We are so pumped to feature this fantastic photog duo. These are the amazing photographers behind Ann Louise Photography!
Tell us about you, who you are, hobbies, fav things. We are two sisters, both totally obsessed with photography and being moms. We often say that Jessica is the kite and Jillian is the anchor. Jessica likes to dream big and abandon all sense of caution. Jillian keeps her feet planted firmly on the ground and approaches business and shooting with a well-planned out, laser focus. Add the two together and you have Ann Louise photography in a nut shell…and we are a couple of nuts! Jessica loves reality television, Starbucks coffee and editing in her sweatpants. Jillian loves to follow politics, read cooking magazines (but never actually make any of the recipes,) and spend all of her extra cash at Sephora.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer? We have always been artistic. In high school we loaded up our schedules with art classes and we were always finding new ways to express ourselves through some type of artistic medium. But, we realize now, looking back, that we had a natural born attraction to photography as early as 10 and 12 years old. We loved to invite our friends over to play our favorite game…photo shoot! We would do hair and makeup, hang a bed sheet over our closet doors and have our very own high fashion photo shoot, complete with wardrobe changes. What we are doing now has not come as a surprise to anyone who knows us well.
When and how did you start out in photography? We realized that photography was more than just a hobby and was actually a passion when we got married, ourselves. We both spent large chunks of our wedding budgets on our wedding photographers and really scrutinized the experiences. We learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t and ultimately developed our mission statement by being the bride, the client. After getting married and reflecting, there came a moment when we realized that we wanted to be on the artistic end of the camera. We knew that we could offer our clients a fabulous experience because we knew very well what being a bride and dreaming about a perfect wedding day was all about.
How would you describe your style? A big part of what we do is photojournalistic. We like to stay fresh and push the envelope when we can, while staying timeless. It is also very important to us to keep the images that we provide specific to that client. We have a signature style and that is why people hire us, but every shoot is different and our style is always evolving because every client deserves a unique experience.
What’s in your gear bag? We are Canon girls! In our Kelly Moore bags we carry our 5D Mark II s and a TON of L series glass.
One lens you can’t live without? Jillian cannot live without her 50 1.2 and Jessica cannot live without her 70-200 2.8 – affectionately nick-named “the rocket.”
How did you know when the right time to start charging was? Our clients decided for us! We started out doing favors for friends from birth announcements to senior portraits and they paid us or gave us little gifts as a thank you. When those friends started referring their friends, we knew we needed to establish a session fee. The rest is history!
How much did you charge for your first session and how much are you charging for the same type of session now? When Ann Louise photography was in its infancy, we charged $40.00 for a one hour shoot. Our focus was to get our name out there, build up our portfolio and blog site, all while gaining more experience. We were shooting 6 and 7 days a week at $40 a shoot for over 6 months. We decided to start charging more when we looked at our calendar and saw that we were booked solid for a couple of months out.
The demand was there and the positive feedback from our clients was consistent. We started with small adjustments and increases to our fee and worked our way up to charging what we are worth. Today, we offer different types of shoots and, of course, our bread and butter is wedding photography. Those portrait sessions that used to cost $40.00 are now between $250.00 and $750.00.
How did you market yourself when you started out? We relied on word of mouth for a long time. Our company got a big boost when we decided to start advertising on The Knot and when we started an Ann Louise photography Facebook page. However, to this day, a large percentage of our clients come to us by referral.
We are going to play a game… name the first person that comes to mind when you think of… Write down the first person, no cheating!!
·Newborn photographer: Anne Reynolds Wilmus
·Wedding photographer: JP Elario
·Lifestyle photographer: Todd Selby
·Most inspirational person: Tiffany Bender
Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught? If self-taught, what helped you the most? We are both self-taught. What helped us the most was shooting every single day. Once we decided to get serious, we literally slept with our cameras for a year. Some things could never be taught in a classroom….like instinct and vision. We were born with those…the technical skills came later. We also benefited greatly from attending workshops, signing up for webinars and networking with other members of the photography community.
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business? The hardest thing to overcome is taking everything personally. When you are a small business, it is easy to take every single thing that happens directly to heart. And then, add to that the fact that what you are selling is yourself…your art, your vision, your time away from your kids.
This makes it even harder to shake off the small stuff… But, that day does come, when you learn what matters vs. what comes with the territory. We will never have “thick skin” because that is not who we are. Being personal and putting tons of heart in to every last detail of a client’s experience has become our brand… However, we have gotten better at letting missteps go, faster.
Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out? Always take the high road and work your butt off.
If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be? Jillian would be a writer. Jessica would probably return to her roots and be a teacher.
What’s the best lesson in photography (business or shooting) that you’ve learned so far? Turn the dial to M. 🙂
What are your thoughts on (pick one of these subject matters)… pricing, flash, lifestyle photography, props, Lifestyle photography is such an exciting genre and one that we have tried to integrate into our approach to wedding photography…without even realizing what it was called. The most exciting moments of a wedding day are just that…moments…real moments. In our experience, we get most of those amazing moments during the first few chapters of the day…while the bride is getting hair and makeup.
There is so much hustle and bustle in the home or hotel room where she is getting primped and painted. We often capture truly authentic moments…the bride wearing a robe and wringing her hands a little bit or wiping away a tear, bridesmaids sipping champagne and running around with garment bags. In the backgrounds of these images, there are tables strewn with flowers, nail polish, soda cans, bags of makeup, tissue boxes, little point and shoots, lists, itineraries, ice buckets of champagne.
The organized chaos and those moments of anticipation and preparation are often the most moving and do the best job of capturing the essence of the day. Integrating the spirit of lifestyle photography and traditional wedding day photography is most certainly what Ann Louise photography is all about.
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Do you have any questions for Jessica and Jillian? Post them in the comment section below! 🙂