Lessons

Lesson Info

Skype Interview with Jenny Solar of The Happy Family

Alright. Hi, Jenny. Actually so excited. I talked a little due to somebody. Want to tell me if I should look at her or which way do you want me to look? Perfect. Okay. I already kind of pulled him in a little bit on happy family movement and how cool you guys are and all that kind of fun stuff. Why don't you share a little background on how you started your business and like what you photograph now and that kind of fun stuff, if you okay? Yeah. Um, Josh and I started actually shooting weddings about nine years, though, um, so that I could go back to school, get my master's degree. So it was like our one year plan. Jenny's gonna go to school, and we're gonna shoot weddings to make money in that year. And then we're gonna go back. Teoh just working in, not shooting weddings. So that was kind of our plan when we got started. And then, uh, business was so successful that I got my masters degree, but I didn't actually need it. And within a couple of years, we I know a couple years we both q...

uit our jobs and our shooting weddings full time, and we started doing family portrait's and seniors and a little bit of, you know, random stuff like that also. Oh, but we got that started originally in weddings. And so now we actually, we've been turning away weddings for the last year. We don't want to get out of weddings now on we mainly just shoot families, and we do a little bit of commercial drops to sweet. So I kind of know already your background story. And you're like theory on how you capture families, that you're wanting to capture him. Like how you came about Teoh. How you shoot families is because you realize how you captured your own family. Waas, where you we're most comfortable and the images you like the bust. And I'm just wondering because you don't know that all the families you photograph the way you know your own Children Do you have any like tips or secrets? And how you like get in there like you do because you guys, like, capture these amazing, like day in the life beautiful moments. How do you like get people to, like, just give you them so easily? Yeah, well, I think part of it is, you know, we realized for ourselves that the photos we love the most were of our family and everyday life, and because they have so much meaning behind it. I mean, we live portrait's, too, but that it's that everyday stuff that most people don't capture anyway on DSO Because of that, like we also honor Blawg and on social media. We share a lot of information about our family, like photos of our kids, things that we're doing trips that were taking. We share so much of our family life online that I think that that right there helps us attract people that are similar to us, our buddy. So we're shooting families that love to travel and love to be adventurous and active and a little bit but rowdy and crazy and very boisterous and loud, And so they're already so much like our family that that makes it, you know, that's a really good place to start, is we're already usually shooting families. Similar Just, um, we also have a questionnaire that would send out, you know, not your typical questionnaire with boring, you know, questions and answers. But we like to ask things like, What's your favorite activity to do with your family on a Saturday morning? Or what's your favorite family? Uh, favorite trip that you've ever taken with your family? We really like to get to know these families as much as we can before we shoot them on. And then when we show up, honestly, I don't do a lot of shooting. I mean, I bring a camera and I shoot some images, but Josh probably takes 80% of the photos that we take it a family shoot, and I am there for engagement. Um, entertainment value. Yeah. It doesn't like love me within at least 15 minutes. I don't know. I just naturally, I I'm kind of crazy, and I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself. So I just get right in there and I become, like, best friends with the kids as quickly as possible. And then once you make that connection with the kids, that's really all you have to do because the parents there so stressed out about, are we gonna get you get photos or Oh, my gosh, my Children are misbehaving or they're not listening. But once you get the kids on board with you. You can do anything that you want because they'll listen to you. I can get them Teoh, be really goofy and get them to calm down. And really, it's just about for us. It's about capturing families when they're engaging and when they're having fun together. And that's so simple for most vehement. Please, you know, just get out there and do what you do, and then we're gonna put ourselves in the right position to make it happen. Um, so you have your happy family portrait, what you're talking about, But then you also have a happy family movement did tell us which, like which led to which or how how that all came about, because I think that it's absolutely amazing that you have, like, what you do is a brand in and of itself. Like most people don't get to that level with what they you know with their photography. It's not so all encompassing where there's yeah, I just think it's amazing. So explain a little bit how you like what came first and how it Yeah, I was kind of accidental, you know. It wasn't an intentional decision like, let's build this brand about happy families and then we'll take photos and it'll be magic, you know, really just kind of happened organically. So I started blogging about five years ago. Photography, blogging, but like blogging about my kids and my family, and it really started it out of selfish reasons. I forget everything because they grow up so fast. So I just started chronicling our life and blogging about our fan lights and, um, after about two years. So we had a business mentor, and she kind of said, You should really be more intentional about this and make it about inspiring other families. Teoh be acted and close and to have fun together. So we kind of steered the blogging different way at that point and started instead of just share. And here's my Children being adorable, like, Here's my Children being adorable, plus a little side lesson. And so I've been doing that for about three years. I'm just blogging about all things intentional living and family traditions and creating memorable experiences for your family and all during that time, I mean, we've always shot family portrait. It's but about a year and 1/2 or two years ago we decided, Teoh, move them toe, move them from our solar photographers business, which is now just weddings over to the Happy Family movement. And we re branded our portrait as happy Family Portrait. It's because, really, I mean, we didn't really change anything, necessarily about the way we shoot the families or the end product or anything like that is really just about how we market it. And now, So, like you said, Now we have this whole brand built around not just photographing happy families, but everything that goes into cultivating a happy family. In the first, we talk a lot, also on through the Blawg and social media. Just about how important is to document your family, and not just from a professional photographer standpoint, but just everyday life. You know, Mom with a camera with the camera, kids with the camera. So it really it was organic, but it's really kind of cool now that it all magically worked out together that we have this brand built around. Yeah, I think it's really cool to like that people that by the happy family like your like your guides, like, you know, like your indoor like you can Totally. Not only are they getting to know you and like, getting to like solar. They're still fun when we, like, have our picture taken with a But like you've already set the stage for, like, this is how we're gonna shoot you like things that we've provided for you. And then that's gonna be your portrait. Yeah, it's really amazing. Is there anything? Is there anything, though, that you feel like Is there any like, tips you want to share with, like a woops? Maybe we shouldn't have done that in the journey or you feel like it fell together pretty nicely. Um, for the family portrait. So I think, you know, everything kind of came together. Well, I would say in our first few years of business, you probably made a whole bunch of mistakes, But maybe a lot of people make in the first couple of years. One. I would say it was just trying to shoot everything. I mean, I think in the beginning it's important you try a whole bunch of stuff so you can figure out what you should be shooting. But there's a temptation to keep taking those jobs that you don't really like. Um, because people will pay you to do it and said, Though I think for a long time we kept taking jobs that, like, Senior Shoots or we shot a botnets Bo one time and that was totally not our style are the kind of thing that we want to shoot. But we got paid to do it, so we did it. We also used to shoot, um extended family portrait. It's and we don't do that anymore. Like if anyone calls or emails. So we have 14 people. Three generations were like, we're probably not the Qatar, because probably one. You know, one immediate family group of that group probably loves the way that we shoot, and everybody else would hate it. Um and so we actually experience that a few times where we have people who didn't like their photos, Um, because they were expecting formal photos. You know, they're really posed, like somebody leaning on other than other person, everybody wearing jeans and a T shirt. And so just I would say once we got better trusting or gut as far as being like, that's not something that we actually want to Dio once we started turned down those jobs everything with someone better. And I will also tell you that when we first started be actually charged $1 perform sex. I know it's a big thing now. I think that's what you guys were so wealthy now, right? I can't work like Gillian airs because all you have to do is so, like 8,000,004 by six is So here was my thought process on and I laugh about it now. Um, but we were young when we started our business. We knew nothing about starting like sustainable business, but my thought process was it costs 19 cents for a four by six from target. We chart the dollar 81 cents profit. Totally. I mean, it's amazing, and it's just not sustainable. And so, you know, if you're starting off your business, maybe don't start with dollar for six. Yeah, So is that because I my day, I've kind of been talking about like how you find your niche, even if it's within Children's photography, how to find your group? So is that you think just trial and error is that like, is there other ways that you guys knew you're on the right track besides just deciding doing what you didn't like and knowing that was I mean, I think it's kind of, you know, it's a whole bunch of things mixed in, right? So when you first start, you have to shoot a whole bunch of stuff because you realize, like, jeans and white T shirts, Not our thing. Um, super Posey family photos. Not our thing. Actual real life documentary or, like, more relaxed style portrait. That was definitely our thing, but it took us a while to figure that out. So I think that you start out, you shoot a whole bunch of stuff and you just gut check what feels right. And then I also believe that, you know, if you're supposed to be doing something like the universe really wants to guide you in a direction if you just listen that you can hear, you know, like people are constantly telling you, you know Oh, man, you're so talented at this one thing or your stuff is really unique. Your photos air unique the way that you look at the world in this one small niches unique that you probably should listen to that. Um, so I really think it's just a combination of that, you know, when with our family photography, you know, we kind of look at it, we go not, You know, I mean, we're just shooting families. What's so different about it? Um but our style is I guess it is unique on glee. Really? Enjoy it. And it's fun. And I get to travel. Um, so basically, all the stars align and we get the best of both worlds. So we get to do what we love and, you know, make a living at it. So I would just say, trust your gut and listen to what you know, the universe is telling you totally agree. Great. Yeah. Great advice. Well, I think to like you were saying, Like when you're you're having fun. And you naturally, like you knew kids love you. So like, why wouldn't you go to the place that people love you exactly? Like, if people are loving you falling in love with you, then you know you're doing the right thing. Yeah. When I was talking about you guys, I don't I didn't really go over all the things that you have in your I know you're roadblocks. Your road trip in a box is gone. Sold out. But you just you still have, like, you went like your indoor? Um, yeah, yeah. We have a handful of road trip kids left. Okay, Store. I took them out of the store cause we only have maybe 20 by western or garage. But I would really love to get rid of you. Don't even understand how cool the road trip in the boxes. It's an actual box she sends you. And inside is how maney is like six or eight packets are, and it has a note on it that will say at 10 48 Open this or pull over. Make sure you had a rest stop and open this now and like so, one of like the rest off when you open it in its water guns, like everybody does have a water gun fight. But the cool thing, like my kids were a little bit younger because we did it that when you first came out with it, it was so fun because it was a long road trip. We were like Portland to Canada, but they would be like Mom. It's 10 35. We'll have one more hour. We can open the next one like it kept everybody like super. It was, Yeah, it's they're amazing people get them If you want to get one of those people need to just email me directly because I took him out of the store because we didn't have it before, too. I didn't want to sell like 800 more because I don't have people. Get contact me right through our website if they want to get a road. Trickett. But what is in the store now? So we have a few adventure guides. We have our summer bucket list Adventure Guide, which is pretty short and sweet, but just you know about making the most of summer. We have our indoor adventure guide and our outdoor adventure guide. Um, and each of those have 15 unique, like really fun activities for families, obviously 15 for the indoor 15 for the outdoor become principles for some activities, and it's not about their their family experiences. So it's not like an activity book for kids to print out and keep them busy or something for you to say here. Kids, go do this for two hours. It's about engaging the family and creating a memorable experience for the family. So it's like, Get everyone on there and have a good time, and then we have a road trip. We have a road tripping, many Adventure Guide also, and that's a mini version of a road trip book. And then some fun, um printable is for road tripping.