Meet Jennifer Austin | Photographer

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

Hi Jennifer, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
From a young age, connection to people has been my main motivator. I have always loved learning the stories of the people I encounter and knew I wanted to be in a career that made that possible. My father has always had a large influence on my creative world, he encouraged me to challenge the status quo and dream beyond the limits of traditional school / career paths. He traveled out west and studied commercial photography in the 80’s so I started on all of his film cameras as a child and grew to love the challenge of finding light and bringing out the truest version of my subject. Following this calling was my main thought behind starting this business, there was a longing inside of me to create something of value to bring into my community. To connect through art.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The road that led to my creative business was anything but a straight shot, I would like to believe that inner knowing and nudge to follow my dreams was in me all along and it definitely was. However, I ignored it a few times to try and fit into a more responsible, ” less risky ” career path. My art started with my love of fashion, I chose two career paths in college — the practical marketing and the passion of apparel design and merchandising. Shortly after I graduated, I completed a summer program in Paris France to nurture the passion, I viewed it as my last adventure before settling down into the workplace. Little did I know, that summer would plant seeds that eventually grew to be my business. I landed my first corporate job working in the back end of fashion here in charlotte, sitting at a desk secluded for 40 hrs a week I quickly learned what burn out looks like and the psychological toll overworking in a career you aren’t passionate about can look like. Four months in and I knew I had to make a change for my mind, body and soul. I quit that career and started working at a non profit to bring in a steady paycheck while freeing up time to start my business. I had no idea if people would want to work with me or if my love of light would translate and resonate with people but that inner knowing was done being silenced and the second I started listening and following everything started to fall into place. The main lesson my business has taught me is the power of intuition, of not forcing and of reaching a flow state. That flow state I felt for the first time in Paris, knowing the work was hard but loving it so much that the energy bank was always full. I was able to do the work because I was in love with it. We all deserve to love the work we do, whether that is creative in the traditional sense or creative in the corporate world solving problems and connecting to markets. There is always a space for creativity in your work and the highest version of yourself already lives in you, waiting to be listened to. My brand today is a safe space for people to be seen and heard, it is important to me for my clients to see the beauty in their lives. I want you to leave the shoot feeling more full having experienced light and confidence.

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 love this because my best friend is out of town so this is a very real scenario, Charlotte has so much to offer but I have definitely curated my favorites a long the years. The weekend has to start with coffee, anyone traveling knows the beauty of a caffeine pick me up. My favorites are smelly cat in noda and not just coffee in atherton. I love art museums for inspo, I can visit the same one over and over and find myself drawn to a different piece each time. The MINT museum has two locations in Charlotte and is my go-to. For dinner and drinks my faves are Goodyear House, Emmy Squared or casual bites at Billy’s Shack or Deritas. Walking the neighborhoods and finding hidden gems is the best.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I could place in this category of encouragers, I’d have to lead with my main two mentors my dad ( John Comerford) and the first photographer that took me under her wing and lovingly led me as I set the foundations for my business ( Caitlin Emmrich ). In more recent years, Natalie Stewart with Charlotte Lately and the way she uplifts women and inspires people to steward their gifts. Natalie is someone who pushes me to honor my gifts and challenged me to view myself as an artist. Her heart and publication lovingly connected me to my community during the 2020 pandemic and acted as a safe haven for my business during one of the hardest economic years we have all faced.

Website: www.jenniferaustinphotography.com

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

Image Credits
Meredith Ridenhour (photos of me)