We were lucky to catch up with Rae Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rae, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
About a year into photography I met when my arch nemesis- imposter syndrome! You see, it wasn’t enough that people told me my portraits looked beautiful or even the fact that I was booking out. It was a doubt within myself that I couldn’t seem to keep quiet. I was looking at other photographers work and began comparing myself and wondering if I would ever be “as good” as they are. One day, my grandmother said to me “You are the ONLY you.” You will meet people you relate to and have things in common with but the reality is, no one is exactly the same.
I began to embrace all of the things that makes me, uniquely me. That shift in perspective gave me a form of freedom. A freedom to embrace my art. A freedom to be unapologetically me. I went from comparing my work to others, to getting excited to see what they were doing to join in celebrating their art- instead of comparison.
Do I still deal with imposter syndrome from time to time? Kind of, but I’ve channeled the energy it takes to self doubt into fully embracing my new mantra “Just be me.” Every time those feelings rise up, immediately I say to myself “I will not compare myself to others work, I will celebrate my uniqueness, growth and expression of art in the form of how I see the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My clients ask me all of the time how I became a wedding photographer.
Honestly, I had a dream that I was a wedding photographer. The dream was so inspiring and I launched my photography business within a few weeks!
It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite aspect of my career. I love serving my clients on the biggest day of their lives, the beautiful florals, dancing alongside my couples with my camera in hand and witnessing love in a tangible form.
What once was just a dream has now turned into travelling the southeast shooting weddings. I have also launched education and mentor other photographers.
I live in a destination wedding city so I am working on building a blog to highlight the top wedding venues.
My next goal is to expand my brand nationally and internationally storytelling love through my lens.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Genuinely connecting with my clients has always been natural for me. I built my brand around that. How can I serve my clients in the way they need me to. When you ask those questions, your client experience will be unmatched because you’re providing your clients with exactly what they are wanting.
Posing! I did a lot of posing education. That was the best investment I made. I went from not knowing and stumbling over how to pose my clients to confidently posing them. They never have to wonder what they’re going to do with their hands or how to stand.
Lighting is the key element to photography. I took time to educate myself on how light affects portraits and where the light should be to produce the images I am known for.
Learn lighting first- it’s the staple of photography. Practice posing prompts- outloud! Does it feel silly? Yes! However, it’s better to be confident in your posing with your clients and the best way to do that is to memorize prompts and session flow.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I would love to collaborate and get connected with planners, venues, photographers and videographers throughout the country to work alongside eachother and eventually host styled shoots!
They can reach me through IG, Meta or my website! Socials: Rae Jones Photography and www.raejonesphotography.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.raejonesphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raejonesphotography?igsh=a2FwbjI3OXEwNDhp&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/raejohotog
Image Credits
Rae Jones Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
