February 1, 2025 • 52 mins
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Jama Pantel, a photographer, educator, author, podcaster, and former influencer. Jama's journey is a testament to resilience, demonstrating how vision, hard work, and a deep understanding of her "why" propelled her through challenges and ultimately led her to success. From growing up in rural Texas to building a thriving photography business, Jama's story is one of overcoming adversity, the importance of documenting life's precious moments, and the power of human connection!
You can find Jama at:
You can find me at:
https://www.instagram.com/cataton/
https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/
You can find what sparks me at:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/
https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/
Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler
Artwork by: https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Hey friends, welcome to theinner spark podcast.
I'm your host, Casey Tatum.
If you're looking to hearstories of transformation and
personal growth, this podcast isfor you.
My guest and I will be sharingthose sparking moments that has
changed them into living a morefulfilling, authentic life.
I'm so excited for you to heareach unique story.
(00:24):
So sit back, relax, and let'sget started.
Hello, friends.
Welcome back to another episode.
Today, you're going to meet JemaPentel.
She is a photographer, aneducator, an author, a
(00:44):
podcaster, and a formerinfluencer.
You guys, she is magic.
I cannot wait for you to hearher story and just connect.
Jema, I'm so excited for you tobe here.
Thank you.
I'm happy to be here.
This is exciting and a littlenerve wracking.
It's gonna be great.
(01:05):
You are an amazing person withan amazing story.
Can you please give us a littlelittle bit?
Okay, so I Am a single female.
I'm just kidding I grew up in areally really small town, I'm
from Texas, I'm a Texas girl Igrew up in a really small town
(01:26):
in the country in South, TexasBut my entire life, I knew I was
going to college.
That's what my parents pushed onus.
Um, so I grew up in a town wherenot many people left.
I left, and moved up to the bigcity, for college and have been
here ever since.
It's basically chasing mydreams.
Even as a kid, I knew I wantedto, you know, do more and not be
(01:49):
stuck in a small town.
Not that that's a bad thing.
I'm very grateful for where Igrew up and how I grew up, but I
knew I wanted more.
So, um, after, and I have adegree in photography, but after
doubting myself for years andyears and years and working for
others and all the other things,I finally decided to start my
own portrait photographybusiness.
(02:11):
And slowly started puttingmyself out that way and took a
very long time to get going withthat.
It was during actually duringcoven when I realized that I
couldn't actually be aroundpeople that I started putting.
Myself and my voice out there.
and that got me a lot ofspeaking opportunities.
And so I taught a lot on zoomduring COVID, um, photography
(02:34):
stuff, and that transitionedinto in person teachings as we
came out of that and slowlystarted growing my business.
Hence the educating I've beenable to teach and author.
So after becoming a runinfluencer for a billion dollar
brand.
And people constantly askingabout pictures.
It gave me the idea to write abook about how to take better
(02:56):
portraits.
And you don't need fancy cameraequipment or anything like that.
You can do it, you know, withyour smartphone more often than
not.
The basics are the same.
Lighting, posing, all thatstuff's the same.
So put a book out there, anybook out in the world.
and then.
Wanted to have been wanting todo a podcast for years,
basically, since COVID is when Igot the idea to start it.
(03:17):
But as usual, I'm slow and moveslow.
And finally got the podcastgoing.
Here we are now doing all thethings.
Okay, I'm gonna stop you for asecond, because, wow, you guys,
did you just hear everything shedoes?
I did not know that you were anauthor until right now.
Yeah.
So that's incredible.
(03:39):
Um, I don't think I met, I saidwhere we met each other.
So we are both, we both did apodcasting course together and
have got to connect.
So I want to go back and ask youa couple of questions.
Absolutely.
what got you into photography?
So both my grandfather on mydad's side and my mom actually
(04:00):
always had cameras.
It was one of the things thatevery time we were together
pictures were taken and clearlythat was filmed back in the day.
Um, and so my life is very welldocumented from, you my birthday
is two weeks before Christmas,so I just celebrated my birthday
last month.
So there are pictures of me atmy first Christmas, two weeks
old, you know, in front of theChristmas tree with my parents
(04:21):
and grandparents and everything.
So my entire life has beendocumented.
so I grew up around that.
in junior high, my, uh, parent,I can't remember if it was my
parents or my grandparents, butI got a Polaroid instant camera.
Yes.
Um, And I started documenting mypodunk little junior high high
school with a junior high I hada little instant camera.
(04:43):
Everybody who knows me knew youwere always going to be in a
picture before we did anythinglike we had to document the
group.
Right.
And at one point, I eventuallystarted taking those pictures
apart to see how they were madechemicals inside those fuller
rings, um, to actually form thefilm, the picture and stuff like
(05:03):
that.
And so when I got to highschool, both my brothers, again,
very small town, I was, youknow, You know, not a lot of
people both my brothers were injournalism.
So I was like, oh, I should bein journalism, too So I got my
first or had access to my first35 millimeter film camera
learned how to take pictureswith that develop film in the
dark room Put together your bookall those things.
(05:26):
And so then when I got tocollege I was like I was a
political science major, andthat was, one part of the brain
that I was using.
I wanted to continue the otherpart, so I decided to get a
degree in photography, too, andmaintain that.
And so that, again, that wasstill darkroom days and
everything else.
And so, um, I'd always had aninterest in it.
What got me really interested indocumenting people, my senior
(05:51):
year of high school, mygrandmother passed away,
unexpected, suddenly, and shewas very young and, um, When she
was laid to rest, she had myfamily's picture with her, and,
uh, I realized in that momenthow important this documentation
was, right?
And so I'm grateful I have allthese pictures with her, um, and
(06:13):
of her, and it's the one thing Ican still hold onto to this day.
I was really, really close withher.
Again, I grew up around all myfamily on a ranch, um, so I was
very close with her.
My dad was an only child.
I was the first girl, so I washer first girl too.
Oh yeah.
So very, very close.
And so when I lost her veryunexpectedly at a very young
(06:34):
age, when I was told she wouldbe home the next day, and she
never came home, it was hard.
And so I know how important thevalue of a picture is.
They're priceless.
I think it's one of the fewthings that we can hold on to
and help jog those memories.
The memories start to fade, butthe second you pick up that
(06:54):
picture and look at it, it'slike, You're taken back.
You're taken back to the laughs,to the memories, to what was
going on.
I have taken thousands, hundredsof thousands of pictures in my
life.
I can look at each picture andtell you exactly what, like from
junior high, high school,college, all the way through
exactly what was going on atthat time when I took that
picture, how I was feeling, howthe group was feeling, all those
(07:17):
things.
So the pictures jog the memoryof that.
And that's why it's so importantand why My love for documenting
people grew out of that.
Before that it was obviouslytaking pictures of friends, but
taking pictures of things too.
Yeah, that happened.
I knew it when I wanted it to bepeople.
okay, I want to stop you herefor a second, because, first of
(07:38):
all, I'm the person that alwayshas my phone and taking pictures
and people laugh at me, and I'mlike, one day, you're gonna,
you're gonna thank me.
You're gonna thank me for thesepriceless pictures, okay?
They may not be perfect, butthey're like, glimpses.
And I also remember doing thedarkroom days.
I did that in high school, thatwas fun.
Yeah.
But, I want to come back tothis.
Your grandmother left such animpact and that picture now
(08:07):
gives you and allows you tostill feel and hold the space
and feel all the love and liketakes you back to what a
beautiful person and what animpact she had on your life.
Yep.
And I hear her voice still whenI look at him.
She had that sweet TexasSouthern drawl.
Sweetheart, now sweetheart.
(08:29):
Like I can hear her voice everytime I look at him and picture
all the advice she gave me.
And again, I'm a little bitolder, so it was always a
perfect lady should, a perfectlady should.
And I hear her sweet Southerndrawl teaching me how a perfect
lady should.
And I'm so grateful for those.
Oh, that gives me chills.
(08:53):
Oh, what a special lady.
Okay, sorry.
That was good.
The amount that you don'trealize what a picture holds
until something happens.
Exactly.
And I don't, sometimes it's hardto convey that because there's I
don't want to be sappy, but thatis exactly what it is.
(09:14):
You don't realize what it isuntil it's too late, and then
you're like, Oh, I should have,I should have.
And there's a lot of regret inthat, and it's a lesson I
fortunately learned at a veryyoung age.
So it's, I don't know.
Again, she was I still had allmy great grandparents that were
alive when I was born at thattime She was the first person
close to me that I lost andagain sudden and unexpected and
(09:37):
still way too young and so itwas huge and a huge lesson for a
High school kid for sure.
Oh, yeah.
I can't even imagine.
I just lost my grandmother andI'm 41 and it was still It's
it's heartbreaking.
Yeah.
I mean, to this day, she was thefirst of my grandparents that I
lost.
And, my grandfather, herhusband, I just lost 2 years
(10:00):
ago.
and so the 1st grandparent tothe last grandparent, like,
it's, they hit different, butthat 1 will, will have the
biggest impact on me always.
Yeah, well, thank you forsharing that.
Okay, can I dig a little bitdeeper?
Is that okay?
Oh, yeah.
Okay, so I always want to knowwhy I know your grandmother is a
(10:25):
big part in this, right?
So, do you want to share, wouldyou be willing to share a little
bit more about, you are such amagical person, and I can't wait
to, like, get deeper into that,but I know we all have this
little thing where we go throughsomething, and I know me and you
(10:45):
have chatted, so just open chat,would you be willing to share
any part of what really droveyou to be the person you are?
Yeah, sure.
I will try to dig deep intothat.
So again, I grew up in thecountry, not much, right?
So, These old farmhouses thatare hundreds of years old, you
(11:07):
know, holes in the floors, like,you know, thin walls, everything
else.
Like we didn't have central heator air.
we didn't have any of theluxuries.
I wasn't a big TV watcher.
We didn't have.
cable in the country that waspre internet, you know, all, all
those things and everythingelse.
But I remember breaking out inheat rash in the summer,
(11:29):
sleeping with my clothes in thebed in winter, because getting
up and getting dressed whenit's, you know, 40, 50 degrees
in a house is not pleasant.
Um, you know, all the things.
And then I'd go to friendshouses or, wherever else.
And Oh, there's AC.
Oh, there's heat.
Oh, this is what it's like beingcomfortable inside.
(11:52):
so I spent most of my timeoutside.
it doesn't take long to chatwith me to learn that I'm a
runner.
I've been a runner since I was Akid in junior high, because it
was easier to be outside.
Even in the summertime in Texas,I was fine sweating if I was in
running clothes, right?
And to this day, I'll say that Ihave no problem sweating if I'm
in running clothes.
(12:12):
Um, so I spent a lot of timeoutside running.
And any runner will tell you,you run enough.
Like you, it's like being closeto God is what they say.
That's where you have theseconversations with yourself
with, you know, in your head,all the things, music on a phone
was not a thing back in the day,none of that, right.
(12:34):
So you ran what we call runningnaked now, like there were no
smartwatches.
There were, there was none ofthat.
So I ran a lot and thought a lotand thought a lot about what I
wanted my life to be in thefuture.
I didn't want to want for theseluxuries, right?
I come from a big family, wedidn't have the means to take
vacations.
a vacation to us was driving, acouple hours north to San
(12:55):
Antonio or New Broncos to visitmy other set of, my mom's
parents, my grandparents.
Like, that was the extent ofvacations my entire life.
But basically when I got tocollege again, college was put
on me.
I knew I was going to college.
That was a given.
I got to college and I was shellshocked.
Um, I've never been around somany people who had so much more
(13:23):
than I ever could have had.
And it was a tough transition.
And you feel like you don'tbelong.
Like, I remember my roommate, myfreshman college roommate
calling me.
When I was still at home, she'slike, okay, what are you
bringing to our dorm room?
I've got a TV, I've got arefrigerator, I've got a
microwave.
And I was like, I've got sheetsfor my bed and a couple articles
(13:46):
of clothing.
Yeah.
Like that's, that's what I'mbringing.
Did you go to college, um, as arunner?
Yes.
I didn't have the privilege ofbeing able to run in college.
And did get part of it takencare of that way.
Um, but again, living expenses,um, all the things, right?
And so, if you're an athlete incollege, you cannot work too
(14:09):
many hours at the school jobs orwhatever.
So, I was the girl who then gotmultiple jobs off campus at fast
food places or, you know, Myfavorite job to this day at the
frozen yogurt shop, where I getto eat all the frozen yogurt at
once.
That's the best.
Yeah, which was right next doorto Subway, so I also got a job
at Subway.
So I had food taken care of,basically.
(14:32):
And so I was able to work thehours, there to, to do that.
Oh, well, everybody else wasn'tworking, was going out and
partying, was doing all thethings that most normal college
kids did.
And I was constantly asked tojoin and to do the things and to
do this and that.
As a kid, you don't say, no, I'mpoor.
(14:53):
I can't afford to do that, buthe's paying for it.
You keep that hidden, right?
So it was more of a no, notinterested.
And I was told I was a snobquite a bit.
I was going to ask, how did thatmake you feel?
It was hard.
Um, again, and I was, you know,I was okay with them thinking
(15:14):
that about me, because I didn'twant to share what actually was.
Um, so I didn't really share allthat much about what was going
on.
So, you know, even worse on topof that, was, uh, so my dad went
to prison when I was in college.
(15:35):
He was arrested and went tojail.
And so I would rather write tohim than go out and do all the
things.
And it further instilled in methat I wanted more and better.
Right.
I didn't want to repeat thehabit.
Right.
So you took, you learned alesson from that of all these
kids are out partying and doingwhatever, but that's not what I
(15:57):
want.
That's not what I want.
That's not my lifestyle.
It's not my lifestyle.
And I, it was also, I knew I hadnobody to fall back on if
something happened.
Um, the amount of kids doingthings that I never had a desire
to do or interest in doing anyof these extracurricular
activities was mind boggling tome.
And then when you get to knowthem, it's like.
(16:18):
Oh, their parents will take careof everything if something
happens.
Yeah.
And I didn't have that.
I was never going to have that.
And so the only person to takecare of me was me.
And I had to learn that at avery early age.
And I knew I wasn't going torepeat certain cycles and live
that over anymore.
I want to thank you for sharingthat about your dad.
(16:40):
Because I think every timesomebody goes through a story,
we don't share it.
We just try to push through.
And, yeah.
Very few people know that.
Yeah, we don't just air it tothe world of like, oh, hey,
there's something, somethingdifferent about me.
And this is why I am the way Iam.
(17:02):
So, me and you had this jokeabout our faces.
Yeah.
About the same face and we'veboth been judged and how, like,
we're gonna beat that.
People quit saying that.
RBF face.
Okay.
Maybe some people are just heldto themselves because they're
going through something andmaybe that's just the way they
are and that's okay.
(17:23):
So stop judging people.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And I always say, I don't judgea person based on how they look
or sound or anything else.
I judge them based on theiractions.
And how I, they either treat meor how I observe them treating
other people.
So, I don't react to things.
(17:44):
I sit there and take them in,and I'm quiet, and I'm reserved,
and I observe, and I'm a verybig observer of everything
around me.
And most of the time you won'tknow that that's what I'm doing.
You'll think that I'm on myphone or not paying attention,
when the entire time I'm payingattention to everything that's
(18:05):
going on around me.
I think that's an amazingquality because a lot of people
just respond and react fast outof their mouth without thinking.
Instead, you're like lookingaround the room.
Just taking it all in and notjust, not just shouting like,
but you genuinely care and thatsays a lot about you.
(18:25):
So you went through a lot.
You've been through a lot.
You worked your whole life toget through college, to get
where you were.
You're a runner.
Tell us, can you tell me whatyou do now?
What sparks you to do whatyou're doing now?
So I still work two jobs.
(18:48):
I've had an interest in law andpolitics and policy my entire
life.
My grandparents got me a book inthird grade, Texas law and
layman's language.
Um, so I was, I was a nerd.
I was one of those straight Astudents who, you know, read
books and was, you know, alwaysstudying.
School was not a difficult thingfor me.
And I, I probably took that forgranted because I recognize how
(19:11):
hard that is for some people andI don't think you have to have
an education to be smart.
Um, there are people who arehighly intelligent who struggle
with school.
Um, school was 1 of those thingsthat wasn't a challenge to me.
I could read, obtaininformation.
All the things, right?
So I again, nothing to do whereI grew up, but driving to town
(19:32):
to the library, rent somelibrary books and read.
And that's what most of ourchildhood was either physical
outdoor activities or reading.
And so there were always booksand that was when my
grandparents got me that book,like, I was determined to go to
law school.
So I have a degree in politicsand in photography.
Right?
And so I live in Austin, thecapital of Texas where politics
(19:54):
happens.
so right out of college, I got ajob for the Texas Senate.
which was mind boggling to mebecause you needed a college
degree for that.
Yet the job only paid twothousand dollars a month who can
live off of two thousand.
I was like how in the World didI get myself in such huge debt
for a job again?
(20:14):
I didn't look I Where I camefrom, you didn't really have
mentors or counselors who showedyou anything.
And I'm not talking bad aboutanybody because these are my
friend's parents.
These are people that I love andconsider a family, but we
weren't taught how to handlemoney, what college was about.
Like, I didn't know that gettingmyself a political science
(20:36):
degree and a reputable job meantmy paycheck wasn't going to be
anything.
Um, you just had this drive tokeep going, like the drive that
this is what I'm going to dowith my life.
And so I worked that and I got asecond job.
so in politics, you have todress a certain way.
I think I remember reading inthe handbook they gave us when I
(20:56):
started, a woman should looklike a woman, which I also was
taken aback by, which I thoughtwas very interesting wording.
And then that stuck with me andI was like, okay, what's a woman
supposed to look like?
This is interesting.
And I'm in Texas and I knew whatthat meant.
I didn't have, okay.
Those nice clothes.
I didn't have them.
So I got a job at the mall at aclothing store so I could afford
(21:18):
those clothes to go to the otherjob.
So after doing that and workingin law offices and doing all the
things I was like, this workingfor other people isn't my jam.
I'm going to start a business.
So I worked at a photographystudio and all these like other
extra jobs.
I worked in a photography studioI worked in a I worked retail in
a camera store so i'm familiarwith working holidays.
(21:39):
I'm all these things that Peopleof a certain class take for
granted is that these people aregoing to work and serve them and
wait on them at these times.
I've done all those things.
I've waited table, you know,all, those jobs that a lot of
people have zero experiencewith.
I did them all.
We're not, no one is too goodfor anything.
That's what I feel like.
Like the second you think youare, that's a problem.
(22:01):
Yeah, there's, there's a job foreverybody, right?
Absolutely.
And you did whatever you had todo.
Yeah.
I did what I had to do tosurvive, right?
And so, I started my businessand again, I worked it up to a
full time salary equivalent tomy day job.
so I'm further along in my dayjob, and have worked my business
up to be a full time employee.
Similar thing.
(22:22):
The only problem with a smallbusiness is insurance.
Yes.
All the fun things of owningyour own business, right?
And, um, if I've learnedanything in the last seven years
with my parents, cancerdiagnosis.
And again, I think this is whywe bond so much because I'm your
story too.
And I know.
(22:42):
How you can be living a normallife and all of a sudden an
illness just stops everything inits tracks and nobody is immune
to that.
Nobody right.
It can happen to anybody at anygiven time.
Um, that is, that is one of themost powerful things is because
(23:02):
everybody thinks that it willnot happen to them.
And so we live this life and Ihave this live for today in my
background.
And you don't know until ithappens to you that your world
can stop in a second and yourwhole life can change.
We've talked about no one isimmune to getting anything.
(23:25):
Yes.
So, do you mind digging intothat a little bit?
Yeah, so when my dad wasdiagnosed with cancer, I was
very, again, I'm not a publicperson.
I didn't put it out there.
In fact, nobody knew about mydad's cancer other than close
friends and, you know, people Iactually talked to until after
(23:45):
he was better.
Except one blog post I madeabout my business on my business
page because I assume nobodyreads blog posts and I made this
blog post.
I had been, it was the firstyear I was, uh, voted best
portrait photographer in Austin.
Um, I had been published in theNew York Times that year, for
(24:05):
photography for pictures.
So I did an end of the year blogpost, you know, on the good and
the bad, the good.
I was published in the New Yorktimes, like incredible for blue
bonnets, which is our stateflower, which is like the thing
I love the most.
That is so incredible.
Pictures from me and interviewedme and so I got, got my name out
(24:25):
there for that.
I was voted best portraitphotographer in Austin.
And so that's still runningeight years later to this day.
Um, and then I said, but all ofthat means nothing because my
dad's fighting cancer.
And yeah.
It was, the year of my 40thbirthday, and I was, I go and
(24:47):
run marathons for my birthday,usually every year, and so I was
in, I just finished running theKauai Marathon, and I was in
Maui, and I get a text from mysister, and she says, Hey, can I
call you?
I know you're on vacation, butit's important.
It's about dad, and it's notgood.
And so I was like, yeah, so shecalled me and she told me dad
has cancer.
I'm like, okay.
So when I got home, Iimmediately, you know, went,
(25:08):
went.
To South Texas went back homeand my dad has a positive
attitude about everything.
He's one of those like, he'slike everything could always be
worse, right?
He's got one of the bestattitudes and so he was fine and
I had a 40, a 40th birthdaymarathon scheduled for December
and my birthday.
And I was like, do I need tocancel my trip?
And you know, when all thisstuff stay home, he's like, no,
(25:28):
no, no.
You're not canceling anythingfor this.
You go.
And I was like, okay.
So I'd gone back and forth homequite a bit between September
and my birthday in December.
And so I was home forThanksgiving, which is two weeks
before my birthday.
Dad was fine.
Everything else, my youngestsister lives in Europe and
France.
And so she was, I knew she wasflying home and she would be
there.
So I.
You know, and my other sisterlives here.
(25:49):
And so I knew I had family closeby and everything was like, plan
my trip, go on my trip andeverything else.
And I was on the plane.
The plane had just landed and Iturn on my phone and it was a
message from my sister.
Um, it's like, hey, dad'sbedridden.
And I was like, what?
I was literally just home twoweeks ago, and I have a picture
(26:09):
of him.
And in that moment, I thoughtthat might be the last picture I
ever had of him that I took whenI was leaving the last time.
And it got really, really bad,and the cancer had spread.
And he was telling hisoncologist all of this, and his
oncologist wasn't listening, andwas more concerned about his
(26:30):
Corvette, apparently.
And every time my dad would goin and tell him, I think
something doesn't feel right.
And And all his oncologistwanted to talk about was his
fancy sports car and everythingelse.
And so the whole time, themonths prior when this happened,
like, we let him handleeverything.
Um, and so at that moment, andwhen I got back from my, my race
and everything else, my sistersand I stepped in and then
(26:51):
started handling everything.
Um, you know, got a newoncologist.
We left his surgeon, which whofound the cancer in the first
place from a hernia that he hadto have.
And that's the whole reason wefound it.
Radiology tech is my cousin'swife.
So we, my best friend is stillin the medical system back home.
And so I was using her.
(27:12):
And so again, I didn't tellanybody except the people back
home.
My little sister's best friend'shusband's an oncologist, or
boyfriend at the time was one ofthe best oncologists.
So we were pulling connections,everything we had, which is
great about us.
Yeah, it's absolutelyconnections.
Um, and so we pulled all theseconnections and got him new
doctors and.
got everything turned around andhis surgeon finally said, as bad
(27:35):
as it's good, it is and it'sgoing to be and the adjustments
you're going to have to make.
Um, from losing such a huge partof your call, if you're going to
survive and knowing that was,was huge because I really did
think I was going to lose mydad.
And that was, uh, during thattime I was pouring myself into
(27:55):
my business and my work andeverything else to distract
myself.
a business took off my businessgroup.
I got sick from stress.
Oh yeah.
Close.
Close.
Everybody's like, you're 40, youcan't have shingles.
I'm like, well, I do, clearly.
They're like, well, you can't goaround your dad.
He's compromised.
And you just can't be aroundhim.
And being told that was hard.
(28:18):
And I was like, okay, well, andso all of that just was hard.
My business began to thrive andflourish.
Again, this was during COVID andeverything else.
So you were still running yourbusiness.
As you got all this hard news tolive in your own life.
So, because you obviously haveto pay your own bills, right?
Right, of course.
Yeah.
And I help take care of andcover expenses for my parents
(28:42):
still.
I just, you know, I feel likeany kid should, Oh yeah,
absolutely.
Do that for the parents, right?
Um, so I knew that they didn'thave much, they set me up for a
better life.
And so I was gonna, doeverything I can for the rest of
my life to.
Take care of them.
so still trying to do all thethings to earn the income to
(29:02):
help pay and help any way I can,with all of that.
And so he had his final surgerythe week, um, during, during
COVID.
and actually ended up having totake out his own stitches.
His surgeon, I love his surgeonwas incredible, was an old army
surgeon.
(29:23):
It's like, trust me, James, youcan do that.
It's like, I've done a lotworse.
I put that bottle of tequilanext to me, what I had to do.
And he walked him through itbecause at that time, everything
was still unknown.
Right.
And they didn't want anotherwise healthy.
Person going back into thehospital and risk getting
(29:43):
anything.
Right.
Right.
Um, so he, and again, my dad'sstrong and crazy for this, but
he did it.
He took it out and things likethe, started getting better.
Right.
I'll pill climb again.
This is when my business startedcoming up.
I was able to do all sorts ofthings in my business that I had
been trying to do and everythingin life was good.
(30:05):
All of these things.
And then my mom gets cancer.
And so, oh, my goodness.
Yeah.
And so here I was rocking androlling thinking life's good.
And my mom's one of thestrongest people like no, like,
I, I don't know where I was notexpecting this.
(30:25):
There's no history of breastcancer in my family.
There's no, None of this at all.
And so I was like, huh, what?
And I couldn't, I didn't havethe capacity to do much of
anything.
Um, my mom is my world.
And so I am the way I am becauseof my mom.
(30:47):
And so I stopped my business.
I stopped marketing.
I had clients.
I.
I said, Hey, if you don't feellike I'm giving you what you
thought you wanted, you can havea refund.
Like, I refunded so many people,during that time and I was
honest about it.
(31:08):
I said, my mom has cancer and somany clients were so grateful.
There were some who weren't.
And we're very unhappy with me.
And that was really hard.
I'm a service provider, right?
I provide the servicephotographer and for people,
some of the comments I got werejust not nice.
And it made me stop reevaluating all the other things,
(31:31):
right?
Um, more valuable lessons.
You can't always trade time formoney.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You were giving people yourheart and being honest with
them.
And saying, I'll give you yourmoney back when you clearly
there's people out there whowouldn't do that.
There are, and they still gotpictures.
They still got pictures.
(31:51):
I didn't put together my end ofthe year gallery show for them.
with all my clients, like thatI'd done the year before and
stuff like that.
And because they weren'tincluded in that, they were
upset.
I was literally sitting in theparking lot of where I was going
to host this gala for my clientsthat I did at the end of the
year and stuff like that.
And I broke down crying.
(32:13):
I was like, I can't do this.
I did it with the help of my momthe year before.
She was like huge.
She's a huge inspiration in alot of things.
And she was so helpful with allof it and helping me do it all
and stuff like that.
And I was like, I can't do this.
Like, I just don't have it in meto do it.
I want to just stop everything.
Yeah.
She was kind of your support.
Yeah, there for my mom and takecare of my own health because I
(32:35):
didn't want to get sick againAnd there were plenty of people
who were super understanding AndI'm beyond grateful for them.
But like I said, there were somewho weren't very nice And so
again, lots of valuable lessonslearned about people about life
and about everything else And mymom is cancer free now, too.
Both my parents are now cancerfree.
(32:58):
Yeah.
So, where is that?
That is a journey, and I want tosay a couple things.
You, your dad, and your mom,both have the determination, is
what I'm hearing.
So I'm not projecting on you.
Your dad's like, I got this.
I can pull up my own stitches.
I don't need to go in there andget sick.
And then your mom, who hassupported you and what you love,
(33:20):
your passion, she beat this.
She did not allow this to, thisdis ease to keep her down.
That's incredible.
So are you still doing picturesnow?
Does that still spark you?
Is that still what lights yourworld up?
(33:41):
Yes, it does.
But also during that time,again, during COVID, when I got
to teach more and everythingelse, I realized all of this is
such second nature for me.
I've been doing it for so long.
and when people started askingme questions, I was like, Oh,
that's like, so basic to me,that I'm like, Oh, people don't
(34:06):
know this stuff.
And so I actually enjoyed.
I really enjoyed teaching anddoing all those things.
And so I narrowed down when Itook pictures of like, I love
high school seniors.
That was my first love and willprobably meet my forever love,
um, and business professionals.
So I work with a lot of women inbusiness and I work with a lot
(34:28):
of businesses to not alwayswomen.
I do a lot of like law firmsand, Headshots and business
branding images and stuff likethat.
And I joke that like headshotsare not the most exciting thing
to put out there.
Right.
But every business professionalneeds them.
and so that's what my, themajority of my business is now
(34:48):
is high school seniors andbusinesses.
Can I ask you a question?
Do you, I just jumped into thequestion without waiting for you
to respond.
Sorry.
No, you can't.
Okay.
Um, do you think that., I knowfrom talking to you.
I feel like you're verycompassionate in that you are an
(35:09):
amazing photographer becauseWhen you rattle off these things
about lighting and posing I'mlike, oh my goodness someone
please teach me all this like tome That's like you're like, oh
so basic.
I'm like, no, no, no, no.
No, that's why that's why you'rehere That's why you're an
educator of these things Butalso, do you think that what you
went through helped you be thephotographer you are?
(35:34):
Oh, absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well, anytime I have somebody infront of me, so I've lost
clients, um, and it's personalto me when, when I get word from
their family, like that they'vepassed, but thank you so much
for the pictures.
Those are the last pictures wehave together as a family, or is
(35:55):
this, or that.
That means the world to me.
Um, and I went through a lot ofthat, um, a couple years back
where I lost my job.
I worked with a lady who hadterminal cancer.
And she was incredible, anincredible marathon runner.
Her friend came to the studiowith her who was like, uh, was
(36:16):
doing her final, um, ultra, uh,ultra, I think she was doing an
ultra, but she'd done Ironmanand like all these things.
And these are women in their 50sand 60s.
And I'm like blown away by themas a woman in my 40s.
And so these are strong,incredible women.
And to see them like startgoing, Through all these like
degenerative things, they'regrateful to have pictures of
(36:37):
what they looked like before allof this.
And I had another lady who, whenwe did her pictures, she didn't
have cancer.
A couple months after we didthem, she lost all her hair.
lost all this weight, lost allthese, and I get a message from
her like, thank you.
I will never be that person Iwas again, and I'm grateful to
have that stage of my lifedocumented.
Um, and everything, you know,took, took on a new, new meaning
(37:01):
to me.
So, and for high school seniors,for me, I couldn't afford senior
portraits.
I actually didn't go, I was onthe journalism class and
scheduled, All of this for oursenior class.
I skipped my time slot to go getthem done.
Cause I knew I couldn't, I knewwe couldn't afford them.
And on journalism and in yourbook, my teacher called my best
(37:22):
friend, who's still one of mybest friends to this day, and
said, go get Jayma and bring herdown here.
She's going to do this.
And so it was hard for me totake the pictures and know that
I couldn't have them.
I couldn't afford them.
Um, yeah.
And so, it was so hard for me.
To do that, that seniors, Iguess, because I couldn't have
(37:43):
them done or couldn't afford tohave them done or whatever, um,
just has always, like, had aspecial place in my heart,
because I want them all to havethem and I recognize, too, that
I'm a business and I have tomake money, right?
To stay in business andeverything else.
But that was a huge part of whyI, I have, like, the soft spot
for seniors, was because Icouldn't afford them and so, um,
(38:07):
That's so powerful.
It might be my like, my lovelanguage.
Yeah, I think it's incrediblethat, instead of like despising
taking those pictures, you turnit into something powerful of
This is joyful and I didn't getto have that moment that I
wanted, but I didn't want togive that magic to you.
(38:29):
I want to give that to you.
And I don't think any seniorI've ever worked with knows
about any of this.
Right.
Like when I meet with clients,it's all about that.
Like they don't know why I'mdoing this.
They don't know any of that.
And to me, and of course, seniorportraits back in my day versus
what they are now are sodifferent, right?
I'm in front of this like stagedbookshelf, you know, with, just
very, very staged and stuff,right?
(38:51):
And so when I work with all myclients, everybody's unique,
everybody's different.
Like, what do you want?
I can give suggestions and stufflike that, but this is you.
What, where are you at thisstage?
Like, as a high school senior,what are your hopes and dreams
for the future?
What are things you enjoy now?
What are your favorite things todo?
What are some things you don'tenjoy doing?
What's true to you at thisstage?
(39:13):
Because that stage will change.
And so, you know, you'll, wechange so much throughout the
course of our lives.
And as a kid, you don't realizethat, right?
Like, you think this is yourwhole world, and this is all
it's ever going to be orwhatever.
so I want to know what's true tothem at that stage and that
point in their life.
all the things that I didn'thave the foresight to think
(39:33):
about back then.
Like I asked those questions ofthem and, and everything else.
That's incredible.
And it's, it's so powerful thatyou take the time to recognize,
all that and give them that.
Because I think a lot of timespeople just think they're
pictures.
I bring this outfit and I go,and you really take the time And
(39:54):
that's kind of it reminds me ofwhen you say I take the time to
stop and reserve like I take thetime when I just sit back and I
just observe the room.
It's because you really want toknow about that person and about
who they are.
It's not just a hello.
Hello.
Let me take your picture andyou're on to the next client.
You truly connect and also whythese ladies and why the
(40:18):
connection of them passing awayand them going through stories
like this is so powerful to you.
Like they reach back out to youbecause you don't reach back out
to someone who took a picture ofyou and say, Hey, thank you.
Unless they made an impact onyour life.
So you're impacting so manylives.
(40:40):
That's what I wanted it to beagain, going all the way back to
my grandmother.
Like, that's what I wanted it tobe.
I know you might not know it'san impact at that time, but I
know it is and as, as when I dowork with a lot of older women,
and I think they know that nowtoo.
Right?
And so.
Again, every woman I know is forthe most part afraid to get in
(41:02):
front of the camera.
Um, it's, it's like having eyeson you, right?
Yeah.
I don't like to be stared at.
I don't like to be stared at.
I don't like to be right.
And so it's a very personalthing to do.
When, when it boils down to it,right?
And I'm a photographer, I haveto have pictures of myself or
whatever.
And it's, you know, hard to takethem of yourself.
(41:22):
And I've hired otherphotographers and stuff like
that.
And there are otherphotographers that I'm just like
begging them to work.
Like I want it.
What's your, you know, what'syour process?
What are we doing?
And it's like, show up here.
I'm like, okay, wait.
And that's all I get from them.
Um, I was like, okay, well, hereI am.
So what do I need to do?
And they assume I know what todo because I'm a photographer.
Like I can pose anybody in theworld.
(41:43):
I cannot pose myself.
I'm like, I need some direction.
I need some guidance.
Right.
And so I'm like, okay, well,this is a.
Note on how I don't want to be,um, I meet with all my clients,
whether in person or over zoom,depending on the situation,
because I have some clients fromout of state and everything else
(42:03):
I meet with them before we everget in front of in the studio or
before they ever get behind mycamera or in front of my camera.
and get to know them.
I have gone through closets tohelp people pick out outfits.
I get to know theirinsecurities, what they don't
like about themselves or, youknow, this or that or whatever.
Like, we get to know each otherbefore they're ever in front of
(42:24):
my camera.
So by the time we get to thestudio or wherever we're
meeting, they're like, Jenna,like, like we're old friends.
because I've already made theeffort to like get to know them
and what they want and all thethings and everything else.
And it makes it so much easierto be on the other side of the
camera when you're with a friendversus when you're with somebody
like, okay, sit there and smile.
(42:45):
Like, it doesn't work that way.
I want someone to come pick outmy clothes and be like, if you
stand like this, or if you flipyour hair like this, or Because
it's really uncomfortable whenyou're like, I don't know if I
have on the right outfit.
Is this look okay?
Is this gonna I don't know thelighting tricks and all that
stuff.
And no one tells you thosethings.
So I love that you do that andmake it so comfortable.
(43:09):
And so I it's never been aboutquantity to me.
I'm not the busiestphotographer.
I'm not the Always posting onsocial media.
Oh my gosh, I had 365 clientsthis year and I was so busy and
blah, blah, blah.
Like to me, it's about qualityand give me fewer quality
clients than just being busy andjust putting stuff out there to
(43:32):
put stuff out there.
Like,, that never resonated withme.
I don't need to be booked 365days a year.
I want to be booked by peoplewho was harder in it.
That says a lot about you and,you value their time and you
want to feel the same in return.
You want them to know how muchyou genuinely care about each
(43:52):
person and a picture to you.
From way back, from your grandmameans the world to you today,
and you want them to have thatexperience.
I want them to have that for thepeople that love them, you know,
because everybody's got better.
(44:13):
You hope everybody has thatright?
You know, somebody to love themand everything else, to have to,
to want those, those memoriesand stuff like that.
And that's why, in this day andage, it's really hard for me,
like, we're now dealing with themost photographed, documented
generation.
Ever.
And there are no prints of them.
Oh yeah, everything is,Everything's digital.
(44:34):
Yeah, I don't even know the lasttime.
Actually, I think at Christmas Iwent and printed some pictures
to give to my family to put ontheir fridge because they don't,
not everybody just stares attheir phone and so it's like you
see.
And don't you want to seepictures of the things you love
around you?
Exactly.
And so if, and it's happened,hard drives crash, computers
(44:57):
crash, I, Facebook gets hacked,you're going to lose those.
So I don't understand why you'reso against having a print.
And again, you encountered thata lot with women like, Oh, I
don't want, I don't need apicture of me.
Like, you might not think youneed a picture of you, but you
(45:18):
don't realize the impact thatpicture is going to have on a
little girl.
And so it's not, I'm not full ofmyself for having pictures of
myself made.
I'm leaving this legacy behindfor somebody who will look at it
one day and be like, Oh, Iremember her telling me this,
or, you know, X, Y, Z.
(45:42):
Okay, you are so beautiful.
Your story is so powerful, andyour determination to get
through everything you have andstill be the person you are
sitting here, the loving,genuine, just authentic person
you are, not only do you takepictures, you guys, we could
(46:02):
speak for hours.
She is a runner.
Yeah.
You do incredible things.
Yeah, I've slowed down in my oldage, but running didn't get me.
Okay.
I didn't get an influencer gig,so.
I'm gonna need you to tell themwhat you just did on your
birthday when you say you sloweddown.
(46:24):
I, I went to the Big Island ofHawaii to run a marathon, the
bird, the Hawaii BirdConservation Marathon, running
down the side of a volcano andvolcano, through Volcano
National Park, starting 4, 000feet up in elevation and then,
you know, down to sea level, soa negative 3, 700 foot drop
running through, I don't knowhow many different climates,
(46:44):
terrains, all the things, right?
And it goes from cold up at thetop to Your typical Hawaii heat
and humidity at the bottom.
And it was pure magic.
It was, that sounds magical.
And if that's slowing down, Ican't like, that's huge for
people.
I'm like, can I just go run acouple of miles?
And you're like, I ran downhill,uphill through this weather.
(47:07):
Like it was nothing.
I'm slowing down.
Yeah.
Oh, please celebrate yourself.
you have so much to offer thisworld, and I want to thank you.
can you tell the listeners wherethey can find you?
Yeah, I am online anywhere withmy name, Jema Pantel.
Um, I have a very unique name,so everything is my name,
(47:28):
JemaPantel.
com, at Jema Pantel, YouTubeJema Pantel.
My podcast is living the wholepicture with Jema Pantel.
Um, so if you Google JemaPantel, you'll find me.
Okay, she has all these thingsout here.
She just told you where to findyou and I will leave them in the
show notes.
(47:49):
But you also have things thatwill help listeners out as well.
Yes, absolutely.
So again, I published my firstebook.
so picture this tips for, I saysocial media portraits because
we're in that day and age whereeverybody wants to look good on
social media, but these conceptsapply to anybody looking to take
good portraits of themselves orof others.
So it can be for an individualor for a photographer.
(48:10):
There are all the tips youAgain, you don't need a fancy
Equipment.
You can do it with yoursmartphone, right?
Lighting is the same no matterwhat.
Good lighting is good lightingon a cell phone or on a camera.
good posing is the same on acell phone or a camera, right?
But it also talks about, um, Oh,it gets a little bit about into
social media and being authenticand connecting with your
audience to, um, the fact thatevery platform online has
(48:34):
different standards and bystandards, I mean, crop ratios.
Right?
And so I touched on all of thatin this in this book, um, you
know, talking to and beingauthentic with your audience,
things that play into that,like, you know, Your brand
colors, your brand image, yourbrand voice, all of that, as
well as like what you'relighting and you're posing and
everything else.
(48:54):
So that is a free download on mywebsite, jamieplantell.
com under photo resources.
It's one of the easiest to findtabs on there.
So you can go and download thatfor free.
I just want to fly you to Kansasand have you come take some
pictures of me.
There's also, uh, and, um, andthis is more geared towards
women, but it's strike a pose.
(49:15):
They are quick posing tips.
It was a class that I taught inperson.
So I have like the PowerPointthat I put together for that.
And so that's another freeresource that I know a lot of
women found very helpful.
And it's your practical tips on,how to find your best angle, how
to angle your, you know, all thethings and stuff like that, what
to do with the hands, all thosethings that everybody always
asks about.
(49:35):
So I have some.
Quick and easy resources on thatas well.
I want to thank you so much forsharing your story, for letting
me dig a little bit deep intowhat has sparked your life and
your journey.
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
I want to ask you one morequestion.
(49:56):
If there's one thing listenerscan take away from this.
And go out there to find theirinner spark or live that you
have any suggestions for them.
Yeah, be authentic, be yourself.
Um, and don't be afraid to chaseyour goals and dreams.
Right?
And as little as you might thinkthey are, like for me, having
(50:17):
those comforts of having centralAC.
and heat and stuff like that,especially in Texas when it's
100 degrees in the summer.
Like, those are your dreams.
Own them.
They're what makes you you.
Your voice matters.
And so don't be, don't be afraidto be you.
Don't be afraid to be you.
The world needs you.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much for havingthis conversation with me.
(50:38):
Thank you for sharing this.
Absolutely.
Thank you for having me.
All right, guys, I am blown awayby this conversation.
You guys need to go check herout.
Not only did she share A deepconnecting story of her life
changing moments to what apicture has done and how it has
(51:03):
changed her life and how it hassparked her to go live that
dream.
Because she is a woman filledwith so much dedication and I
can't encourage you guys enoughjust to go check out her page.
take away the freebies she'soffering.
You guys, not everybody offersthose things.
(51:25):
Go listen to her podcast and gofollow her.
Thank you all for tuning in.
Have a good day and let thosesparks fly.
Thank you for tuning in toanother episode.
I hope today's story inspiredyou to embrace your own journey
of growth and change.
Remember, transformation isn'talways easy, but it's always
worth it.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe, share it with
(51:47):
a friend, and leave a review.
If you found something thatsparked you in this episode and
may spark a friend, I encourageyou to go share it with them.
If you have your own story youwould like to share, I would
love to hear it, so please reachout to me.
Until next time, friends.
Go have some fun, and let thosesparks fly.
Hey friends, welcome to theinner spark podcast.
I'm your host, Casey Tatum.
If you're looking to hearstories of transformation and
personal growth, this podcast isfor you.
My guest and I will be sharingthose sparking moments that has
changed them into living a morefulfilling, authentic life.
I'm so excited for you to heareach unique story.
(00:24):
So sit back, relax, and let'sget started.
Hello, friends.
Welcome back to another episode.
Today, you're going to meet JemaPentel.
She is a photographer, aneducator, an author, a
(00:44):
podcaster, and a formerinfluencer.
You guys, she is magic.
I cannot wait for you to hearher story and just connect.
Jema, I'm so excited for you tobe here.
Thank you.
I'm happy to be here.
This is exciting and a littlenerve wracking.
It's gonna be great.
(01:05):
You are an amazing person withan amazing story.
Can you please give us a littlelittle bit?
Okay, so I Am a single female.
I'm just kidding I grew up in areally really small town, I'm
from Texas, I'm a Texas girl Igrew up in a really small town
(01:26):
in the country in South, TexasBut my entire life, I knew I was
going to college.
That's what my parents pushed onus.
Um, so I grew up in a town wherenot many people left.
I left, and moved up to the bigcity, for college and have been
here ever since.
It's basically chasing mydreams.
Even as a kid, I knew I wantedto, you know, do more and not be
(01:49):
stuck in a small town.
Not that that's a bad thing.
I'm very grateful for where Igrew up and how I grew up, but I
knew I wanted more.
So, um, after, and I have adegree in photography, but after
doubting myself for years andyears and years and working for
others and all the other things,I finally decided to start my
own portrait photographybusiness.
(02:11):
And slowly started puttingmyself out that way and took a
very long time to get going withthat.
It was during actually duringcoven when I realized that I
couldn't actually be aroundpeople that I started putting.
Myself and my voice out there.
and that got me a lot ofspeaking opportunities.
And so I taught a lot on zoomduring COVID, um, photography
(02:34):
stuff, and that transitionedinto in person teachings as we
came out of that and slowlystarted growing my business.
Hence the educating I've beenable to teach and author.
So after becoming a runinfluencer for a billion dollar
brand.
And people constantly askingabout pictures.
It gave me the idea to write abook about how to take better
(02:56):
portraits.
And you don't need fancy cameraequipment or anything like that.
You can do it, you know, withyour smartphone more often than
not.
The basics are the same.
Lighting, posing, all thatstuff's the same.
So put a book out there, anybook out in the world.
and then.
Wanted to have been wanting todo a podcast for years,
basically, since COVID is when Igot the idea to start it.
(03:17):
But as usual, I'm slow and moveslow.
And finally got the podcastgoing.
Here we are now doing all thethings.
Okay, I'm gonna stop you for asecond, because, wow, you guys,
did you just hear everything shedoes?
I did not know that you were anauthor until right now.
Yeah.
So that's incredible.
(03:39):
Um, I don't think I met, I saidwhere we met each other.
So we are both, we both did apodcasting course together and
have got to connect.
So I want to go back and ask youa couple of questions.
Absolutely.
what got you into photography?
So both my grandfather on mydad's side and my mom actually
(04:00):
always had cameras.
It was one of the things thatevery time we were together
pictures were taken and clearlythat was filmed back in the day.
Um, and so my life is very welldocumented from, you my birthday
is two weeks before Christmas,so I just celebrated my birthday
last month.
So there are pictures of me atmy first Christmas, two weeks
old, you know, in front of theChristmas tree with my parents
(04:21):
and grandparents and everything.
So my entire life has beendocumented.
so I grew up around that.
in junior high, my, uh, parent,I can't remember if it was my
parents or my grandparents, butI got a Polaroid instant camera.
Yes.
Um, And I started documenting mypodunk little junior high high
school with a junior high I hada little instant camera.
(04:43):
Everybody who knows me knew youwere always going to be in a
picture before we did anythinglike we had to document the
group.
Right.
And at one point, I eventuallystarted taking those pictures
apart to see how they were madechemicals inside those fuller
rings, um, to actually form thefilm, the picture and stuff like
(05:03):
that.
And so when I got to highschool, both my brothers, again,
very small town, I was, youknow, You know, not a lot of
people both my brothers were injournalism.
So I was like, oh, I should bein journalism, too So I got my
first or had access to my first35 millimeter film camera
learned how to take pictureswith that develop film in the
dark room Put together your bookall those things.
(05:26):
And so then when I got tocollege I was like I was a
political science major, andthat was, one part of the brain
that I was using.
I wanted to continue the otherpart, so I decided to get a
degree in photography, too, andmaintain that.
And so that, again, that wasstill darkroom days and
everything else.
And so, um, I'd always had aninterest in it.
What got me really interested indocumenting people, my senior
(05:51):
year of high school, mygrandmother passed away,
unexpected, suddenly, and shewas very young and, um, When she
was laid to rest, she had myfamily's picture with her, and,
uh, I realized in that momenthow important this documentation
was, right?
And so I'm grateful I have allthese pictures with her, um, and
(06:13):
of her, and it's the one thing Ican still hold onto to this day.
I was really, really close withher.
Again, I grew up around all myfamily on a ranch, um, so I was
very close with her.
My dad was an only child.
I was the first girl, so I washer first girl too.
Oh yeah.
So very, very close.
And so when I lost her veryunexpectedly at a very young
(06:34):
age, when I was told she wouldbe home the next day, and she
never came home, it was hard.
And so I know how important thevalue of a picture is.
They're priceless.
I think it's one of the fewthings that we can hold on to
and help jog those memories.
The memories start to fade, butthe second you pick up that
(06:54):
picture and look at it, it'slike, You're taken back.
You're taken back to the laughs,to the memories, to what was
going on.
I have taken thousands, hundredsof thousands of pictures in my
life.
I can look at each picture andtell you exactly what, like from
junior high, high school,college, all the way through
exactly what was going on atthat time when I took that
picture, how I was feeling, howthe group was feeling, all those
(07:17):
things.
So the pictures jog the memoryof that.
And that's why it's so importantand why My love for documenting
people grew out of that.
Before that it was obviouslytaking pictures of friends, but
taking pictures of things too.
Yeah, that happened.
I knew it when I wanted it to bepeople.
okay, I want to stop you herefor a second, because, first of
(07:38):
all, I'm the person that alwayshas my phone and taking pictures
and people laugh at me, and I'mlike, one day, you're gonna,
you're gonna thank me.
You're gonna thank me for thesepriceless pictures, okay?
They may not be perfect, butthey're like, glimpses.
And I also remember doing thedarkroom days.
I did that in high school, thatwas fun.
Yeah.
But, I want to come back tothis.
Your grandmother left such animpact and that picture now
(08:07):
gives you and allows you tostill feel and hold the space
and feel all the love and liketakes you back to what a
beautiful person and what animpact she had on your life.
Yep.
And I hear her voice still whenI look at him.
She had that sweet TexasSouthern drawl.
Sweetheart, now sweetheart.
(08:29):
Like I can hear her voice everytime I look at him and picture
all the advice she gave me.
And again, I'm a little bitolder, so it was always a
perfect lady should, a perfectlady should.
And I hear her sweet Southerndrawl teaching me how a perfect
lady should.
And I'm so grateful for those.
Oh, that gives me chills.
(08:53):
Oh, what a special lady.
Okay, sorry.
That was good.
The amount that you don'trealize what a picture holds
until something happens.
Exactly.
And I don't, sometimes it's hardto convey that because there's I
don't want to be sappy, but thatis exactly what it is.
(09:14):
You don't realize what it isuntil it's too late, and then
you're like, Oh, I should have,I should have.
And there's a lot of regret inthat, and it's a lesson I
fortunately learned at a veryyoung age.
So it's, I don't know.
Again, she was I still had allmy great grandparents that were
alive when I was born at thattime She was the first person
close to me that I lost andagain sudden and unexpected and
(09:37):
still way too young and so itwas huge and a huge lesson for a
High school kid for sure.
Oh, yeah.
I can't even imagine.
I just lost my grandmother andI'm 41 and it was still It's
it's heartbreaking.
Yeah.
I mean, to this day, she was thefirst of my grandparents that I
lost.
And, my grandfather, herhusband, I just lost 2 years
(10:00):
ago.
and so the 1st grandparent tothe last grandparent, like,
it's, they hit different, butthat 1 will, will have the
biggest impact on me always.
Yeah, well, thank you forsharing that.
Okay, can I dig a little bitdeeper?
Is that okay?
Oh, yeah.
Okay, so I always want to knowwhy I know your grandmother is a
(10:25):
big part in this, right?
So, do you want to share, wouldyou be willing to share a little
bit more about, you are such amagical person, and I can't wait
to, like, get deeper into that,but I know we all have this
little thing where we go throughsomething, and I know me and you
(10:45):
have chatted, so just open chat,would you be willing to share
any part of what really droveyou to be the person you are?
Yeah, sure.
I will try to dig deep intothat.
So again, I grew up in thecountry, not much, right?
So, These old farmhouses thatare hundreds of years old, you
(11:07):
know, holes in the floors, like,you know, thin walls, everything
else.
Like we didn't have central heator air.
we didn't have any of theluxuries.
I wasn't a big TV watcher.
We didn't have.
cable in the country that waspre internet, you know, all, all
those things and everythingelse.
But I remember breaking out inheat rash in the summer,
(11:29):
sleeping with my clothes in thebed in winter, because getting
up and getting dressed whenit's, you know, 40, 50 degrees
in a house is not pleasant.
Um, you know, all the things.
And then I'd go to friendshouses or, wherever else.
And Oh, there's AC.
Oh, there's heat.
Oh, this is what it's like beingcomfortable inside.
(11:52):
so I spent most of my timeoutside.
it doesn't take long to chatwith me to learn that I'm a
runner.
I've been a runner since I was Akid in junior high, because it
was easier to be outside.
Even in the summertime in Texas,I was fine sweating if I was in
running clothes, right?
And to this day, I'll say that Ihave no problem sweating if I'm
in running clothes.
(12:12):
Um, so I spent a lot of timeoutside running.
And any runner will tell you,you run enough.
Like you, it's like being closeto God is what they say.
That's where you have theseconversations with yourself
with, you know, in your head,all the things, music on a phone
was not a thing back in the day,none of that, right.
(12:34):
So you ran what we call runningnaked now, like there were no
smartwatches.
There were, there was none ofthat.
So I ran a lot and thought a lotand thought a lot about what I
wanted my life to be in thefuture.
I didn't want to want for theseluxuries, right?
I come from a big family, wedidn't have the means to take
vacations.
a vacation to us was driving, acouple hours north to San
(12:55):
Antonio or New Broncos to visitmy other set of, my mom's
parents, my grandparents.
Like, that was the extent ofvacations my entire life.
But basically when I got tocollege again, college was put
on me.
I knew I was going to college.
That was a given.
I got to college and I was shellshocked.
Um, I've never been around somany people who had so much more
(13:23):
than I ever could have had.
And it was a tough transition.
And you feel like you don'tbelong.
Like, I remember my roommate, myfreshman college roommate
calling me.
When I was still at home, she'slike, okay, what are you
bringing to our dorm room?
I've got a TV, I've got arefrigerator, I've got a
microwave.
And I was like, I've got sheetsfor my bed and a couple articles
(13:46):
of clothing.
Yeah.
Like that's, that's what I'mbringing.
Did you go to college, um, as arunner?
Yes.
I didn't have the privilege ofbeing able to run in college.
And did get part of it takencare of that way.
Um, but again, living expenses,um, all the things, right?
And so, if you're an athlete incollege, you cannot work too
(14:09):
many hours at the school jobs orwhatever.
So, I was the girl who then gotmultiple jobs off campus at fast
food places or, you know, Myfavorite job to this day at the
frozen yogurt shop, where I getto eat all the frozen yogurt at
once.
That's the best.
Yeah, which was right next doorto Subway, so I also got a job
at Subway.
So I had food taken care of,basically.
(14:32):
And so I was able to work thehours, there to, to do that.
Oh, well, everybody else wasn'tworking, was going out and
partying, was doing all thethings that most normal college
kids did.
And I was constantly asked tojoin and to do the things and to
do this and that.
As a kid, you don't say, no, I'mpoor.
(14:53):
I can't afford to do that, buthe's paying for it.
You keep that hidden, right?
So it was more of a no, notinterested.
And I was told I was a snobquite a bit.
I was going to ask, how did thatmake you feel?
It was hard.
Um, again, and I was, you know,I was okay with them thinking
(15:14):
that about me, because I didn'twant to share what actually was.
Um, so I didn't really share allthat much about what was going
on.
So, you know, even worse on topof that, was, uh, so my dad went
to prison when I was in college.
(15:35):
He was arrested and went tojail.
And so I would rather write tohim than go out and do all the
things.
And it further instilled in methat I wanted more and better.
Right.
I didn't want to repeat thehabit.
Right.
So you took, you learned alesson from that of all these
kids are out partying and doingwhatever, but that's not what I
(15:57):
want.
That's not what I want.
That's not my lifestyle.
It's not my lifestyle.
And I, it was also, I knew I hadnobody to fall back on if
something happened.
Um, the amount of kids doingthings that I never had a desire
to do or interest in doing anyof these extracurricular
activities was mind boggling tome.
And then when you get to knowthem, it's like.
(16:18):
Oh, their parents will take careof everything if something
happens.
Yeah.
And I didn't have that.
I was never going to have that.
And so the only person to takecare of me was me.
And I had to learn that at avery early age.
And I knew I wasn't going torepeat certain cycles and live
that over anymore.
I want to thank you for sharingthat about your dad.
(16:40):
Because I think every timesomebody goes through a story,
we don't share it.
We just try to push through.
And, yeah.
Very few people know that.
Yeah, we don't just air it tothe world of like, oh, hey,
there's something, somethingdifferent about me.
And this is why I am the way Iam.
(17:02):
So, me and you had this jokeabout our faces.
Yeah.
About the same face and we'veboth been judged and how, like,
we're gonna beat that.
People quit saying that.
RBF face.
Okay.
Maybe some people are just heldto themselves because they're
going through something andmaybe that's just the way they
are and that's okay.
(17:23):
So stop judging people.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And I always say, I don't judgea person based on how they look
or sound or anything else.
I judge them based on theiractions.
And how I, they either treat meor how I observe them treating
other people.
So, I don't react to things.
(17:44):
I sit there and take them in,and I'm quiet, and I'm reserved,
and I observe, and I'm a verybig observer of everything
around me.
And most of the time you won'tknow that that's what I'm doing.
You'll think that I'm on myphone or not paying attention,
when the entire time I'm payingattention to everything that's
(18:05):
going on around me.
I think that's an amazingquality because a lot of people
just respond and react fast outof their mouth without thinking.
Instead, you're like lookingaround the room.
Just taking it all in and notjust, not just shouting like,
but you genuinely care and thatsays a lot about you.
(18:25):
So you went through a lot.
You've been through a lot.
You worked your whole life toget through college, to get
where you were.
You're a runner.
Tell us, can you tell me whatyou do now?
What sparks you to do whatyou're doing now?
So I still work two jobs.
(18:48):
I've had an interest in law andpolitics and policy my entire
life.
My grandparents got me a book inthird grade, Texas law and
layman's language.
Um, so I was, I was a nerd.
I was one of those straight Astudents who, you know, read
books and was, you know, alwaysstudying.
School was not a difficult thingfor me.
And I, I probably took that forgranted because I recognize how
(19:11):
hard that is for some people andI don't think you have to have
an education to be smart.
Um, there are people who arehighly intelligent who struggle
with school.
Um, school was 1 of those thingsthat wasn't a challenge to me.
I could read, obtaininformation.
All the things, right?
So I again, nothing to do whereI grew up, but driving to town
(19:32):
to the library, rent somelibrary books and read.
And that's what most of ourchildhood was either physical
outdoor activities or reading.
And so there were always booksand that was when my
grandparents got me that book,like, I was determined to go to
law school.
So I have a degree in politicsand in photography.
Right?
And so I live in Austin, thecapital of Texas where politics
(19:54):
happens.
so right out of college, I got ajob for the Texas Senate.
which was mind boggling to mebecause you needed a college
degree for that.
Yet the job only paid twothousand dollars a month who can
live off of two thousand.
I was like how in the World didI get myself in such huge debt
for a job again?
(20:14):
I didn't look I Where I camefrom, you didn't really have
mentors or counselors who showedyou anything.
And I'm not talking bad aboutanybody because these are my
friend's parents.
These are people that I love andconsider a family, but we
weren't taught how to handlemoney, what college was about.
Like, I didn't know that gettingmyself a political science
(20:36):
degree and a reputable job meantmy paycheck wasn't going to be
anything.
Um, you just had this drive tokeep going, like the drive that
this is what I'm going to dowith my life.
And so I worked that and I got asecond job.
so in politics, you have todress a certain way.
I think I remember reading inthe handbook they gave us when I
(20:56):
started, a woman should looklike a woman, which I also was
taken aback by, which I thoughtwas very interesting wording.
And then that stuck with me andI was like, okay, what's a woman
supposed to look like?
This is interesting.
And I'm in Texas and I knew whatthat meant.
I didn't have, okay.
Those nice clothes.
I didn't have them.
So I got a job at the mall at aclothing store so I could afford
(21:18):
those clothes to go to the otherjob.
So after doing that and workingin law offices and doing all the
things I was like, this workingfor other people isn't my jam.
I'm going to start a business.
So I worked at a photographystudio and all these like other
extra jobs.
I worked in a photography studioI worked in a I worked retail in
a camera store so i'm familiarwith working holidays.
(21:39):
I'm all these things that Peopleof a certain class take for
granted is that these people aregoing to work and serve them and
wait on them at these times.
I've done all those things.
I've waited table, you know,all, those jobs that a lot of
people have zero experiencewith.
I did them all.
We're not, no one is too goodfor anything.
That's what I feel like.
Like the second you think youare, that's a problem.
(22:01):
Yeah, there's, there's a job foreverybody, right?
Absolutely.
And you did whatever you had todo.
Yeah.
I did what I had to do tosurvive, right?
And so, I started my businessand again, I worked it up to a
full time salary equivalent tomy day job.
so I'm further along in my dayjob, and have worked my business
up to be a full time employee.
Similar thing.
(22:22):
The only problem with a smallbusiness is insurance.
Yes.
All the fun things of owningyour own business, right?
And, um, if I've learnedanything in the last seven years
with my parents, cancerdiagnosis.
And again, I think this is whywe bond so much because I'm your
story too.
And I know.
(22:42):
How you can be living a normallife and all of a sudden an
illness just stops everything inits tracks and nobody is immune
to that.
Nobody right.
It can happen to anybody at anygiven time.
Um, that is, that is one of themost powerful things is because
(23:02):
everybody thinks that it willnot happen to them.
And so we live this life and Ihave this live for today in my
background.
And you don't know until ithappens to you that your world
can stop in a second and yourwhole life can change.
We've talked about no one isimmune to getting anything.
(23:25):
Yes.
So, do you mind digging intothat a little bit?
Yeah, so when my dad wasdiagnosed with cancer, I was
very, again, I'm not a publicperson.
I didn't put it out there.
In fact, nobody knew about mydad's cancer other than close
friends and, you know, people Iactually talked to until after
(23:45):
he was better.
Except one blog post I madeabout my business on my business
page because I assume nobodyreads blog posts and I made this
blog post.
I had been, it was the firstyear I was, uh, voted best
portrait photographer in Austin.
Um, I had been published in theNew York Times that year, for
(24:05):
photography for pictures.
So I did an end of the year blogpost, you know, on the good and
the bad, the good.
I was published in the New Yorktimes, like incredible for blue
bonnets, which is our stateflower, which is like the thing
I love the most.
That is so incredible.
Pictures from me and interviewedme and so I got, got my name out
(24:25):
there for that.
I was voted best portraitphotographer in Austin.
And so that's still runningeight years later to this day.
Um, and then I said, but all ofthat means nothing because my
dad's fighting cancer.
And yeah.
It was, the year of my 40thbirthday, and I was, I go and
(24:47):
run marathons for my birthday,usually every year, and so I was
in, I just finished running theKauai Marathon, and I was in
Maui, and I get a text from mysister, and she says, Hey, can I
call you?
I know you're on vacation, butit's important.
It's about dad, and it's notgood.
And so I was like, yeah, so shecalled me and she told me dad
has cancer.
I'm like, okay.
So when I got home, Iimmediately, you know, went,
(25:08):
went.
To South Texas went back homeand my dad has a positive
attitude about everything.
He's one of those like, he'slike everything could always be
worse, right?
He's got one of the bestattitudes and so he was fine and
I had a 40, a 40th birthdaymarathon scheduled for December
and my birthday.
And I was like, do I need tocancel my trip?
And you know, when all thisstuff stay home, he's like, no,
(25:28):
no, no.
You're not canceling anythingfor this.
You go.
And I was like, okay.
So I'd gone back and forth homequite a bit between September
and my birthday in December.
And so I was home forThanksgiving, which is two weeks
before my birthday.
Dad was fine.
Everything else, my youngestsister lives in Europe and
France.
And so she was, I knew she wasflying home and she would be
there.
So I.
You know, and my other sisterlives here.
(25:49):
And so I knew I had family closeby and everything was like, plan
my trip, go on my trip andeverything else.
And I was on the plane.
The plane had just landed and Iturn on my phone and it was a
message from my sister.
Um, it's like, hey, dad'sbedridden.
And I was like, what?
I was literally just home twoweeks ago, and I have a picture
(26:09):
of him.
And in that moment, I thoughtthat might be the last picture I
ever had of him that I took whenI was leaving the last time.
And it got really, really bad,and the cancer had spread.
And he was telling hisoncologist all of this, and his
oncologist wasn't listening, andwas more concerned about his
(26:30):
Corvette, apparently.
And every time my dad would goin and tell him, I think
something doesn't feel right.
And And all his oncologistwanted to talk about was his
fancy sports car and everythingelse.
And so the whole time, themonths prior when this happened,
like, we let him handleeverything.
Um, and so at that moment, andwhen I got back from my, my race
and everything else, my sistersand I stepped in and then
(26:51):
started handling everything.
Um, you know, got a newoncologist.
We left his surgeon, which whofound the cancer in the first
place from a hernia that he hadto have.
And that's the whole reason wefound it.
Radiology tech is my cousin'swife.
So we, my best friend is stillin the medical system back home.
And so I was using her.
(27:12):
And so again, I didn't tellanybody except the people back
home.
My little sister's best friend'shusband's an oncologist, or
boyfriend at the time was one ofthe best oncologists.
So we were pulling connections,everything we had, which is
great about us.
Yeah, it's absolutelyconnections.
Um, and so we pulled all theseconnections and got him new
doctors and.
got everything turned around andhis surgeon finally said, as bad
(27:35):
as it's good, it is and it'sgoing to be and the adjustments
you're going to have to make.
Um, from losing such a huge partof your call, if you're going to
survive and knowing that was,was huge because I really did
think I was going to lose mydad.
And that was, uh, during thattime I was pouring myself into
(27:55):
my business and my work andeverything else to distract
myself.
a business took off my businessgroup.
I got sick from stress.
Oh yeah.
Close.
Close.
Everybody's like, you're 40, youcan't have shingles.
I'm like, well, I do, clearly.
They're like, well, you can't goaround your dad.
He's compromised.
And you just can't be aroundhim.
And being told that was hard.
(28:18):
And I was like, okay, well, andso all of that just was hard.
My business began to thrive andflourish.
Again, this was during COVID andeverything else.
So you were still running yourbusiness.
As you got all this hard news tolive in your own life.
So, because you obviously haveto pay your own bills, right?
Right, of course.
Yeah.
And I help take care of andcover expenses for my parents
(28:42):
still.
I just, you know, I feel likeany kid should, Oh yeah,
absolutely.
Do that for the parents, right?
Um, so I knew that they didn'thave much, they set me up for a
better life.
And so I was gonna, doeverything I can for the rest of
my life to.
Take care of them.
so still trying to do all thethings to earn the income to
(29:02):
help pay and help any way I can,with all of that.
And so he had his final surgerythe week, um, during, during
COVID.
and actually ended up having totake out his own stitches.
His surgeon, I love his surgeonwas incredible, was an old army
surgeon.
(29:23):
It's like, trust me, James, youcan do that.
It's like, I've done a lotworse.
I put that bottle of tequilanext to me, what I had to do.
And he walked him through itbecause at that time, everything
was still unknown.
Right.
And they didn't want anotherwise healthy.
Person going back into thehospital and risk getting
(29:43):
anything.
Right.
Right.
Um, so he, and again, my dad'sstrong and crazy for this, but
he did it.
He took it out and things likethe, started getting better.
Right.
I'll pill climb again.
This is when my business startedcoming up.
I was able to do all sorts ofthings in my business that I had
been trying to do and everythingin life was good.
(30:05):
All of these things.
And then my mom gets cancer.
And so, oh, my goodness.
Yeah.
And so here I was rocking androlling thinking life's good.
And my mom's one of thestrongest people like no, like,
I, I don't know where I was notexpecting this.
(30:25):
There's no history of breastcancer in my family.
There's no, None of this at all.
And so I was like, huh, what?
And I couldn't, I didn't havethe capacity to do much of
anything.
Um, my mom is my world.
And so I am the way I am becauseof my mom.
(30:47):
And so I stopped my business.
I stopped marketing.
I had clients.
I.
I said, Hey, if you don't feellike I'm giving you what you
thought you wanted, you can havea refund.
Like, I refunded so many people,during that time and I was
honest about it.
(31:08):
I said, my mom has cancer and somany clients were so grateful.
There were some who weren't.
And we're very unhappy with me.
And that was really hard.
I'm a service provider, right?
I provide the servicephotographer and for people,
some of the comments I got werejust not nice.
And it made me stop reevaluating all the other things,
(31:31):
right?
Um, more valuable lessons.
You can't always trade time formoney.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You were giving people yourheart and being honest with
them.
And saying, I'll give you yourmoney back when you clearly
there's people out there whowouldn't do that.
There are, and they still gotpictures.
They still got pictures.
(31:51):
I didn't put together my end ofthe year gallery show for them.
with all my clients, like thatI'd done the year before and
stuff like that.
And because they weren'tincluded in that, they were
upset.
I was literally sitting in theparking lot of where I was going
to host this gala for my clientsthat I did at the end of the
year and stuff like that.
And I broke down crying.
(32:13):
I was like, I can't do this.
I did it with the help of my momthe year before.
She was like huge.
She's a huge inspiration in alot of things.
And she was so helpful with allof it and helping me do it all
and stuff like that.
And I was like, I can't do this.
Like, I just don't have it in meto do it.
I want to just stop everything.
Yeah.
She was kind of your support.
Yeah, there for my mom and takecare of my own health because I
(32:35):
didn't want to get sick againAnd there were plenty of people
who were super understanding AndI'm beyond grateful for them.
But like I said, there were somewho weren't very nice And so
again, lots of valuable lessonslearned about people about life
and about everything else And mymom is cancer free now, too.
Both my parents are now cancerfree.
(32:58):
Yeah.
So, where is that?
That is a journey, and I want tosay a couple things.
You, your dad, and your mom,both have the determination, is
what I'm hearing.
So I'm not projecting on you.
Your dad's like, I got this.
I can pull up my own stitches.
I don't need to go in there andget sick.
And then your mom, who hassupported you and what you love,
(33:20):
your passion, she beat this.
She did not allow this to, thisdis ease to keep her down.
That's incredible.
So are you still doing picturesnow?
Does that still spark you?
Is that still what lights yourworld up?
(33:41):
Yes, it does.
But also during that time,again, during COVID, when I got
to teach more and everythingelse, I realized all of this is
such second nature for me.
I've been doing it for so long.
and when people started askingme questions, I was like, Oh,
that's like, so basic to me,that I'm like, Oh, people don't
(34:06):
know this stuff.
And so I actually enjoyed.
I really enjoyed teaching anddoing all those things.
And so I narrowed down when Itook pictures of like, I love
high school seniors.
That was my first love and willprobably meet my forever love,
um, and business professionals.
So I work with a lot of women inbusiness and I work with a lot
(34:28):
of businesses to not alwayswomen.
I do a lot of like law firmsand, Headshots and business
branding images and stuff likethat.
And I joke that like headshotsare not the most exciting thing
to put out there.
Right.
But every business professionalneeds them.
and so that's what my, themajority of my business is now
(34:48):
is high school seniors andbusinesses.
Can I ask you a question?
Do you, I just jumped into thequestion without waiting for you
to respond.
Sorry.
No, you can't.
Okay.
Um, do you think that., I knowfrom talking to you.
I feel like you're verycompassionate in that you are an
(35:09):
amazing photographer becauseWhen you rattle off these things
about lighting and posing I'mlike, oh my goodness someone
please teach me all this like tome That's like you're like, oh
so basic.
I'm like, no, no, no, no.
No, that's why that's why you'rehere That's why you're an
educator of these things Butalso, do you think that what you
went through helped you be thephotographer you are?
(35:34):
Oh, absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well, anytime I have somebody infront of me, so I've lost
clients, um, and it's personalto me when, when I get word from
their family, like that they'vepassed, but thank you so much
for the pictures.
Those are the last pictures wehave together as a family, or is
(35:55):
this, or that.
That means the world to me.
Um, and I went through a lot ofthat, um, a couple years back
where I lost my job.
I worked with a lady who hadterminal cancer.
And she was incredible, anincredible marathon runner.
Her friend came to the studiowith her who was like, uh, was
(36:16):
doing her final, um, ultra, uh,ultra, I think she was doing an
ultra, but she'd done Ironmanand like all these things.
And these are women in their 50sand 60s.
And I'm like blown away by themas a woman in my 40s.
And so these are strong,incredible women.
And to see them like startgoing, Through all these like
degenerative things, they'regrateful to have pictures of
(36:37):
what they looked like before allof this.
And I had another lady who, whenwe did her pictures, she didn't
have cancer.
A couple months after we didthem, she lost all her hair.
lost all this weight, lost allthese, and I get a message from
her like, thank you.
I will never be that person Iwas again, and I'm grateful to
have that stage of my lifedocumented.
Um, and everything, you know,took, took on a new, new meaning
(37:01):
to me.
So, and for high school seniors,for me, I couldn't afford senior
portraits.
I actually didn't go, I was onthe journalism class and
scheduled, All of this for oursenior class.
I skipped my time slot to go getthem done.
Cause I knew I couldn't, I knewwe couldn't afford them.
And on journalism and in yourbook, my teacher called my best
(37:22):
friend, who's still one of mybest friends to this day, and
said, go get Jayma and bring herdown here.
She's going to do this.
And so it was hard for me totake the pictures and know that
I couldn't have them.
I couldn't afford them.
Um, yeah.
And so, it was so hard for me.
To do that, that seniors, Iguess, because I couldn't have
(37:43):
them done or couldn't afford tohave them done or whatever, um,
just has always, like, had aspecial place in my heart,
because I want them all to havethem and I recognize, too, that
I'm a business and I have tomake money, right?
To stay in business andeverything else.
But that was a huge part of whyI, I have, like, the soft spot
for seniors, was because Icouldn't afford them and so, um,
(38:07):
That's so powerful.
It might be my like, my lovelanguage.
Yeah, I think it's incrediblethat, instead of like despising
taking those pictures, you turnit into something powerful of
This is joyful and I didn't getto have that moment that I
wanted, but I didn't want togive that magic to you.
(38:29):
I want to give that to you.
And I don't think any seniorI've ever worked with knows
about any of this.
Right.
Like when I meet with clients,it's all about that.
Like they don't know why I'mdoing this.
They don't know any of that.
And to me, and of course, seniorportraits back in my day versus
what they are now are sodifferent, right?
I'm in front of this like stagedbookshelf, you know, with, just
very, very staged and stuff,right?
(38:51):
And so when I work with all myclients, everybody's unique,
everybody's different.
Like, what do you want?
I can give suggestions and stufflike that, but this is you.
What, where are you at thisstage?
Like, as a high school senior,what are your hopes and dreams
for the future?
What are things you enjoy now?
What are your favorite things todo?
What are some things you don'tenjoy doing?
What's true to you at thisstage?
(39:13):
Because that stage will change.
And so, you know, you'll, wechange so much throughout the
course of our lives.
And as a kid, you don't realizethat, right?
Like, you think this is yourwhole world, and this is all
it's ever going to be orwhatever.
so I want to know what's true tothem at that stage and that
point in their life.
all the things that I didn'thave the foresight to think
(39:33):
about back then.
Like I asked those questions ofthem and, and everything else.
That's incredible.
And it's, it's so powerful thatyou take the time to recognize,
all that and give them that.
Because I think a lot of timespeople just think they're
pictures.
I bring this outfit and I go,and you really take the time And
(39:54):
that's kind of it reminds me ofwhen you say I take the time to
stop and reserve like I take thetime when I just sit back and I
just observe the room.
It's because you really want toknow about that person and about
who they are.
It's not just a hello.
Hello.
Let me take your picture andyou're on to the next client.
You truly connect and also whythese ladies and why the
(40:18):
connection of them passing awayand them going through stories
like this is so powerful to you.
Like they reach back out to youbecause you don't reach back out
to someone who took a picture ofyou and say, Hey, thank you.
Unless they made an impact onyour life.
So you're impacting so manylives.
(40:40):
That's what I wanted it to beagain, going all the way back to
my grandmother.
Like, that's what I wanted it tobe.
I know you might not know it'san impact at that time, but I
know it is and as, as when I dowork with a lot of older women,
and I think they know that nowtoo.
Right?
And so.
Again, every woman I know is forthe most part afraid to get in
(41:02):
front of the camera.
Um, it's, it's like having eyeson you, right?
Yeah.
I don't like to be stared at.
I don't like to be stared at.
I don't like to be right.
And so it's a very personalthing to do.
When, when it boils down to it,right?
And I'm a photographer, I haveto have pictures of myself or
whatever.
And it's, you know, hard to takethem of yourself.
(41:22):
And I've hired otherphotographers and stuff like
that.
And there are otherphotographers that I'm just like
begging them to work.
Like I want it.
What's your, you know, what'syour process?
What are we doing?
And it's like, show up here.
I'm like, okay, wait.
And that's all I get from them.
Um, I was like, okay, well, hereI am.
So what do I need to do?
And they assume I know what todo because I'm a photographer.
Like I can pose anybody in theworld.
(41:43):
I cannot pose myself.
I'm like, I need some direction.
I need some guidance.
Right.
And so I'm like, okay, well,this is a.
Note on how I don't want to be,um, I meet with all my clients,
whether in person or over zoom,depending on the situation,
because I have some clients fromout of state and everything else
(42:03):
I meet with them before we everget in front of in the studio or
before they ever get behind mycamera or in front of my camera.
and get to know them.
I have gone through closets tohelp people pick out outfits.
I get to know theirinsecurities, what they don't
like about themselves or, youknow, this or that or whatever.
Like, we get to know each otherbefore they're ever in front of
(42:24):
my camera.
So by the time we get to thestudio or wherever we're
meeting, they're like, Jenna,like, like we're old friends.
because I've already made theeffort to like get to know them
and what they want and all thethings and everything else.
And it makes it so much easierto be on the other side of the
camera when you're with a friendversus when you're with somebody
like, okay, sit there and smile.
(42:45):
Like, it doesn't work that way.
I want someone to come pick outmy clothes and be like, if you
stand like this, or if you flipyour hair like this, or Because
it's really uncomfortable whenyou're like, I don't know if I
have on the right outfit.
Is this look okay?
Is this gonna I don't know thelighting tricks and all that
stuff.
And no one tells you thosethings.
So I love that you do that andmake it so comfortable.
(43:09):
And so I it's never been aboutquantity to me.
I'm not the busiestphotographer.
I'm not the Always posting onsocial media.
Oh my gosh, I had 365 clientsthis year and I was so busy and
blah, blah, blah.
Like to me, it's about qualityand give me fewer quality
clients than just being busy andjust putting stuff out there to
(43:32):
put stuff out there.
Like,, that never resonated withme.
I don't need to be booked 365days a year.
I want to be booked by peoplewho was harder in it.
That says a lot about you and,you value their time and you
want to feel the same in return.
You want them to know how muchyou genuinely care about each
(43:52):
person and a picture to you.
From way back, from your grandmameans the world to you today,
and you want them to have thatexperience.
I want them to have that for thepeople that love them, you know,
because everybody's got better.
(44:13):
You hope everybody has thatright?
You know, somebody to love themand everything else, to have to,
to want those, those memoriesand stuff like that.
And that's why, in this day andage, it's really hard for me,
like, we're now dealing with themost photographed, documented
generation.
Ever.
And there are no prints of them.
Oh yeah, everything is,Everything's digital.
(44:34):
Yeah, I don't even know the lasttime.
Actually, I think at Christmas Iwent and printed some pictures
to give to my family to put ontheir fridge because they don't,
not everybody just stares attheir phone and so it's like you
see.
And don't you want to seepictures of the things you love
around you?
Exactly.
And so if, and it's happened,hard drives crash, computers
(44:57):
crash, I, Facebook gets hacked,you're going to lose those.
So I don't understand why you'reso against having a print.
And again, you encountered thata lot with women like, Oh, I
don't want, I don't need apicture of me.
Like, you might not think youneed a picture of you, but you
(45:18):
don't realize the impact thatpicture is going to have on a
little girl.
And so it's not, I'm not full ofmyself for having pictures of
myself made.
I'm leaving this legacy behindfor somebody who will look at it
one day and be like, Oh, Iremember her telling me this,
or, you know, X, Y, Z.
(45:42):
Okay, you are so beautiful.
Your story is so powerful, andyour determination to get
through everything you have andstill be the person you are
sitting here, the loving,genuine, just authentic person
you are, not only do you takepictures, you guys, we could
(46:02):
speak for hours.
She is a runner.
Yeah.
You do incredible things.
Yeah, I've slowed down in my oldage, but running didn't get me.
Okay.
I didn't get an influencer gig,so.
I'm gonna need you to tell themwhat you just did on your
birthday when you say you sloweddown.
(46:24):
I, I went to the Big Island ofHawaii to run a marathon, the
bird, the Hawaii BirdConservation Marathon, running
down the side of a volcano andvolcano, through Volcano
National Park, starting 4, 000feet up in elevation and then,
you know, down to sea level, soa negative 3, 700 foot drop
running through, I don't knowhow many different climates,
(46:44):
terrains, all the things, right?
And it goes from cold up at thetop to Your typical Hawaii heat
and humidity at the bottom.
And it was pure magic.
It was, that sounds magical.
And if that's slowing down, Ican't like, that's huge for
people.
I'm like, can I just go run acouple of miles?
And you're like, I ran downhill,uphill through this weather.
(47:07):
Like it was nothing.
I'm slowing down.
Yeah.
Oh, please celebrate yourself.
you have so much to offer thisworld, and I want to thank you.
can you tell the listeners wherethey can find you?
Yeah, I am online anywhere withmy name, Jema Pantel.
Um, I have a very unique name,so everything is my name,
(47:28):
JemaPantel.
com, at Jema Pantel, YouTubeJema Pantel.
My podcast is living the wholepicture with Jema Pantel.
Um, so if you Google JemaPantel, you'll find me.
Okay, she has all these thingsout here.
She just told you where to findyou and I will leave them in the
show notes.
(47:49):
But you also have things thatwill help listeners out as well.
Yes, absolutely.
So again, I published my firstebook.
so picture this tips for, I saysocial media portraits because
we're in that day and age whereeverybody wants to look good on
social media, but these conceptsapply to anybody looking to take
good portraits of themselves orof others.
So it can be for an individualor for a photographer.
(48:10):
There are all the tips youAgain, you don't need a fancy
Equipment.
You can do it with yoursmartphone, right?
Lighting is the same no matterwhat.
Good lighting is good lightingon a cell phone or on a camera.
good posing is the same on acell phone or a camera, right?
But it also talks about, um, Oh,it gets a little bit about into
social media and being authenticand connecting with your
audience to, um, the fact thatevery platform online has
(48:34):
different standards and bystandards, I mean, crop ratios.
Right?
And so I touched on all of thatin this in this book, um, you
know, talking to and beingauthentic with your audience,
things that play into that,like, you know, Your brand
colors, your brand image, yourbrand voice, all of that, as
well as like what you'relighting and you're posing and
everything else.
(48:54):
So that is a free download on mywebsite, jamieplantell.
com under photo resources.
It's one of the easiest to findtabs on there.
So you can go and download thatfor free.
I just want to fly you to Kansasand have you come take some
pictures of me.
There's also, uh, and, um, andthis is more geared towards
women, but it's strike a pose.
(49:15):
They are quick posing tips.
It was a class that I taught inperson.
So I have like the PowerPointthat I put together for that.
And so that's another freeresource that I know a lot of
women found very helpful.
And it's your practical tips on,how to find your best angle, how
to angle your, you know, all thethings and stuff like that, what
to do with the hands, all thosethings that everybody always
asks about.
(49:35):
So I have some.
Quick and easy resources on thatas well.
I want to thank you so much forsharing your story, for letting
me dig a little bit deep intowhat has sparked your life and
your journey.
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
I want to ask you one morequestion.
(49:56):
If there's one thing listenerscan take away from this.
And go out there to find theirinner spark or live that you
have any suggestions for them.
Yeah, be authentic, be yourself.
Um, and don't be afraid to chaseyour goals and dreams.
Right?
And as little as you might thinkthey are, like for me, having
(50:17):
those comforts of having centralAC.
and heat and stuff like that,especially in Texas when it's
100 degrees in the summer.
Like, those are your dreams.
Own them.
They're what makes you you.
Your voice matters.
And so don't be, don't be afraidto be you.
Don't be afraid to be you.
The world needs you.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much for havingthis conversation with me.
(50:38):
Thank you for sharing this.
Absolutely.
Thank you for having me.
All right, guys, I am blown awayby this conversation.
You guys need to go check herout.
Not only did she share A deepconnecting story of her life
changing moments to what apicture has done and how it has
(51:03):
changed her life and how it hassparked her to go live that
dream.
Because she is a woman filledwith so much dedication and I
can't encourage you guys enoughjust to go check out her page.
take away the freebies she'soffering.
You guys, not everybody offersthose things.
(51:25):
Go listen to her podcast and gofollow her.
Thank you all for tuning in.
Have a good day and let thosesparks fly.
Thank you for tuning in toanother episode.
I hope today's story inspiredyou to embrace your own journey
of growth and change.
Remember, transformation isn'talways easy, but it's always
worth it.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe, share it with
(51:47):
a friend, and leave a review.
If you found something thatsparked you in this episode and
may spark a friend, I encourageyou to go share it with them.
If you have your own story youwould like to share, I would
love to hear it, so please reachout to me.
Until next time, friends.
Go have some fun, and let thosesparks fly.
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