Meet Jennifer Carr | Photographer and Educator

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

Hi Jennifer, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is terrifying! Yet it’s necessary when starting your own business. My Dad is a small business owner and the hardest worker I know. His commitment and drive inspired me through example. When I got the idea to start hosting women’s photography retreats, despite my fears and doubts, I knew it was a risk I was willing to take. I always think back to the quote by Erin Hansen “”What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly? Taking the risk and putting myself out there scares me each time I open registration for a new retreat or mentoring opportunity. And while they all haven’t sold out within minutes, each experience has been completely worth the risk and fears that I overcame to get there.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Years ago, when my husband and I bought our first house, we wanted to decorate with local photographs. Aftering visiting an art show and seeing the price tags, my husband suggested I learn to take photographs instead. He purchased me a camera and some books and I spent years studying how to create photographs. I truly learned the long, hard way with trial and error and I fell in love with the act of creating. Eventually, I got my own booth at the same art shows we attended years before. Through the shows, I was asked about offering lessons and after my own learning experience, I knew that I could help someone even if it just meant they might learn a little faster than I did. I started offering lessons and hosting small groups of friends at my cottage in the Outer Banks. That birthed my idea of The Saltwater Retreat- a women’s photography retreat that I like to call a photography vacation. We gather together in a cottage on the shore, spend a week photographing with no distractions or obligations and making new friends. Those weeks are truly some of the best weeks of my life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live a unique life where I split time between the Seattle area and the mid-Atlantic coast, so visits to me look different depending on where I am in the world.

On the west coast, I’d take them straight into the mountains! With the Cascade range being so accessible, it’s easy to spend a week hopping between incredible areas such as Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, and the North Cascades. Ideally, we’d camp or rent tiny cabins, cooking over the fire and sipping delicious syrahs from Washington wine regions. Before they flew back home, though, we’d cook fresh caught salmon because you haven’t had salmon unless you’ve had fresh King Salmon.

If we were on the east coast, we’d head down to Hatteras Island, stopping in Nags Head for ice cream at Surfin’ Spoon and to photograph the Bodie Island lighthouse. Then we’d settle into island living starting with sunrise walks on the beach, afternoons lounging in the sand or taking the ferry to Ocracoke to explore, and sunsets over the Pamlico Sound. We’d eat fresh caught fish we picked up at Sunrise Seafood Market enjoying the craft beer we brought down from O’Connor Brewing in Norfolk.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m not sure there is enough space for me to name all of the people who deserve recognition for supporting me in my journey! It seems cliche to name my family but without their support, encouragement, and little pushes, I certainly wouldn’t be the person that I am today. In my photography journey, I owe a huge thanks to the Click Community and all my incredible friends and support network I’ve met through there. One person who I always think of when I think of who has helped me along is Holli True. I don’t think she even knows the impact her words had on me when I met her at a conference and bravely asked if I could buy her lunch many years ago. During that lunch she told me “You don’t have to define yourself to anyone. Whatever you love to shoot and share… do that.” Those words were instrumental in both my career and my courage in life. And finally, I want to acknowledge Carolyn Lowe. She works with me at The Saltwater Retreat and without her, the experience wouldn’t be as special for our attendees.

Website: https://www.jennifercarrphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifercarrphotography/

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

Image Credits
Headshot- Michele Thompson