industry is HARD. There are long hours working into the early morning hours, weekends spent away from your family shooting sessions. 
It is easy to look at other photographer’s work and get down on yourself

 Do YOU. Shoot what you love, find your style and own it. The right
clients will find you. Find a balance between family and work. It can be so difficult to do all of those, but you absolutely have to. I see so many photographers who get burnt out after a year in this industry and I can’t help but wonder if finding that balance isn’t a part of that. Oh, and hey, be nice to your fellow photographers. Make friends with them. Lean on each other that happens over the competition.

What is one goal for your business ?

To keep growing. I don’t want to fall into a creative rut and stop 
loving what I do. When I started, it was to be successful, to have a 
reliable income to take some of the weight off of my husband’s 
shoulders. I am there now, so my focus is on continued learning and 
connecting with clients who love my style and value my work.

What gear was used to achieve these?

Canon 6D and Sigma Art 30mm

Any presets used or hand editing?

I use LXC presets as my base and do some hand editing from there.

ABOUT THE ARTIST :

I’m Jill. Married to my best friend, together we chase around our 2 
kiddos.
Coffee addict and plant Mom…just over here keeping it basic in Western 
Kentucky.

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