We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jamie Tobin. Check out our conversation below.
Jamie, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Currently going through a rebrand with my business! The scariest thing about is choosing my set destination locations for certain times of the year vs accepting a travel job whenever on the fly. While I love being a destination photographer, I truly need this push to go after the locations that are my favorite.
So with this rebrand I’m going full force into Washington, Oregon, and Colorado elopements and saying goodbye to Iowa weddings. Just leaning into the unknown and going after what sets my soul on fire and that’s hiking elopements in my favorite mountain ranges.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
hey, hi, I’m Jamie your adventure elopement photographer that runs away to the mountains every chance I get. I’ve been photographing couples & their weddings since 2012 and have really niched down into the adventure elopements within the last 5 years.
Taking couples out of Iowa and getting them to experience non-traditional wedding elements is my sweet spot. No more weird traditions that they don’t believe in. Just them, maybe some friends, and an epic view.
I’m also a mom to two boys & 4 cats. So it’s never dull around here!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
For sure my dad. The best piece of advice while watching him run his own business was, “Never work during lunch” and for the longest time I would fight that and say I have things to do… but here is the thing, your business needs the best of you, and you need to take a break!
He also just made it very clear to me that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing it right and not cheap’n fast. Running a business isn’t easy, but it’s worth the reward of doing what your passionate about for people who truly value your time and heart behind it.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yesterday? Last week?
There is always a time business owners want to throw in the towel, but then we go have a snack, take a deep breath, and come at it from a different angle. The fight to keep going is knowing you love it, and you love helping your clients, and you also know you don’t want to do anything else.
Giving up is not an option. I am the breadwinner for my family, and I am very stubborn. I know I can do this, even on the hard days I know in a few hours I’ll laugh it off, talk with a friend, and push through the low moment.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely! I am the same person you can DM on instagram right now. I’m going to laugh with you, hype you up, or give you any feedback you request.
I’m just sharing little pieces of me on the internet, and it’s all relevant to my life, my beliefs, and what I would love to see more of in the world.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
A tie between the story of how a post-it note lead me to meeting my husband or that Jamie really did go out of her way to cheer for others because clapping for others doesn’t stop me from being successful.
The cliff notes on the post-it story is my husband was once a stranger who was having a bad day, and I passed a note in hopes to cheer him up. Turns out it did make his day, he went out of his way to ask me out on a date, and well the beers and tator tots lead us to marriage + babies.
Truly I want people to think kindness when they think of me, because a little more kindness could change the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamietobinphotography.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamietobinphoto
Image Credits
Jamie Tobin Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
