Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayna Denbow.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story begins about 14 years ago when I came to this country as a student. As a twenty-something transplant from Canada, I made my way through the Art Institute of Dallas Fashion Design program and graduated in 2006. Along that journey, I met and fell in love with my now husband of 11 years and ended up staying to build a life and a family together in big D.
We now have 2 children, a boy (9) and a girl (3) and live in the suburbs with Cookie, our hairless Chinese crested dog. Photography has always been an interest of mine and I began dabbling with it in high school before digital photography was even a thing. However, instead of building a career in professional photography, I decided to pursue other creative options like graphic design and fashion design.
With the birth of my son in 2009, my love for photography was rekindled when I got my first canon rebel. Being a first time mom and staring at my new baby’s face for hours and feeling his little fingers wrapped around mine stirred up lots of emotion I didn’t know I had. It was in all those small details that I began to fall in love with photographing newborns and babies. That was about the same time I began a job at the local hospital photographing newborns. I quickly rose through the ranks and became a field trainer to other newly minted newborn photographers.
In 2014, I began photographing newborns and babies as my own business and haven’t looked back since. I now work out of my home studio in Wylie TX where I shoot everything from newborn sessions to milestone and cake smashes.
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?
My father always told me that nothing worth having is easy to get, so I expected a difficult road filled with obstacles when I decided to open a photography business.
The trick is learning how to dance around those obstacles and make the best of it. Being primarily a stay at home mom didn’t leave much budget for purchasing expensive camera equipment, props, backdrops and not to mention a marketing budget! I’ve learned patience as I try to build my empire pebble by pebble.
Now it’s 2018 and I have a carefully curated closet of props, backdrops and newborn/baby accessories and most importantly – product samples. I think it’s so important to let customers see and feel what you can create for them.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Little Dove Portraits story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a maternity, newborn & family photographer working out of my home in Wylie TX. As a mom of 2, families and babies are dear to my heart and I just love capturing all those sweet details from the tips of their tiny toes to their baby eyelashes. When new parents book a session with me, I strive to make it success by getting to know them and learning their personal style. When it’s time to order, I will not only help you select the best portraits, I will help you figure out where to place your artwork and preview what it would look like. I also do custom framing and digital portrait painting, something that your everyday photographer does not do.
Currently, I’m pursuing my CPP which is short for “Certified Professional Photographer” a standard set by the Professional Photographers of America which only a handful of photographers in the DFW area have to their name.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’ve had my fair share of both good luck and bad luck, but if there’s anything I’ve learned in life it’s to be resilient and keep weathering the storm because the rainbows and sunshine always come after the storm!
Contact Info:
- Address: 205 S Rolling Meadows
Wylie TX 75098 - Website: http://www.ldportraits.net
- Phone: 2147973992
- Email: hello@ldportraits.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littledoveportraits/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littledoveportraits/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-dove-portraits-wylie
Image Credit:
© Jayna Denbow
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