Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaclyn Cotton.
Hi Jaclyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My journey goes back to photographing sunsets as a child with the hand-me-down Vivitar 110 camera given to me by my parents. Not thinking of photography as a career possibility, I later went to college at the University of Louisville studying sociology. After graduation, I decided that I wanted to become a high school Family & Consumer Science teacher, aka Home Economics. Off I went to the University of Kentucky for two more years to learn all things Home Ec.
I taught for two years before my husband Ben & I started our family. When our daughter Cameron was born, we made the decision that I would stay at home with her. My husband had purchased a DSLR camera for us right before she was born. It was then that I began taking lots and lots of photos of our new addition. At that time, I was doing simple edits on the photos and uploading them to a site called flickr to share updates of the first grandchild with the family. It became my hobby during naptime.
Photos of my daughter turned into requests from moms at playgroup to photograph their children, then their families, then newborns, then weddings, and high school seniors. The first in-person photography class that I took was through the public library.
Around 2016 I learned a new natural light technique at a workshop in Florida that I used for women’s headshots. I had women come to my house in Kentucky, have their hair and makeup done by an artist in the kitchen, and then I took their images in my dining room and entryway. Some of those early headshots are my favorite to this day!
In 2017, my family moved to Springboro, Ohio for my husband’s job. I’ll never forget driving through historic Springboro on Main Street and thinking “What if I had my own studio here someday?” I continued taking women’s headshots including hair and makeup in my kitchen/living room in our Springboro home.
In March of 2019, a beautiful space opened up at 250 S. Main St. in downtown Springboro. As soon as I walked through, I just knew it was the right place for Jaclyn Cotton Photography. To say that I was scared to sign a lease and furnish a studio would be a huge understatement! I took a leap of faith and I’ve never looked back.
I soon niched my business to only photographing women’s headshots, and added the brand Main Street Boudoir shortly thereafter.
Every woman who enters the studio receives professional hair & makeup artistry and a model-for-a-day experience. I am blessed to serve so many women with different backgrounds, businesses, various life stages, and aspirations.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The most difficult time period for my business was March-July 2020. As a small business owner with overhead, being shut down due to covid restrictions was terrifying. My hair & makeup artists are integral to the studio experience and weren’t allowed to work as they fell into the category of salon/barber restrictions. I’m happy to say that we came out of that time bigger and better than ever! Boudoir headshot sessions were booked solid all late summer and fall.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My specialty is women’s headshots and boudoir portraits. Most people don’t love having their photo taken. By providing professional hair and makeup artistry, extensive wardrobe and preparation guides, as well as flattering poses and lighting, I’ve turned a stressful event into quite a lovely experience. I’m grateful for the women who step out of their comfort zone, into my studio, and back out into the world, maybe just a little bit more confident.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Podcasts- How I Built This
Business Made Simple
Biz Chix
Books-
Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller
Better than Before-Gretchen Rubin
Contact Info:
- Website: mainstreetboudoir.com, jaclyncottonphotography.com
- Instagram: @mainstreetboudoir @jaclyncottonphotography
- Facebook: facebook.com/jaclyncottonphotography, facebook.com/mainstreetboudoir
