Meet Jamie Smith | Colorado Springs Portrait and Wedding Photographer

I pride myself in my strong ability to relate to my clients of all ages and stages of life. Through my authentic connections with people, I’m able to provide a comfortable environment that brings out natural and candid expressions, which ultimately gives them images they’ll cherish forever. I’m very in tune with what my clients need and guide them accordingly to ensure their photography journey is a pleasant experience and in order to properly tell their story. I believe it’s the reason that the majority of my business has always come from repeat customers and referrals. I also believe in the power of finding beautiful natural light. I actually have kind of a crazy obsession where I look for it wherever I go, wether I’m shooting or not. I believe it makes the subject more powerful and come to life. Photography is a visual language to me.

My photography journey began in Michigan 16 years ago after having my first baby. I’m self taught and took lots of photos of my son and my friend’s children. As my skillsets grew and more friends raved about my work and requested my time and talent, I began taking myself a lot more seriously and decided to officially launch my business when we moved to Colorado in 2007. From there, my business quickly took off and I continue to serve the Colorado Springs and surrounding areas today, specializing in babies, kids, teens, families, and weddings.

It wasn’t an easy journey. I honestly just failed forward. A lot. Like most creatives, the technical and business side of things wasn’t the part that brought me great joy. Nobody warned me that taking photos was only a small percentage of doing this business. It took me years to develop the right systems, efficient workflows, and the right pricing structure. I struggled greatly, like a lot of artists do, with fully understanding and valuing my worth.  I absolutely love people and am a helper to a fault (for you enneagram lovers our there, I’m a strong 2 w 1) so, as a result, I didn’t set healthy boundaries in a lot of areas. My goal from the start was honestly work/life balance but, as it turned out, several of my decisions actually caused me to be very UNbalanced. I eventually reached burnout and even took a step back from the biz for a short while, only taking on a small handful of clients here and there.

That time away gave me just the clarity I needed.  I found my worth.  I know my boundaries.  The love of photography never left me.  It actually just grew stronger.  So I dove right back in.

As challenging as the journey has been at times, I’m grateful for what it has taught me. It’s ok to fail. It’s the recovery and personal growth that counts.

I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the unwavering support from my family and friends. This work doesn’t come without a lot of sacrifices, heartache, setbacks, and failures. There have been many times I’ve questioned myself along the way and considered giving up. They’ve been there to pick me up and remind me why I started in the first place and that my work matters and positively impacts so many.

Then there are my clients. Goodness, I don’t even know where to begin with bragging on them. Their love, encouragement, and loyalty is so humbling, uplifting, and truly what keeps me going.

I would be remise if I didn’t also give a shoutout to my local photography community. I’m so blessed to work in this industry with a handful of other creatives who value community and collaboration over competition. Their friendship and mentorship have provided an additional pillar of strength and motivation for me.