I am honoured and thrilled to share that I have been voted the best photographer in Barrie by the readers of the Barrie Examiner for the third year now in a row! Thank you very much Barrie for this honour!

This August also marked my 10th year in Business. After graduating from the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, BC in 2003, I moved back to my hometown to start my photography career. Over the past ten years in business I have continued to invest heavily in education and training in order to provide the highest level of quality of photography. I also believe in the importance of exceptional customer service and our studio continues to provide the finest service and personalized attention to all of our clients.

I opened my photography studio in August 2003, and have had an interesting, rewarding, challenging and simply amazing journey over the past ten years. It has honestly been a bit of a whirlwind. I started my business out of our one bedroom apartment. Whenever I had a studio session booked, my husband (then boyfriend), Casey, would literally have to move the couch and other furniture out of our living room and into our bedroom. I supply taught and had another part-time job during the first two years of starting my business. It was a tremendous amount of investment and a lot of hard work to get started in this industry ten years ago. In the beginning, I also had a darkroom in my mom’s basement and would spend hours meticulously printing my own black and white photographs. In 2006, we purchased our first house, a century home located in the heart of downtown Barrie. This house was a definite fixer upper, but it was in a great location. I then had my photography studio on the main floor and we had a separate living area upstairs. This arrangement was great for a number of years. After the birth of my daughter, Camryn in February 2010, I decided that I needed separation from home and work and that is when I moved to my current studio at 38 Maple Avenue in July of 2010 and once again invested heavily in my business to create a beautiful and luxurious loft space where I could work together with my clients to create art.

I am so honoured to have so many longstanding clients that have stayed with me throughout the years. Thank you for believing in me and for valuing the work that I produce for you!

The photography industry has changed tremendously over the past ten years especially with the transition into digital photography. It is an exciting, fast-paced and technology driven world, and it requires constant attention & learning to keep ahead of the game. However, in my opinion, amongst all this change, I still believe that the most important thing has not changed. The ability of a single photograph to convey emotion, to capture something real and beautiful, no matter how it was produced. As photographers, we are hired to create still images.  The one thing that can set you apart in this over saturated world of photography is to truly nurture your own photographic style and vision.

Here are a few things that I believe in that have helped me continue to produce meaningful work in this industry and to develop a portfolio of images over the past ten years that I am quite proud of.

• I believe in the importance of a thoughtful, natural and beautiful portrait. A portrait that is timeless and that captures my client’s real personality.
• I believe in the importance of the professionally printed archival photograph.
• I believe in the importance of offering my clients the highest quality of printed images possible.
• I believe in the importance of continuing education.
• I believe in the importance of a photographer’s copyright of the work that they produce.
• I believe in honest business practices and offering the highest quality of work at fair value to my clients.
• I believe in the importance of personal photographic projects.
• I believe in the importance of work life balance. It is all to easy to be consumed by photography, but it is important as a photographer to create balance in your life. This is what helps inspire you to continue to develop and grow as an artist.
• I believe in giving back to my community. Over the years, I have been happy to give back to several local charities.

I am very grateful that I have been able to successfully run a profitable photography studio for the past ten years. How have I survived in this ever changing and over saturated photography industry? ….a lot of hard work, difficult decisions, determination, integrity, belief in myself and my talent, continued practice of my craft, valuing my work and charging fair prices, commitment, perseverance and caring a lot about my clients.

It is my clients that inspire me every day to create my art. Thank you to my clients above all else for believing in me and for sharing your lives with me. My life is enriched by my time spent with all of you.

Thank you,

Jennifer

Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.
Yousuf Karsh