Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Eppig.
Hi Jamie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started photography like most people my age- in a high school photo & print classroom. As a junior in high school I was fascinated by what actually goes into making a photo. We rented out cheap film cameras and got to develop our own film in the school’s dark room.
After high school, I continued it as a hobby. I’d take photos of friends; usually in a field down a backroad, with terrible lighting, zero expectations, and a highly cringeworthy facebook album of the results to follow. Somehow, that brought me to my very first wedding. It was for a friend I graduated high school with. I charged $300 and I only brought one SD card. I filled it up within the first few hours, and spent the rest of my time there deleting photos one at a time so I could take more photos, hoping no one would notice. Thankfully, nobody did.
This was 2016- in about 3 years, I was shooting enough weddings and portrait sessions to quit my manager position at the local movie theater, create my LLC, and go completely full time. By 2021 I was shooting 35 weddings a year, and booking weddings in places like Zion National Park, the Pacific Northwest, Horseshoe Bend, and so much more. It was a dream come true! And yes, I DID buy more SD cards.
Photography has taken me to places I never dreamed I’d see. In 2023 I had my first son, and everything shifted. I went from destination weddings every weekend to a stay at home mom, and I wasn’t sure when or if I’d pick it up again. I’d done everything I wanted to do.
Eventually, staying home became difficult for me. After about 6 months I was really feeling called to pick up photography again, but this time in a way that worked with our growing family. That’s the beauty of my job- I can scale it depending on the life I’m currently living. To be expected in this season of life, I found a new passion for motherhood & newborn photography, and now, 3 baby boys later and lots of pivoting, I’m so happy to have found a comfortable place to land with both wedding & family portrait photography, at a pace that serves me and our family so well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! Owning your own business has many ups & downs, regardless of the type of work you’re doing. I had to learn some lessons the hard way (like bringing extra sd cards), or figuring out how to handle difficult wedding guests on the spot. At the end of the day my goal is to serve others- so even if you’re not the couple that hired me, I’m there to help and be a problem solver. In the beginning, I struggled to see how important that was. Taking good photos would only take me so far. Being a good business owner requires a lot more of you than just being good at your craft- definitely something I struggled to navigate!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a wedding & portrait photographer specializing in a fine art, documentary style of photography. I think I’m known for images that feel real and true to life. I really try to tailor my sessions to the client by figuring out the little quirks they have and focusing on those- I’m studying the little things they do as soon as they arrive and I’m making sure I’m directing them and documenting them in a way that accentuates that, rather than posing everyone the same way.
I’m most proud of the community I’ve built. Most of my wedding clients return to me when they begin to start their families. I have some clients who have been seeing me yearly, if not more, for 8 years. I’ve built real friendships with these people and the fact that they continuously trust me with their treasured memories is such an honor. I really feel like I could throw a party for all of my past clients and we’d all have a blast- maybe I should!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think that if people only know me from my photography business, they might assume I’m pretty outgoing. Wedding photography requires me to be on all day long, stand in front of large groups of people and direct them, take charge in difficult situations, and dance with strangers at receptions- but really, that is the only area of my life that I’m like that. At home, and in my off season, you”l find me at home with my family, or by myself getting a coffee… or painting yet another room of my house. I’m always painting, haha!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamieeppig.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieeppigphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamieeppig
