We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Pishinsky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind the success of my brand is simply authenticity. I’ve loved photography since the moment I picked up a camera for the first time, but was never drawn to stiff, posed, boring images. It became my mission to tell a story through the lens. I want my clients to look back at their galleries from the most valuable days of their lives (weddings, anniversaries, those sweet, early days with their newborn babies) and truly remember how they felt in those moments. Nothing makes me feel more successful than seeing tears in their eyes!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I touched on it before, but I have an incredible passion for capturing REAL memories and truly depicting my clients personalities through my images. It excites me every session! It took years of practice to start feeling like I could do it with my eyes closed. Of course, sometimes, there are still challenges, but that’s what makes any creative person better.

The biggest challenge that I’ve had and still continue to have occasionally is prompting even the most shy clients to have confidence and be themselves. As a fairly introverted person myself, it can be challenging to put myself out there enough to help others feel comfortable. It’s pretty common that people get nervous to be in front of the camera, and I want my clients to know that they can safely express themselves in my presence and doing so will yield amazing results!

When people are happy with their images, they spread the word. It feels wonderful to have a business that pretty much runs itself at this point!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Bakersfield, CA is admittedly not the most exciting place on the planet, but it’s home! I’m vegan, and given the fact that there’s not tons to do here, a lot of the activities in our town have to do with food.

We like to go out and enjoy the atmosphere in various restaurants. Our favorite eatery is Vida Vegan – there’s no question that it’s the best vegan spot in town!
As for drinks, we love Camino Real. They have an incredible margarita menu, along with a full plant based food menu.

If we weren’t in the mood for food, we’d probably take any guest to Riverwalk park just to relax, take a walk and hang out!

One of the best parts about Bakersfield is it’s central location. If there’s time to travel, you can get to the mountains, the beach, or LA for a day trip in under two hours. It’s great for photoshoots, too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Grandfather, Joe DeRitis, has made more of an impact on my career than he will ever know!

When I was just pretty new to photography, I decided to do a romantic photoshoot of my grandparents at the beach, which were then published. More importantly, they were shared and loved by our entire family.

Four months later, he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and passed away within 2 weeks.

It was then that I realized how incredibly important it is to photograph our loved ones. We no longer had my grandpa in physical form and we miss him so dearly, but it brings us all joy to have these tangible memories in our hearts and in our hands.

Website: www.jvarnerphoto.com

Instagram: @jvarnerphoto

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/jvarnerphoto

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.