People, Passions & Projects #1: JennaPhoto

JS = Jinal
JP = Jenna

JS: Welcome to the series! How have you been?

JP: I’ve been good, just finished my final year of university and soon heading into the real world of work and bills, but currently enjoying summer out of lockdown.

JS: Currently what are you up to in your free time?

JP: I’ve been spending time with friends and family. It’s been lovely to catch up with everyone after so long! I have been getting away on little staycations-everywhere I visit I take photographs whether that be with my DSLR camera or my phone if it’s more of an adventure holiday.

JS: So how long have you been taking photos for now?

JP: I’ve been taking photos since primary school on disposable cameras and always loved it even then.

JP: I remember one summer; I joined a class at my local arts centre and made my own film camera and learnt to develop film. I started my Instagram page under a different name in 2015, sharing photographs of anything that brought me joy.
My family and I visited San Francisco in 2009 and I fell in love. This was the first photo I was truly proud of taking.

JP: The London skyline is one of my earlier posts which gained traction on Instagram when I first started my account.

JS: What got you into photography in the first place, and why did you then decide to create an Instagram account for you work?

JP: I enjoy photography because you get to see things in the world that you would normally be oblivious to. Walking around the city I often see people far too engrossed in their phones, when all around them there are little beautiful things happening. That’s why I started my Instagram page initially to prevent myself from becoming the same and appreciate the beauty in life. As my account has grown, I have seen that my photography can help inspire others too. I often get messages asking for advice, or just for a general chat about photography, and I love that social media platforms can connect people in unexpected ways.

JS: Is there a theme with your photos, what's your 'genre'?

JP: I don’t particularly have a theme, because I don’t want to limit myself to taking photographs of that genre only. I am based in London, so of course there is some architecture. Additionally, there are plenty of beautiful skylines, nature landscapes, animals and photographs from travels as well as some featuring people. One area which I want to work on is night photography and learning more about manual photography in general.

JS: After creating your page, have any interesting opportunities been presented to you?

JP: Definitely! I have made lots of friends who share a passion for photography and organised joint themed photography competitions for our followers. I have worked with different brands to photograph and share their content and have held giveaways in collaboration with them.

JP: I have been on a few group photo walks around London, meeting creative people, discovering new places and new ways to photograph. The photo below was taken on my first ever photo walk which was made up of professional photographers and I came to this event with my phone as a camera! This is proof that its not your equipment that makes you, be brave and don’t feel out of place because if you have a passion you deserve to be there.

JP: With the confidence gained from starting my account and seeing the way people engaged in my content I entered 3 different university photography competitions coming first twice and third once. One of the photos that won first place is this sleepy chimpanzee who I photographed in Monkey World, Poole, his big yawn shows off those beautiful gnashers! (Can you tell I’m a dentist?!)

JS: A lot of us have been affected by the pandemic in different ways. Did the pandemic affect your work?

JP: Yes and no, the pandemic meant I was not able to shoot a lot of outdoor content however as the outside world shut down then online world was powered up. I am thankful that a lot of brands contacted me during the pandemic to work with me to photograph their products.
I also had a lot of old photography which I had not yet posted so the pandemic was spent on me editing and posting these.

JS: Where are you looking to take your page, what's your next move?

JP: I am slightly worried that Instagram as a platform is changing favouring people paying for promoted posts and those who make reels, however for the moment photography is a hobby, so I am trying not to let less exposure affect how I post. I will always love photography and will keep posting and hope to travel when it is safe to do so. I want to organise my own photo walk in the future and learn manual photography in my free time. Eventually, I would love to be commissioned to take photographs and to sell my own prints.

JS: Any advice for those looking to start a project on the side (whilst working/studying)?

JP: Just start! You never know where it could lead to. Even if you don’t think you have time just set aside an hour a week to do what you want to do and over the course of the year you could create something wonderful. I think there is a stigma that you shouldn’t do something if you aren’t good at it, don’t listen to that because if it makes you happy that’s all that matters (sorry if that’s a bit cliché!).

JS: Thanks for all your insights! Where can we find you on the web?

JP: Thank you for organising this Jinal! I am excited to read the other features too!
You can find me on Instagram
If you need any advice or want to work with me on a project, my DMs are open and I always respond.
(Email: jennaphotobusiness@gmail.com)

Reflections

I hope you enjoyed the first blog of this series. At the end of each one I will note down what I think the most important messages are. From this discussion with Jenna, the following comes to mind:

1. You don't need to have a groundbreaking idea to start - To start a project or hobby, we sometimes think that you need to have unique ideas that no one has seen before. But by actually documenting what you already do and see can provide great content.
2. Fancy equipment isn't required - You don't need to have the latest shiny equipment or gear to follow your passion. Use whatever you have and don't let that be a barrier to your work.
3. Keep at it - Jenna has been sharing her photography for almost 6 years now. By working on something in small chunks over a long period of time, you'll look back and be amazed at what you managed to produce.

Thanks for reading!