A Little Bit More About Little Branch Photography
Hi, I’m Jenny! Owner and founder of Little Branch Photography, a newborn and baby photography studio located in the Heights area of Houston, TX.
Below is a bit of my origin story and how my business came to be!
Focus
My primary focus and goal with my business is to create a photography experience for new parents which is easy, enjoyable and beautiful. I want my clients to leave their session feeling happy, relaxed and confident that we have captured some wonderful photos that will last a lifetime. I know the time just after having a baby can be really hard. I have 2 kids and I’ve been there. The exhaustion from not sleeping, the recovery post birth. Hormones. So many hormones. It can be a lot. I want to make things easy. My studio is equipped with everything a new mama will need - diapers, wipes, burp clothes, bottle warmers…you name it, I have it. All that you need to bring is your baby and some milk. I’ve got you covered. This doesn’t need to be a stressful experience. It shouldn’t be.
I also want to create timeless, classic images. I don’t rely heavily on props or backdrops. I create simple and clean images that will be beautiful for a lifetime. I don’t push babies into poses that aren’t natural or that they resist. I do baby led posing for a more natural and organic look. I also don’t require that parents bring their babies in when they are 14 days or younger. If they want to, great. If it’s too hard, not big deal. We can create beautiful images at any time.
Origin Story
How it all began. I was living in NYC in my 20's and was taking photography classes at the School of Visual Arts. I absolutely fell in love with all things photography.
I met a wedding photographer who needed an assistant and did that for a year. I quickly realized I didn’t enjoy taking photos at weddings. I posted locally saying I was a photography student looking for experience in portrait photography and wanted models. The first person to respond was a pregnant mama from Austin, TX living in NYC with her husband. They were the sweetest couple and we had the most magical maternity shoot together in Central Park. When their son was born, I did his newborn photos and I instantly knew this was what I wanted to do a a career.
I did family photography for 2 years part time in NYC. I also did birthday parties, corporate events, headshots, concert photography. But my heart kept coming back to newborns and babies. In 2011 my nephew was born in Houston, which is where I'm originally from and where my family all lives. I was coming back every 6 week to capture photos of him and of the babies of my sister's new mom friends. 6 months later I decided to move back home to Houston and do photography full time.
I haven't looked back since.
Challenges
I've been very lucky to have incredible clients who have referred me to their friends and family, so I've done little to no marketing and have had a wonderful stream of clients. Until recently. In the past couple of years, I decided to shift my focus to newborn photography and it was basically like starting a new business. Because the need for newborn photography only happens once for each child, the demand is lower compared to family photography, which often people do once a year. I've had to work hard on building up the SEO on my website, blog, post on social media...all normal business tasks, but something I really didn't have to do until recently. It's been fun learning a new side of the business, but also very challenging.
Opportunities
The business has changed a lot over the last 14 years. When I began, many photographers were still using film and couldn’t imagine a world where everything was digital. Social media was just coming onto the scene. Facebook and Instagram were only places where people posted personal pictures and used it as a means to find old friends. Now, we can’t imagine doing business without social media. There are so many new opportunities online every day to build and market businesses. And the way to market is also ever-changing. There are so many more opportunities to market and grow these days than ever.
I’ve also met so many incredible people along the way. From colleagues to clients. I have built friendships that will last a lifetime. I also love meeting and talking to new parents and learning about each person’s journey. Motherhood truly changes everything and it’s bond that is universal.
Moving Ahead
My vision for the future is to focus on capturing the first year of life for families and their babies. To be able to be the first to do your photos as newborns, then sitters, crawlers and the first birthday would be the greatest honor for me. That first year of life is so special and they change so much. To document those changes as your baby grows is where my heart it.
True Love
Overall, I can’t imagine doing anything other than photography for my career. It’s fun, rewarding, creative, and flexible. I will continue to do this until my body no longer lets me. Which I hope is a very, very long time.
Reach out to me so we can create some beautiful memories together!
