Meet Madi Jeno | Elopement Photographer

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

Hi Madi, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been artistic. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved photographing things. I didn’t know at the time, that I was artistic in anyway, I had this cookie cutter idea of what that meant. I never put myself into that category, and never viewed myself that way. As I got older though my instagram was purely photos of random things, and I always attached poems from books I would read in my spare time. Eventually I started photographing people on the side, while I worked multiple jobs to get by after high school. I never went to college, so I hopped right into the working world. I worked 3 jobs at once for a while, and would stay up editing until 2 am knowing I had to wake up at 4am for my coffeeshop job. Eventually I quit that coffeeshop job, and I thought that I was upgrading to a job that offered more flexibility. However my new boss was a nightmare, and one of the unkindest people I had ever met. And after only 2 1/2 weeks she fired me out of nowhere, over the phone. I remember feeling like a failure, and extremely anxious about not having a steady income. My husband and I talked, and decided that this was the push I needed to pursue photography full time. I was terrified, but decided I would never take the leap if I didn’t do it then.
So I did it. I absolutely busted my ass, and took every opportunity that came my way. I practiced my skills on friends, and spent the cold Iowa winter learning everything I possibly could. That was the end of 2017. And it’s now 2022, and I’m still doing it. I’m grateful for getting fired now. And thankful I never have to answer to a horrible boss again. That was a pivotal year for me as an entrepreneur, and has given me a huge sense of capability as a business owner, and a person.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d like to think that something that sets my work apart is my ability to capture genuine feelings. I’ve always strived to capture people as they are, nothing fake or posed. Honestly the only way I’m where I am is from practice, and letting go of pride to learn from people. When I started I didn’t think I needed to learn from people or invest in education. My biggest advise to anyone starting, is that you can learn from everyone. Every single person offers a new way of thinking, and a different perspective. Listen to others stories. I want anyone looking to book us, to know that we care about your story. Every single person is so unique and photos should reflect that. I want people to feel seen when they hire us, and know that we care deeply. When booking people, it’s not about transactions or money, it’s truly about connection. We leave every session wanting to be friends with the couple or individual who booked us.

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?
This is tough, because we travel full time in a camper. We end up all over the US, and I have so many places to reccomend. I’ll share my favorite most visited locations!

Port Angelas Washington – We would visit the weekday farmers market first off, and grab some fresh produce from Hidden Penny Farm. After that we would visit the Coffeebox before making the trip out to Lake Cresent to watch the sunset and bring a pizza from Benny B’s woodier pizza. We would car camp and visit the Hoh Rainforest/Coast the rest of the week.

Silverthorne Colorado – We would spend way too much time at Outerrange brewery which doubles as a coffeeshop. There’s amazing mountain views and an outdoor patio. On the nice days we would drive up the mountain just a bit, and camp on our favorite blm area. From there we would hike the Shrine Mountain area. And you could spend an entire week camping up there, meeting amazing people from all walks of life.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe my success to so many people. There are so many conversations I’ve had over the years of friends and family encouraging me. But I truly owe so much to my husband, Tristan. He bought me the camera that I started photographing people on. He had only been dating me for 8 months, and saw the passion I had, and pushed me to be the best possible. He has been my constant support, and shoulder to cry on when I feel like giving up. I couldn’t do this without him, and I wouldn’t be the photographer today if he hadn’t told me I was capable so early on.

Website: www.thejenocollective.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thejenocollective

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

Image Credits
Liz Rudman