You must meet Jenny Heck! She is one of two beautiful moms I’m going to spotlight this week for Mother’s Day.

Brian and I met Jenny when she attended one of our workshops in October 2007. She was a blast to be with, so easy to laugh with, and we even got her to model our Me Ra Koh Designer shirt! 😉

And now I’m freaking out at what she’s doing with her passion for photography! She is a mom with a camera, and she is totally going for her dreams.

I asked Jenny what has happened since she came to our workshop because I thought it would totally inspired some of you. Here’s our little interview! All the images throughout this blog post are Jenny’s beautiful work! Enjoy!

Question 1: When did you start your business and what was the turning point of taking it from a hobby to a business of charging people and putting up a website?

Jenny’s Answer: After taking your Beginners Workshop in October 2007, I had the opportunity to do a portrait session for a close friend from church. She had some of the portraits printed, framed and hung on her wall. She started getting lots of comments about them and questions about who the photographer was. Up to that point, I had never considered myself a photographer. Photography was just something I did. Fast forward a couple of months and my MOPS group was holding a small business fair and the ladies at my table asked if I was going to have a table set up for my photography. After initially thinking, “no way. I don’t have a business to represent”, I decided to go for it. I had the chance to talk to the MOPS group about my passion for photography, displayed some of my work, and that day I had 11 moms sign up for portrait sessions. It was right then and there that I realized I had reached the point of no return and I had a “business” whether I liked it or not. That was in early February 2008. I quickly started a blog and with the booking of my first portrait client, got my Web site up and running so I could offer on line proofing and ordering. (Me Ra here, are you totally inspired or what?! Jenny pretty much jumped in and went for it. She didn’t have all the answers figured out. Jenny were you nervous, scared? How did you figure out what to charge?)

Question 2: What inspired your photography?

Jenny’s Answer: Photography is my creative outlet. What I enjoy most is the idea of capturing authentic and original moments in people’s lives that, when looked back upon, remind them of everything that they were thinking, feeling and experiencing at that particular moment in time. A moment they will never experience again but can remember and enjoy through their photographs.

The origin of this inspiration was my own selfish desire to capture all of the precious moments in the lives of our three children and our family. A visual history that doesn’t try to artificially create some artificial perfection but instead is honest in it’s representation.

Question 3: What is the best and toughest part about pursuing this dream while being a mom and wife at the same time?

Jenny’s Answer: The best part is I can own my schedule and “work” as much as I want or as little as I want. My greatest reward continues to be the satisfaction and nice comments about how pleased my clients are with their portraits. The toughest part is that usually when I can accommodate client appointments, it’s when my husband is home to be with our three kids. That means that when I do work, it’s usually taking away from “family” time. The positive spin on this is it let’s my husband have his time where the kids are focused just on daddy.

Question 4: What is one piece of advice you’d give to newbies?

Jenny’s Answer: I guess the advice I would give to newbies is to believe in your abilities and the value that you are providing to your clients. One of the hardest things for me initially was to feel ok about referring to myself as a “photographer”. Also, don’t try to compare yourself to other photographers or see them as competition because each photographer has their own style. Actually, I shouldn’t take credit for that last piece of advice. That’s what you told me during the beginners workshop.

Also, do it because you love it not because you need or want to make money. One of the most liberating things for me was to realize that, even if I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be doing what I’m doing. Although, I have to be honest, getting paid to do it is pretty cool too. 😉

Jenny, thank you so much for sharing thoughts and images with all our blog readers! You are such a star!

For those of you reading along, feel free to ask Jenny questions by posting a comment below. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you! Jenny, would you answer my questions too in Question #1 above? 🙂

Brian and I also got a great surprise when we heard Jenny’s husband had signed her up for the San Diego Workshop in May. A number of our workshop attendees have come back for a second dose, and it’s so exciting to see how their confidence, demeanor–every thing has changed since the first workshop.

Jenny, we can’t wait to see you in person again! Like I said, you are a star! You should be so proud of yourself as a mom, wife, woman, and now photographer! Happy Mother’s Day my dear!