I had the privilege of talking with Jen Schliestett of www.photojenikphotography.com who was gracious enough to answer all of my questions and shed some light for me on the field child photography.  Initially, it was my inclination to interview someone who has been in the field for quite some time.  After some consideration, I thought it best to interview someone whose work was beautiful - regardless of tenure in the field.  Ultimately, I learned a good bit about how youth plays into passion for one’s trade and how this is applied to child photography.

Throughout her life, Jen has always been an artist of sorts.  Drawing and painting have always been a part of her life, and creativity has been ingrained in her persona from day one.  That being said, it wasn’t very long before photography caught her eye and she had to give it a shot.

“I used to think photography was a joke” Jen said.  “It didn’t seem to me that it required the same inventiveness as say, painting.”  Of course, that was prior to her discovery of Australian Master-photographer Barb Uil (www.jinkyart.com.au).  Barb’s work has been featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, Better Photography Magazine, and Shutterbug among others.  “Barb’s work inspired me to capture the images I strive for today” say Jen. 

In the summer of 2007, Jen began to experiment with her skills on her “lab-rat” - the child she was babysitting for at the time.  Incidentally, the images came out marvelous and are even currently featured in her commercial portfolio.  Since that time, she has been honing her skills and building her business into a successful enterprise.  When I visited her site and perused the galleries, I was quite impressed.  I knew Jen was just the person to fill us in on the makings of a great child photographer.

Naturally, as someone without experience in the field, my first question was in regards to that nightmarish scene I had playing out in my head: crying, uncooperative children and angry parents impatiently waiting for their pictures!  How the heck do you deal with that?  I didn’t know, but Jen did.  She conceded that children can sometimes be unfocused or shy.  “I like to build trust with the kids.  If I can talk with them and show them that I am a friend, it’s much easier to get them to cooperate.” Toys and other fun props are another photojenik favorite.

After having thought of the worst, (funny how I brought that up first) I became curious as to what sort of good can be extracted from this line of work.  Jen informed me that child photography is particularly rewarding in several ways.  From actually taking the photo, to editing the image and offering the polished and finished product - it’s all good according to Jen!  “It makes me happy to see the customer’s face after I’ve given them exactly what they were looking for.  It makes them happy, and I’ve offered my God-given skills to others as He’s intended.”

In my conversation with Ms. Schliestett, I became aware of the fact that she is still a college student.  I was impressed with how far she had progressed not only in the field of photography, but how she had been able to excel in the specialized field of child photography in such a short time.  This led me to inquire about what sort of training and time commitments are involved in this line of work.  To my amazement, the entirety of Jen’s skill-set has been developed solely by practice and the study of others’ work.  She practically hadn’t taken any formal training at all.  I think this says a lot to an aspiring photographer who might be intimidated by the dog-eat-dog world of business, lofty certifications, and all the other illusions that society yields.

Like she had mentioned before, Jen had originally assumed that photography was devoid of any artistic qualities.  She has since come to know the opposite, and that led me to my next question: If being a photographer requires a certain “left-braindedness”, how easy could it be for an artist to grasp the right-minded nature of editing software and the like.  “I like to use Photoshop CS2.  It’s never been a challenge for me as I took a graphic design course in high school.  I certainly recommend the same for everyone else.”  I took the liberty of downloading the CS2 demo, and was surprised at how user-friendly the application seemed to be at first glance. 

Next, I wanted to know what key elements of producing great photography were.  I knew that lighting had a great deal to do with things, but that was really the extent of my hypothesis.  Jen told me that she used to be strictly opposed to the use of any flash-photography, as it seemed to cancel out the ambience of the natural environment’s light.  Since then, she has since changed her mind on the issue.  “I’ve been using my flash a lot lately.  If there’s an unwanted shadow in the picture, the flash does a great job at clearing that kind of thing up if its used correctly.”  Other crucial elements are love for the clients, love for the trade, motivation, and inspiration.

Lastly, I wanted to know what kind of plans child photographers make in their early years.  I myself am an entrepreneur and recognize the importance of a business plan.  Regardless of skill, a business person has to plan out their course of action if they wish to measure or even obtain their success.  “In the next five years, I see myself staying in Gwinnett County (Georgia) as there is quite a large market here.  I’ve found the perfect studio that will lend itself to wonderful child photographs, which we’d like to get in to as soon as possible.”  Jen also mentioned that she has her eyes on branching out and taking on additional photographers to her staff.  As the Seven Habits say, the best way to learn something is to teach it.  Bringing on new photographers would mean molding their skills in a way that would mirror hers, thus expanding a trustworthy brand.

To wrap things up, I think all aspiring children’s photographers need to recognize the opportunity before them and be inspired by Jen’s example.  If one can be successful by studying the work of the masters, and practicing their own skills - why wait for a better time to start?  Frankly, I don’t see a gap in quality between Ms. Schliestett’s work and that of Barb Uil’s.  Reach for the stars, and you just might pull down a galaxy…


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