Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Jergens.
Hi Kylie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I actually really love telling my story because I had a true ah-ha! moment and I hope that my ah-ha! moment inspires someone else! So, I’ll start with college…where it is impressed upon every 18-year-old that without a college education, you will never have a lucrative career. So, once I graduated high school, I attended Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio where I majored in Mass Communication with a focus in Public Relations. Upon graduating, I was hired full-time in the Office of the Registrar at Wright State University managing student records. After one year of full-time employment, I was ready for more…a higher position, a higher salary, etc. so I decided to enter a graduate program while working full-time. I was accepted into the Student Affairs in Higher Education Administration two-year program in the hopes of finding my niche in higher education. Upon completion of my graduate program, I secured a new position at Wright State University in their One-Stop Student Service Center where I was excited to build my resume and learn more about student services in higher education. After a few years of service in the One-Stop Student Service Center, an opportunity as an Enrollment Advisor presented itself at Sinclair Community College. Working as an Enrollment Advisor at Sinclair was such a unique opportunity where I was able to meet with and talk to potential students about what their dreams and their goals were. I grew an appreciation for the community college setting, but my time at Sinclair was clouded over by mismanagement and undelivered promises for promotion so I again, entered the job market in search of my “home” in higher education. I was fortunate enough to secure a position with the University of Cincinnati’s Blue Ash College where I felt at home. I was working with colleagues who felt like friends and under supervisors who supported me. I settled right in at UCBA and was excited to see where my career might go with this supportive and inclusive college. I truly believed that I had found my “home” in higher education, but I was leaving long workdays defeated, exhausted, unmotivated and just a little bit sad. To get away from the office and clear my head on those long workdays, I would take walks around the local neighborhoods in Blue Ash on my lunch break. On one particular fall day, I remember I was stopped dead in my tracks by a massive tree whose fall leaves were bright orange, practically on fire as the sunlight shined on them and it hit me… I was not where I was meant to be, doing what I was meant to be doing. This was my ah-ha! moment, and my wake-up call that I did not want to spend the next 20+ years sad, unmotivated, and defeated at the end of every workday. It was time to soul search to figure out what direction I wanted to take my life. I remember one particular class in my undergraduate program that I loved, “Photographic Journalism” where I was able to learn some beginner photography tips and challenge myself to tell stories using imagery. So, I dug out my camera and told my husband that I wanted to learn photography, like, REALLY learn photography! We started doing “Photography Wednesdays” at home watching photography education through Lynda.com. As I was learning, I put my new photography skills to the test on my dogs, friends, and family. It was exciting to me, I was having so much fun creating imagery, although, not very inspiring imagery, it made my heart happy. My husband saw my passion and encouraged me to take a formal photography class through UCBA, and much to my surprise enrolled in the class with me. This class brought all of the technical parts of photography out of the darkness and into the light and after that class, I was more inspired than ever to continue developing my photography skills. I continued to ask friends and family if I could photograph them, their families, and their life events. Before long, I had paying portrait clients. I couldn’t believe that someone wanted to pay me to do what I love but it was the best feeling ever when I heard from those clients how much they loved their photographs! The fire was lit. I was so inspired to see where this little hobby might take me. I connected with the local chapter of the Rising Tide Society and started attending Tuesday’s Together where I met so many local entrepreneurs, all supporting one another and sharing resources for small businesses. It was this step that encouraged me to actually give my business a name and promote my services, Kylie Lynn Photography was born. I spent five years slowly building Kylie Lynn Photography. I continued to photograph portrait clients and I was fortunate enough to be asked by a photographer to be her second-shooter at weddings and boy did I fall in love with wedding photography! I spent over a year photographing weddings as a second shooter before a close friend of mine asked me to photograph her wedding as the primary photographer. I was so nervous to photograph a wedding where I was the primary photographer because I understood the weight of capturing the moments of such an important day! I ran on complete adrenalin for that whole day, but at the end of it, as tired as I was and as much as my feet hurt, I knew I had just photographed the first of many love stories…my heart was happy and my soul was on FIRE! THIS! This was the feeling I had been searching for in higher education but was never able to find. It was my goal to make photography my full-time gig. I worked my butt off, had so much support from my husband and my friends and family, and was finally able to go full-time with Kylie Lynn Photography in the fall of 2021. I never imagined the beautiful weight that my imagery would carry when I first started my photography journey, but how profound is it to realize that I am capturing first moments united in marriage, growing families, and even final moments with loved ones. I am so proud that the legacy I leave are timeless, visual reminders of the people, places, and times you loved most.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not always been smooth, and every day has not always been a joy, but overall, knowing that I get to decide my success or failure, I love experiencing the struggle knowing the reward will come. There were many days while I was still working full-time for the University of Cincinnati that I thought I should just throw in the towel on Kylie Lynn Photography because it was so much to manage. I would work 10 hours days for UC to return home, eat dinner with my husband and then park myself in front of my computer for the rest of the evening and on weekends to put in the work the my business required. I am so lucky to have the support system that I do in my husband. He encourages, supports, and believes in me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a wedding and portrait photographer passionate about creating individualized experiences and timeless, elegant imagery. I serve clients in the Greater Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio areas, who value documenting their life and love stories to share for generations to come. It is such an honor to be invited into the lives of my clients to freeze life’s quickly fleeting moments as imagery that can be shared throughout generations.
What do you think about happiness?
The five things that make me happiest are: 1. My husband, Andrew; 2. My dogs, Ellie and Luna; 3. Fresh pots of coffee; 4. Summer days spent on the lake; and 5. Winters spent on the ski slopes. I love that I have created a life that allows me to enjoy each of these around serving my photography clients doing what I love.
Pricing:
- The average wedding investment for KLP couples is $4000. Every wedding day is unique, therefore, I take the time to customize my signature wedding experience to fit your specific needs. For investment details and availability, please send a message using my contact form on my website: www.kylielynnphotography.com/contact
- The average portrait experience investment for KLP clients is anywhere from $300-$450 depending on the type of session requested. I encourage any potential client to inquire about my services through my website: www.kylielynnphotography.com/contact to receive additional information about what the investment includes.
Contact Info:
- Email: kylie@kylielynnphotography.com
- Website: www.kylielynnphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylielynnphotog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kylielynnphotog
Image Credits
Kylie Lynn Photography, LLC
