Meet Jen Dz | Adventure Elopement Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Dz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting my own business kind of happened by accident. I never thought I would be an entrepreneur and definitely never thought I would be a photographer! I went to law school to study environmental law, took and passed the bar exam, and worked in a semi-legal position for 5 years. After my son was born I knew that I wanted more flexibility in my life to spend time with him – something that my job at that time didn’t offer. When I left that 9-5 job I assumed I would end up working for someone else again!

I had been doing photography as a hobby for a while at that time but had no intentions of going pro with it. Then a friend asked me to photographer her sister’s wedding and the rest is history! I never thought this would become my full time career but I am so grateful that it did! Having complete control over my business has allowed me to build a life that I love and to focus on the things that matter most to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an adventure elopement photographer who plans and photographers elopements in beautiful places across Colorado, throughout the Western U.S., and locations around the world.

While there are a lot of people who can take really beautiful photos I believe what sets me apart is the experience I provide my clients with. I believe that planning and executing a laid-back, fun, truly personal elopement day is as important as the photos themselves – and that providing that experience is an art in itself!

I typically spend 8-10 hours with my clients on their elopement day and treat the entire day as one big adventure. We hike, explore, have drinks, and somewhere along the way get them married up! My goal is ALWAYS for their pictures to tell the story of their incredible day which is why my photos focus heavily on candid moments and a sense of place.

Starting my business took a lot of hustle in the early days. It was a lot of hard work combined with quite a bit of luck. The most challenging part was just keeping my head up when business was slow or things got hard. I learned along the way, however, that big wins would come exactly when I needed them most and to trust in the process. Even after all these years I still have to remind myself to have faith that everything will work out! It’s gotten easier over time

I truly hope that my clients walk away from their elopement experience feeling empowered to make their own decisions in life and to go against the grain if it’s something they want to do. I believe I was put on this Earth to encourage people to live life on THEIR terms and to not do things just because it is what is expected – whether that involved how they earn a living, where they choose to live, or how they choose to get married. More than anything I want my couples to understand that this is THEIR life and they get to choose how to live it and I hope that empowering them to do something wildly different for their wedding will help them see that they can make these choices in other areas of their lives as well!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Louisville and would probably take my friend around to show them the best that Boulder County has to offer!

We’d go for a hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness or on one of Boulder’s classic hiking trails like Mt Sanitas. We’d wander around on Pearl Street and have food and drinks on the roof at Avanti. I’m a mountain biker and so are a lot of my friends so I’d probably take them mountain biking at Betasso Preserve or Hall Ranch or maybe hit up Valmont Bike Park – then we’d cool off by going paddleboarding at the Boulder Reservoir.

For dinner I’d take them either to Acreage for delicious cider and the best views of the Flatirons or to Southern Sun for beers and burgers and the perfect Boulder vibe.

I’d also DEFINITELY try to take them to a show at Red Rocks and maybe down to the Louisville Street Faire for a fun Friday evening!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband has always been my biggest supporter in life! I always joke that our entire relationship is built on the two of us encouraging each other’s crazy ideas – and this is a situation where it’s absolutely true! One of the most challenging things about starting a business is not knowing whether all of that hard work will ever pay off – you have to operate purely on faith (and lots of coffee!)! He supported this dream of mine as it was getting going, before we knew if it would ever actually become a “thing”, and still supports the work that I do – even when I’m on the road and away from my family.

Website: jendzphotography.com

Instagram: instagram.com/jendz

Facebook: facebook.com/jendzphotography

Other: pinterest.com/jendzphotography