We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmine Somers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmine below.
Jasmine, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I grew up across multiple different countries and cities – from my childhood in the Cayman Islands to high school and college in Canadian cities and suburbs – and that experience forced me to become comfortable in my identity in the face of change and regardless of my environment. When I moved from the Caribbean to Canada, I had to become comfortable with having a different accent from my peers, looking different than my peers, and having a different upbringing from those around me. Though this could have led to situations of bullying and feelings of isolation, I chose to surround myself with positive people and embrace my differences, and that became my first major lesson in developing confidence and self-esteem. Ever since then, I have had a solid foundation of comfortability in myself, security in who I am, and a positive approach to uncertain situations. I believe that consistently referring back to that foundation is how I continue to develop my confidence and self-esteem every day.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a Miami-based photographer who specializes in vintage lenses and vintage cameras. I work in both the digital and film fields, with my focus on capturing portraits, brands, and events through vintage equipment and, as a result, representing my subjects beautifully and authentically.
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?
Looking back, the three qualities or skills that have been most impactful in my journey have been my creativity, tenacity, and my unwavering dedication to learning my craft on an ongoing basis.
Creativity is an obvious must for anyone in a creative field like photography. Tenacity and determination are important qualities for anyone who wants to start a small business. And the willingness to continue learning my craft has been the quality that has developed my skill and expertise to the level that now has brands and corporations seeking out my work.
My advice to those who are early in their journey who may want to develop these qualities in themselves is to set out both short-term and long-term goals that will help you develop those skills, and track your progress. That may include things like taking a course, aiming for a certain number of new clients in a month, or doing something unrelated that jogs your creativity once a week. Whatever will hone those skills for you can be turned into a trackable goal, and working towards those goals regularly will keep you growing your skills over time.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is someone who understands my style and belives it is a good fit for their brand, event, or project. I am lucky in that I have 20 years of experience behind the camera, which empowers me to capture images across a variety of fields from fashion and editorial to events and weddings, so I have a wide variety of potential clients out there that could be a great fit for me. The main key for me when considering potential new clients is that they understand and are seeking images with the kind of authentic and timeless feel that comes with my style of work using vintage camera equipment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jasminesomers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminesomersphoto/
Image Credits
Jasmine Somers Creations LLC
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
