Meet Jenna Roden | Photographer and Videographer

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

Hi Jenna, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“We all have something within us that the world needs.” I am passionate about capturing what that is. In 2012, I saw this quote, with the words smacked right in the center of a random landscape photo, with a galaxy overlay on top of it (classic 2000s Tumblr).

The simple, yet bold phrase stuck out to me because I believe all of us have the purpose and calling that is needed, whether that’s in the little things or the big things such as having a purpose in the mundane, soul searching during fleeting-moment celebrations, or having a calling when we feel like we’re walking through ‘the fire’ of life.

Also, in my day-to-day friendships, I naturally tend to encourage my friends to see the vision and purpose of their life in mine. When I help show someone their meaning, I feel my own sense of purpose which creates my ‘why’ of why I do photography and videography.

Let me show you what the world needs from you and your part in it. It’s an emotional investment for me. I want to show you how someone you love looks at you, capture the heart beating moments that make you know everything is how it’s supposed to be. I want to pause the moments that make you feel most alive and important.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My style is heavily focused on making those real moments look like cinematic moments. I don’t like anything super staged and I enjoy capturing what’s going on in real-time and conveying emotion from the moment. With my clients, we are capturing something together. Sure, I can take traditional portraits, and give a few poses, but I like to capture that evoking, heart-pounding connection between others. The real good stuff. I will prompt my clients with questions and actions with those they will love and it will be like we’re hanging out — not so much just asking them to stand there with a cheesy smile and big eyes and I’m just standing there hiding behind the camera.

Their dress may not be perfectly flat and smooth, their hair may be blowing in the wind, but when they’re in the moment, time is fleeting, and the wind is blowing, there’s something magical about capturing that — it’s raw, moving, it is meant to take your breath away.

I want to shoot whatever my clients want to be documented in a way that will bring back those sweet and heart-string-pulling emotions — something they can look back on and it will mean something to them because that’s what it’s all about (and I think that’s what sets me apart from others).

How did I get to where I am today professionally? It was slow-moving, painfully slow-moving. I dabbled with photography and video my whole life and I even wanted to go to school for it – but I didn’t. When I was a senior college at Michigan State University, I decided it was time to start doing it professionally after dabbling with a few content creation opportunities for local outdoor retail brands in Northern Michigan. I got paid with clothes pretty much. Although, marketing/photography in the outdoor retail industry got me out to Utah. On the side, as I started to build my business, I started doing lifestyle shoots, shoots with friends, creating video projects for school, and became a fan of taking headshots and doing a few family sessions here and there.

When I moved to Utah, I met a few professional photographers with a decent following on Instagram. I would shoot alongside them, although it was pretty defeating to hear the words “wow, that was almost professional,” and statements like that. I truly felt like I had nothing to offer as I thought I built up enough experience back in Michigan. Eventually, I set my camera down for half a year and swore it wasn’t something I was cut out for because the industry itself was intimidating.

Things early on in the journey that intimidated/prevented my growth:
– Lightroom/Photoshop: complex to use, and also I couldn’t afford a membership plan (I actually edited all my pictures on VSCO, Lightroom Mobile for the longest time, and I used a very old version of premiere pro for video editing).
– Laptop: I didn’t/couldcan’t afford a good laptop to edit on and create – my computer crashed every time I would try to video edit
– Camera gear: I couldn’t afford nice equipment for the life of me – But I made the most of a Canon Rebel t5I for 2 years or so professionally
– Attaining clients: I didn’t know anyone out in Utah, and social media wasn’t serving me in that – I also didn’t know what to charge out in Utah or how to advertise
– I couldn’t figure out my style. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I was pulled in many directions and types of photography, I didn’t know what I was passionate about. My consistency was lacking, and business was suffering from that.
– Criticism/Feedback: Professional criticism made it seem like I was farther from ‘the goal’ of being established
– Starting an LLC: taxes, expenses, audits – I thought this was way too overwhelming so I was afraid to give it my all and eventually have to deal with the complexities of running a business

So how did I overcome these challenges? This may sound like a cliche. But I had a boyfriend who dumped me, and it hurt me so badly. The only thing I wanted to do after that breakup was revenge – by becoming the best and most successful version of myself I could possibly be.

So here’s what happened.

– Impulsively dropped 4k on a camera, kept my nifty 50mm that was $150 for my Rebel T5i
– Joined a non-denominational church and started serving heavily on their media team (where I met my mentor Justin Parrish)
– Got a job at an ad agency and had creative opportunities to do corporate video/photo work as well as do social media consulting. Having the software and tools to learn on the job made me grow into photography and video at a much faster rate.
– Gain networking opportunities to do family shoots from my church as well as ask every business owner I know if they needed any services for trade or for payment.
– Started my rates low at $99/hour and worked my way up as I gained more experience

Here’s what I accomplished that first year after that:
– Shot a film in Mexico
– Bought more expensive lenses
– Saved enough money to buy a condo and create a studio/office in my home
– Had my work published in a Utah calendar publication
– Was able to have unique film opportunities working with Utah local businesses – I will never forget riding in an ATV filming a commercial in the mountains

I was starting to learn the best was yet to come and I started to receive recognition for it. During that time as well I learned:
– Soak in as much as you can, find as many photography/videography opportunities as possible so you know what you like doing.
– Set boundaries for yourself as burnout is a real thing. I integrated my passion into my 9-5 and a side gig, and to serve my church, I was definitely over capacitated. Although…
– The more you create, the better you will get. My editing style and eye for capturing others changed immensely during this time.
– Ask those around you for help whether it’s for software, getting equipment, needing models. There are loopholes and ways that you can get your hands on what you need to be set up for success without draining your wallet.
– You also do not need super fancy equipment to be successful, I dropped 4k on a camera body just so I could convince myself I HAD to do this. Renting equipment as well comes a long way, and it’s about how you use your equipment not necessarily the type when starting out.
– Make time to have fun. When you’re working within just the boundaries of getting paid, or in a certain type of work, you limit yourself in discovering more about what you can do with a camera. It also prevents burnout.
– Take the criticism. If it hurts, it means you care, but don’t let yourself quit it. Because you care will mean you will grow.

So fast forward another year or so, I am continuing just growing, learning, freelancing in every kind of photography/videography but mainly focusing on family, corporate, nonprofit, and lifestyle photography.

But something in me turned where I felt like I was missing something. I still didn’t have my niche. Burnout was becoming more frequent. It almost seemed like I was disappointed in myself when I became ‘established’ but wasn’t actually doing what I wanted to do. Also, it seemed like my networking only made it as far as my church community and coworkers.

Eventually, I outgrew working for an agency while continuing my freelance work and I started working in tech. I started dialing back my corporate video/photo work and shifted into doing more intimate lifestyle/family/couple shoots. And oddly it felt like I just moved back to Utah again where I didn’t feel good enough, where I plateaued, where I felt like this was as good as I was going to get.

I had a coworker at my tech company look over my shoulder once at lunch when I was rewatching a video I just published on my Facebook page. It was a video of a mother and son I had shot the week prior for the son’s birthday. She told me “Jenna, wait, what is this? This is so good.” And I told her I did it for free because I haven’t made a video like this before and she said “Quite honestly you do better work than some well-known videographers I know”.

After she said that – the gears got turning again, I thought “Maybe I do have the potential to do more, create more, and let my art grow even deeper.”

So after that, I was trying to do more couple portrait/maternity/engagement/intimate family photos and I could sense my style growing into something more authentic.

Things in this part of the journey that intimidated/prevented my growth:
– No wedding experience besides being a wedding coordinator in college
– Didn’t know any engaged couples to practice shoots on
– Still growing into my style: posing my clients and how to get them comfortable for more intimate shots
– Customer service + Contracts: I was in this weird “I’m an amateur to I’m a professional” phase..
– Lack of resources: I was also too stubborn to google ‘how to get into the wedding industry I was really trying to find shortcuts and also didn’t really know where to look even if it seemed obvious
– Still – starting an LLC: taxes, expenses, audits – I thought this was way too overwhelming so I was afraid to give it my all and eventually have to deal with the complexities of running a business

Once I started building more of this portfolio I wanted to go into (couples, engagements, weddings), I came across an ad on Facebook of a media team looking to contract local photographers and videographers to do weddings every weekend for a low rate. I thought this was perfect for me to get into the wedding industry. Over the course of 3 months, I interviewed, met with the team, planned out my year only to find out that the company fell apart and my contract with them was terminated.

At first, I was very disappointed but something in me said to just do it on my own and give it my all on the first try. So I buttoned up my business by pulling trig on setting up my LLC, getting client contracts in place, and investing some money into a new gear. Therefore, I got over my fear and started booking weddings from people I knew and letting them know I was getting into the industry but I will deliver quality work.

My first wedding I thought went great, but I overexerted myself and I had an unhappy bride due to some misunderstandings of our contract and mixing friendship with business. That can get tricky!

As I booked more weddings and more couple sessions I started to learn a few things:
– Don’t mix friendship with the business but if you do have very clear boundaries (in terms of clients)
– Know your contract well. Be very clear, and include everything to be as specific as possible to protect you and your client.
– Put your travel fees in your quotes, it will be easier for taxes
– Make a Venmo business account and also download Quickbooks to keep track of invoices and payments
– Have pride in your work, and know your worth. I raised my prices by 300% just from knowing the price of my talent and the quality of clients I want to work with
– You will grow through painful, stressful, overwhelming moments. That will refine you to understand and take on more challenges later on.
– Choose clients who trust you and understand the value of your work, because your best work will be reflected in that.
– Each client will be very different, so have fun and go with the flow with everything.

Things did get easier. And the risks I took had high rewards. One of my biggest rewards was doing videography for a wedding for the first time. I had no idea what to expect, never lead a wedding as a videographer yet made a wedding video and by trusting in myself and using the lessons I learned the last few months in the new industry, my video wow-ed my clients and my name was featured for that wedding in Rocky Mountain Bride – a dream come true! And from there I built wonderful connections and sweet memories that will help me carry through my career.

Things that I wish I knew to expedite the success of my business
– Second shoot with photographers/videographers before you lead a wedding or a photography industry of your choice
– Do creative styled shoots and make photographer friends – building a community will help you network and also support you when you want to grow in your work + have a lot of fun
– Join Facebook groups to learn how to shoot photography and also network on there
– Workshops are super useful and many of them are online
– Create a website early on with galleries, FAQ, and pricing information
– Have one price, and deliver as many photos as possible
– Own your creative process, your work is a reflection of you, don’t second guess yourself. Your style is your style in the moment.
– Have business cards on you at all times – use Canva to create and purchase them.
– Have people or yourself pour into your worth. That was the only way I kept going.
– Pick out quality clients who will appreciate your art – don’t be afraid to be picky.
– Free shoots are fun too. Hand out a bone once in a while. It takes the pressure off of yourself from building a business.
– Know that risks and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. The consequences or rewards of either lead to more opportunity or growth.

I guess to sum it up. I want the world to know that there are a million moving parts when it comes to having an artist find their style, their brand, and their success. The success and failures of all of that have shaped me to be exactly where I’m supposed to be in my business and I am very proud. I still feel like I’m in the midst of that. And I know I’m moving toward an even more authentic art and experience for my clients and I’m so excited to see how that will unfold. If there’s one thing I never stopped doing when that could’ve been masked as doubt, or confusion, I was dreaming. Dreaming with my eyes open, wanting much more for myself to give the world something I think it needs.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh Utah is amazing.

– First night in Salt Lake City. Go to Ensign Peak and watch the sunset and grab a drink and a bite to eat at White Horse. End the night at a Karaoke bar somewhere at a dive bar in Murray.
– Second night – Take a half-day trip to Bryce Canyon, go to the food trucks, and try astronaut candy. Do a sunset photoshoot and then head to the Yurt campsite and chat by a campfire with other visitors in the community.
– Drive to the Coral Reef Sand Dunes and go Sand Boarding in the morning then road trip back up for a kegger with friends at a house.
– Spend the next day driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon, maybe hit the slopes with the ski locals. End the day at Snowbird Cliff Spa and enjoy time sitting in the hot tub looking at panoramic views of the mountains.
– The next day do a day trip in Park City, and talk to the local shop owners and walk through the art galleries and do a lunch or dinner at No Name Saloon.
– End the day doing a zipline tour near the Homestead resort
– The next day drive to the Salt Flats with a firepit and friends or head to Antelope Island and do the exact same thing – heck maybe bring a paddleboard.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Justin Parrish is a man who mentored me and coached me until the week before he died. He taught me the ins and outs of videography, poured into my soul when I suffered from imposter syndrome, and gave me the opportunities to take on projects that I never thought I would be able to create so early on in my career. I remember when I last talked to him, crying about how I didn’t feel cut out for wedding photography because of a difficult client, he said “Jenna, wipe your tears off your face and tell yourself congratulations. You’re not a professional until you’re getting yelled at”. And by that context, he was telling me that my work means something to me, and I should stand behind it, not everyone will love it, and be proud of the art I create and I’m at the point of my entrepreneurship where this is finally real.

Website: www.jennaroden.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/byjennaroden

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodenjenna/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/_jennaroden

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennarodenphotography

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMv5vswzvH3CqcDkAR3EYrg

Image Credits
My portrait for a pic of me is by Mckenna Rieger but edit by me.