Hidden Gems: Meet Jaclyn Liberator of The Jaclyn Photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaclyn Liberator

Hi Jaclyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always been into art. I loved any form of art from a young age. I remember always drawing with my dad and saying I wanted to be just as good as he was. He told me time and time again, “Just keep practicing, and you’ll get there”.

Flashforward to middle school and high school and I am taking every art class that I can. I had one particular class in high school that I loved more than most – my photography class. I loved what I could capture in a camera. I loved the process of working with film. I had such a wonderful teacher that inspired me to pursue it further in life. However, we came to some roadblocks…

When I went to college I thought I knew what I wanted to do. I told my advisor that I wanted to pursue photography. He advised me that it wasn’t something that would make me very much money and that I should pursue something else. At that moment my dream went poof and I spent the next three years unsure of what to do with my life. I finally changed advisors and she was such a sweet human. She asked me what I liked and what I enjoyed doing. At that moment I told her for my passion for art and my previous experience with my last advisor. She was shocked and told me how while they can help guide, they are not supposed to outright deny students on what they would like to pursue. She advised that maybe I should take an Art History class and see what I thought and then we could decide from there. I took the class and loved it. At that point I finally had my major and was feeling happy about it. I did have some skepticism from others on what I would do with this degree, but I persevered. You can surprisingly do a lot with this degree – Work in a museum or art gallery directing or curating pieces, work with the FBI on fraud pieces, teach at a school, etc. However, once again, that’s not what happened.

When I graduated college, I was living at home. My dad told me that since I was living under his roof, I had one month to get a job. So I decided to just get some sort of office job while I hunted for a job in the Art History field. I started a job with a company that had nothing to do with Art History. While I loved the job, it wasn’t giving me the creative outlet that I wanted. My parents helped me buy my first camera shortly after. I just used it for fun, taking photos of things that I found captivating. I started an Instagram page for my work just for me to post something. Then I started following a lot of other photographers around the country and fell in love with their work and how they capture people and their lives. I started taking photos of my friends and their families and experimented with presets… yikes, but I found that I loved taking photos of people.

Not long after I went to my first content day hosted by two girls in Kansas City. It was COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone. I was very intimidated by the other girls and their knowledge, skills and work. But I kept on and listened to their conversations, learning anything I could. I felt impowered to become just as successful as them one day. I started going to content days and retreats to build my portfolio. I second shot weddings as well to learn from the people that inspired me. Each person I have met, has inspired me to keep going. To keep building. To keep learning. I am proud of how far I have come. This road has been bumpy but its been fulfilling. I honestly cant wait to see where it leads me next.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha… not at all. But probably not for the reasons you think. My biggest roadblock as been myself. There were times in my journey (that I didn’t talk about on the last question) where I became so intimidated or worried about what people were thinking of me and my work that I altogether stopped doing photography. I let my mind take control and stop me from continuing on. Worried that people would think:

“oh, she’s posting again”

“Wow she never show’s her work,”

“She’s trying to be a photographer again”

“Look at her photos… I would have done ____ differently”

It was hard to overcome and I still get what they call ‘imposter syndrome’. But I learned that everyone does. The most well known photographers talk about how they still get that. Everyone had to start somewhere.

The only person you should be comparing yourself to is your previous self. And in that case, you need to focus on the gain. We get so caught up in focusing on our future and on where we want to be that we don’t realize how far we have come. My boss (at my customer service job) taught me to look at the gain vs. the gap.

That doesn’t mean to lose sight of your goals but make sure to acknowledge your growth too.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a wedding and couples photographer that is based in Kansas City. I would say I am known for my engagement photos and wedding photos. I specialize in capturing love! – as cheesy as that sounds.

You know, every photographer is unique and has their own style. I am not going to say that my style is what sets me apart. Each of us are unique in that way. I would say what sets me apart from others is my background in customer service. While I have grown this business, I have still kept that same job from right out of college. With that, I have become the Customer Service Manager at that company. I use what I have learned there to apply it to my photography business. I genuinely want each client to have a great experience with me. I might be a little introverted and weird, but I care deeply.

I am most proud of how I have developed in my editing. Every photographer starts out testing different editing styles. I am proud of finding my style and loving it.

While I specialize in weddings and couples, I do offer other services such as branding, families, maternity etc. I am here for every memorable event in your life.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
This has been hard for me. Like really hard. I feel like I have started late in this field. Whether or not that is true, its just the way I feel. Most of the girls in my area are already all friends and with coming in “late”, I feel like I don’t belong. I am also older than most in my field. I will say that they are all so kind and generous but I still don’t feel like I fit. They have a foundation that they built together that I was not there for.

I have made a few photography friends on my journey and I am still trying to make some more. It doesn’t help that I am introverted and making friends is not EASY.

What has worked well for me – Being kind. Constantly complimenting others work. Messaging different photographers I want to work with letting them know how much I love their work, how they inspire me and if they had an opportunities in the future where they needed someone to work with, I would love that opportunity. Anytime someone posts for a second shooter – I reach out applying for it. Not just to further my portfolio but also as a way to meet more photographers.

Going to content days and/or retreats – even if you just make one friend from them, that’s something!

I am here for any photographers that want to be friends! Reach out to me and let’s get coffee and edit together. I know how hard it is, I’d love to help!

Pricing:

• Weddings: Starting at $2300
• Elopements: Starting at $2500
• Couples: Starting at $300
• Studio Sessions: Starting at $400
• All Other Sessions: Starting at $300

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thejaclynphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaclynphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Jaclyn-Photo/100070064327373/