2021 brought so many changes here to Jenn Marie Photography!

I officially transitioned out of the wedding world after five full years of building up my wedding photography business. It was so bittersweet to say goodbye to that, but I knew that with my daughter Adeline getting older, I really didn’t want to miss another weekend with her. I wanted to build something that allowed me to provide and to be present.

In January of 2021, I jumped into personal brand photography with everything I had. It was really a time of discovery for me and my business! I did so many types of sessions and got to work with so many amazing women-owned businesses.

It took me some time to really really figure out what I wanted to focus on in my branding business. Making a big shift in your businesses opens up so much of the unknown and you find yourself walking a new path filled with questions. But sometime in the summer, I fell in love with photographing strong, stylish, independent women who were living their best lives and loving those around them!

So, to wrap up 2021 here is a recap of all of those amazing ladies who inspired me, pushed me, and took me along for the ride throughout the year!

2021 was all about empowered women in business at Jenn Marie Photography

Anne Marie on The Shore

I worked with Anne Marie through every changing season of 2021 and we made it fun! Oh, to be a fly on the wall during these shoots! Ann Marie will tell you that I put her in some crazy poses. Some of our constant phrases while we worked together were “This is totally natural, right?” and “I’m just going to get all up in your face, I’m so sorry.” My personal favorite was “I think I need to shoot this from inside the shower…” because you don’t have to be serious to be taken seriously, you can be a business owner and still have fun! You can see more of Anne Marie on The Shore’s holiday-themed photoshoot here, or you can find her on the web here!

The Dailey Method Lake Forest

The Dailey Method in Lake Forest is all about health and wellness from the inside out, while serving their community. Their classes focus on uplifting your spirit while building your strongest self. 2022 is bringing big changes their way too! They are adding new classes to their schedule and live stream options for students that can’t make it into their studio but want to feel like they are in the same room as their instructors! You can see their 2022 lineup, right here!

B’s Gourmet Nuts

Small-batch, hand-crafted nuts focused on blending complementary flavors, um, yes, please!! B’s Gourment Nuts follows a simple but high-quality approach to business: identify high-quality ingredients, prepared with great precision, and present them in an artful manner. Their goal is to provide you with a delectable product that you’d be proud to gift to a friend or bring home, over and over again! Their community approach is in giving back a portion of their proceeds to The Cancer Wellness Center. You can read more about their mission, on their website, right here!

Trend Event Rentals

I love Trend Event Rentals tagline; they are “your partners in vibe”. With a line like that, you know that Mary (the owner!) is going to help you get your party started! She has a three-step process to help you order your rentals. 1) Create your Wishlist, 2) Receive a Quote, 3) Reserve Your Items. Umm, how easy is that?! Mary’s company goal is to share peace, love, and joy! While consistently delivering on her four company tenets: choose daily gratitude, live inspired, feel food-pass it on, community-minded. You can create your wishlist on her website, here.

Beloved Moments Photography

Ashley of Beloved Moments Photography was a brand new business owner when she got in contact with me. She knew that she wanted to pursue photography and for that, she needed to work on her brand. When we finally came together to work on her brand we focused on some evergreen photos and building in that connection with her potential clients. You can see more of our work together in this post, or you can give her a follow on Instagram, here!

Calia Stone Boutique

Calia Stone Boutique is is a women-owned and operated Natural Stone provider in Chicago! When I first visited these ladies, I had been to a couple of stone warehouses before so I was a little skeptical about just how we could make photos of a stone warehouse look beautiful. But boy oh boy was I blown away! These ladies have a natural eye for design! They have the most beautiful stone in their warehouse and they provide the most luxurious atmosphere. Their entire experience is a photographer’s dream come true! You can see more of their gorgeous stone, and the fun props we used in their last shoot, in this post!

Soirée Smith

Before I made the switch to Brand photography, I spent my time photographing the most gorgeous weddings. So working with Soirée Smith, was so exciting! Because I knew, from my experience, that wedding planning & design is one of the most underrated jobs and involves more than just picking out pretty decor. When Andrea and I got together she had a very clear vision for her session. We focused a lot on what goes into her daily work as a wedding planner! I’ll be sharing more behind the scenes from her shoot, here on the blog soon. But for now, you can find Andrea right here!

That is officially a wrap at Jenn Marie Photography! Thank you 2021, it’s been quite a ride! See you all in 2022!!