Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Baumann.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born and raised Philly girl right here! Well, Philly suburbs to be exact! I am actually far from a city girl and always envisioned living by the beach. It hasn’t happened yet, but a girl can dream!
Growing up, my extracurricular activities included studying enough to get by with average grades, hanging out with friends, and redecorating my room over and over and over again. It was pretty early on that I knew I wanted to be an interior designer. I ended up going to a local associates college to get a degree in interior design because I couldn’t fathom going to school for a whole four years when I could just go for two! School was just not my thing, and I wanted to get to work in a field I thought was going to be a lot of fun!
Thankfully, I was hired as a project manager in a kitchen and bath company soon after graduation. I ended up meeting my now husband through the training program we went to for that job! A couple of years later I took a different project manager position at another kitchen and bath firm nearby. The economy took a turn for the worst and the ‘fun’ design jobs that I dreamt to have one day just weren’t out there. I felt stuck.
In December 2009, my then fiance and I had our engagement session with my friend and our amazing wedding photographer. I remember so clearly that when we got in the car afterwards, I turned to my fiance and said; “I think I want to be a photographer.” His response is one that I will never forget. He said, “go for it!” Those three simple words were all I needed to hear. A few months after we tied the knot in September 2010, I got a camera and became a sponge for photography knowledge.
I watched YouTube videos, took Creative Live classes online, and I began building a community of local photographers to learn from. Something I did that I feel every new photographer should do is offer their friends a free family session. By photographing my friends for free, it allowed me to get the practice I needed without the pressure of getting paid. I also began second shooting for other wedding photographers and assisting them when needed for little to no pay.
In December 2011, I photographed my first wedding for my business! The power of social media was a huge contributor to my growth. The referrals were pouring in, and at my peak, I was photographing nearly 20 weddings a year for myself as well as second shooting for other local photographers. I also was an associate wedding photographer for a husband and wife team (M2 Photography). I was capturing over 35 portrait sessions in a year including families, newborns, engagements, and headshots. Life was good, and business was booming!
The kitchen and bath firm I was working at closed in 2012. At that time, I began doing photography full time. In June 2014, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl in the world! Bryn was the light of my life, and I quickly realized that I could not keep up my normal pace in business and be the stay at home mom I wanted to be. Something had to change. I either had to sub out the editing or cut back on the work I accepted.
It was a hard decision, but at the end of the day I gave in to my control freak personality and just couldn’t hand over the editing to someone else. So I put a limit on the number of weddings and portrait sessions that I would accept. I know that decision held me back from growing my business, but it felt like it was the right decision for me at the time. I needed to run my business and not allow my business to run me any longer. In early 2017, I began to pray that God would guide us to where he wanted us to move.
With two big rottweilers and a toddler, we needed more space than our townhouse could provide. He revealed His grand plan to me in the spring. My husband came upstairs from his basement office and shared with me that we had an incredible opportunity to move to Texas. The company he had been working for is headquartered in Plano. We always knew it would be a possibility to move if he was ever going to move up in the company, but we had no idea when. He is now the C.O.O. of Master Networks which is a nationwide networking company.
We have been living here just over a year and felt like it is home!
Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing in life worth doing comes easy! There have been bumps along the way, but thankfully I haven’t experienced anything earth-shattering. Two things come to mind when I think of hurdles I have had to overcome in my business.
Right around my daughter’s due date, I was booked to photograph five weddings! I was stressed about how my couples would handle the news but also not sure how I should handle the situation. I still wanted to be a part of their wedding day, but I knew I couldn’t commit to being there. I was so thankful that I had built a network of local photographers that I trusted wholeheartedly.
Many of them were willing to help in any way they could. I contacted a few of them to photograph the weddings that I could not and then they gave me their raw images so that I could edit them in my typical style. My clients were thankfully so wonderful and understanding of the situation. They all loved their photos, which at the end of the day is all that matters.
The other and most recent hurdle has been our relocation to Texas. It has been a very humbling experience to restart my business in a brand new area. I didn’t have too many connections when we moved other than the people my husband works with. Over time I have made many connections with people at our church, my daughter’s school, and through the weekly Master Networks McKinney chapter meetings that I attend.
I was blessed to have the opportunity to capture many beautiful families this fall here in Texas! I do also travel back to Pennsylvania to photograph my sweet, loyal clients that come to me year after year.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Telling stories and capturing genuine emotion in a memorable and enjoyable environment is my specialty. I realize that people typically do not like getting their photos taken. So I have a lot of tricks and games that I use to get people to feel comfortable and forget they are there to take photos.
My style is to use all natural light for my portraits. I like everything to look as candid as possible, and I feel that the best way to do that is to use natural light. My sessions are typically done in someone’s home for a lifestyle set up or on location at a public outdoor space.
I capture a little bit of everything including; engagements, newborn lifestyle sessions, families, headshots, social media content, and intimate weddings. When we moved here, I knew I needed to create a niche market for myself. I wanted to capture something different or differently, but it took me some time to come up with what that would be.
This Fall, I was inspired by something a friend of mine shared on Facebook. Her post gave me the inspiration to do a session for couples too (re)connect. I created ‘The Re-Engage Experience.’ I want couples to reminisce about the love they had in the beginning when everything was butterflies and roses. I want them to remember funny stories of when it was just the two of them without a care in the world. I want them to write letters to each other prior to the session and then read them out loud while I stand far away and capture all of the magic!
This experience is meant to facilitate connection in a way that they may not otherwise happen. I use a series of custom prompts and questions that I create with for each couple based on a questionnaire they fill out prior to the session. It is a really special experience and makes for the perfect anniversary, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Birthday gift!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The DFW area has a lot to do and explore! Whether you are single or have a large family, there is something for everyone here — city life, farm life, and everything in between.
This area is growing at an exponential rate. This means a few things; traffic can be a nightmare at times, there is constant roadwork, and shopping centers and communities are popping up everywhere you look.
The other aspect of the area’s growth is that many fields including photography are overly saturated. But that just means that you need to work harder to stand out. If you provide exceptional service and your clients love their images, they will come back and refer you business!
Pricing:
- Family & Engagement sessions – start at $200
- Lifestyle newborn sessions – start at $350
- The Engage Experience for couples – start at $375
- Intimate weddings & Styled Elopments – start at $475/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jenniferbaumannphotography.com/blog
- Phone: 6105471670
- Email: jenniferbaumannphoto@gmail.com
- Instagram: @jenniferbaumannphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbaumannphotography
Image Credit:
Jennifer Baumann Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
