Today we’d like to introduce you to Lymarie Jackson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve had a heart for teaching, coaching, and mentoring teens for as long as I can remember, but using photography as my vehicle for that ministry started on the athletic field when my own children were very young. I bought a camera and started photographing them playing sports. I soon realized I had a passion and a talent for it and was encouraged by friends and family to pursue photography as a career. So, I dove into education and practice, invested heavily into improving my craft, so that I could provide a high-quality service. Along the way, I realized that through my sessions and the time I spend with my teens, I am able to build them up, help them develop confidence, and show them a side of themselves they aren’t necessarily used to seeing. I get to give them an experience where everyday stresses are left for another time, and the attention is all about celebrating them.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Being a business owner is a roller coaster. It is filled with successes and failures. I saw a meme the other day that described it perfectly. It went something like this: “Some days I amaze myself with my own talent. Other days I try taking pictures with the lens cap on.” It’s SO true! But that’s life. The key is to just keep swimming.
Specific struggles? My business is a luxury service. When the economy is down, and people have less disposable income, I will naturally take a hit. And photography is a saturated industry. Everyone carries a camera on their phone. My job is to create a product and an experience that is unique and long-lasting. My clients come to me because they value the high quality of my images, which will be art on their walls, and the time I spend serving them through the process. Not everyone sees that as important, and that’s ok! But it is a daily job on my end to try to communicate what I do, and to find the clients who want to invest in that service!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional photographer, specializing in tweens to seniors (high school AND college), their families, and the sports they play. The following is what I tell my clients on the first page of my Client Guide, and I think it conveys my message as well as anything:
‘It’s important for you to know that I am NOT a “high volume photographer,” and that I DO specialize in photographing teens. That means I only accept a small number of clients each year so that I can give a great deal of attention to each one of my seniors. I don’t shoot maternity, newborns, or weddings, and I limit my family sessions to the families of my teens. That way, I can fully invest my time into serving YOU. I feel strongly that YOU are where I should be pouring my energy, so my education, and my time, is dedicated to YOU.
You deserve SO MUCH from your senior portrait session. I treat my seniors to a high-end, luxury experience that I want them to remember as a highlight from their Senior Year. My sessions are fun and relaxed, and all along the way, I shower you with little gifts and lots of attention and information. My goal is to create a portrait experience that is designed around you: where together we bring out your best self, where you come away feeling valued, knowing that you were beautifully and wonderfully made.
You are NOT a number to me…you are the reason I am able to do this job that I love so much. It is my ministry, and I am grateful for the people who allow my team and me to serve them.’
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I am, by nature, a people pleaser. I had to learn to value my own time and set limits. I will bend over backward for my clients, but I had to learn to balance that service with boundaries. I had to learn that I run a business, and making money is good! I remember feeling guilty about that for some reason, early on, especially since I genuinely enjoy what I do. I hated charging clients for my service. But a mentor of mine told me something that really resonated with me. She said that my time is valuable and that every time I said ‘yes’ to time serving a client, I was saying ‘no’ to that time with my family. I needed to be sure it was worth that. So, I wouldn’t change my path for anything, but if I’m mentoring someone starting out, I’d tell them not to sell themselves short by undervaluing their own time, talent, and investments.
Contact Info:
- Email: lymarie@lymariepjacksonphotography.com
- Website: lymariepjacksonphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lymariepjacksonphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lymariepjphoto
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LPJPhotography?s=20
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLt0mULQkvpUTGZfDqLzSbg
Image Credits
Through The Linz for the family picture
