As a creative designer, it takes incredible talent to make me stop and pause or go back for another glance. Jaime Rogl from Jaime Rogl Photography is such an artist. Jaime is a local photographer here in Abilene, Texas that specializes in newborn, motherhood, and children’s photography. Her high end luxury products provide heirlooms you can pass down for generations. Her client wardrobe houses the chiffon, lace, and beadwork of your dreams. So you can better believe when she contacted me to help her with a cohesive rebrand I was BEYOND ecstatic. Her portraits are stunning to work with and developing her brand around such high caliber work and dedication coalesced into a final product that both of us are over the moon about!
Brand Launch Interview
During her launch week I had her in studio to celebrate the release of her new website. Over champagne and a vanilla pastry cream fruit tart, we went in depth on how Jaime Rogl Photography got started as well as the struggles of entrepreneurship, how to keep a balance of work/mom-life, and of course got full insight on what it’s like to be styled by her for a session. You can enjoy the podcast (I highly recommend it!!) or read the article.
Tell me about how Jaime Rogl Photography got started in the very beginning?
So I’ve always been one for Creative Outlets. I love photography. It’s really been something that I’ve always had an eye for when my husband and I first got married. I was gifted a DSLR. It was a wedding gift. Actually. It was more of a“You guys have been together a long time. Now that you’re married have a baby and here’s the camera to take pictures.” So the very first time I broke out my camera was when we got our first puppy and I sat in the grass for hours taking pictures of our brand new puppy and then we got a second puppy and then we found out we were pregnant a couple months after that. And so I use my camera on video mode and learned all the ins and outs of that. And so that’s kind of how I be in like really getting into getting into photography learning what I could do with it. Then learning that like I could take my own pictures as far as like couples pictures go. There was a Boudoir shot and there somewhere…. then as we found out that we were pregnant the second time we’ve had lost the first pregnancy. It really became huge for me to really get into the motherhood side of things to start photographing the families because seeing of how fleeting moments were within early stages marriage or a pregnancy. It was really fun to get to start capturing and really seeing that there was a creative side to it and turning into a way that I could cope with different things. I was on bed rest my whole second pregnancy. So it was like my way of having a whole creative outlook on that side of things. When I had my first baby started taking pictures of her really getting into you know, capturing her in the best ways that I could that I was like, hey, you know, I am I not doing this with other people because I love what I’m doing. Why am I not capturing these moments for other people and that’s why I turned it into a business.
Who were your biggest sources of inspiration and influence?
Definitely my daughter. Having my daughter was like the turning point. Like, life is so fast. It’s so fragile. I was dealing with lots of postpartum depressions. So it was like, this is time that needs to be captured because every woman goes through all these emotions of having a brand-new baby. This was the best way to really just be my therapy and be my happy place. And then I started fallowing some photographers that I just absolutely loved and they became like really my inspiration for my outlook on motherhood photography and newborn photography and the natural aspect of where it could go with newborns. That’s really the side that I really loved.
So when did you get started in the Motherhood Anthology?
Two or three years ago, Cori Kleckner was like one of like the photographer’s that I absolutely idolized. There was a picture that she had taken of Miranda North with her baby and I are maybe it was vice versa. Maybe Miranda North had taken it of Cori Kleckner. I’ll never forget that picture because I thought, that is what I want to do know. I found this group through the through Cori Kleckner and was like, okay, like maybe I can learn some different things through here. That’s when I could really see this is exactly where I was meant to be and where a lot of my inspiration came from. So then I got started really getting into depth with the two women who run the Motherhood Anthology and it was really fun to get to share a lot of my my story and my journey through motherhood photography and how I really like honed my work with the white studio and getting to share all that.
What do you feel has been your biggest success to date?
I had done a maternity event when my husband was deployed. I had ten women just join me in Colorado. My husband was gone. I was in Colorado for two months and we just sat there next to the mountains and I photographed them all in a line. They all were different dresses as my first time photographing a whole client wardrobe and it was so fun. And that’s when I really took that time to just hone in my style and say this is who I am as a maternity photographer. It was my first time that I was like, this is who I am as a brand. Everyone saw me as that is who she is. She has his wardrobe. She does these beautiful ethereal pictures. That is who she is. Then I had a session with this gorgeous blonde model, a maternity session. I submitted it. I was published. It was in a whole slew of emails from different preset people that I use and it was like that session was the turning point. Where I said, okay, this is this is it, I made it. After that business really came very easy for me.
What is it that makes JRP stand out from all other photographers in Abilene?
There’s a lot of things that set me apart. My style. As far as why I have the style that I do in my have the business that I do, it’s really my heart and what’s in it. I feel like what really sets me apart for the most part is the fact that when I got here, people were just doing the regular places that everybody else is photographing. That was not good enough for me and I really looked at Abilene as a place. I thought I’ve got to find the beauty here because it’s not Germany. People were photographing in the same regular parks. I thought there has got to be there’s got to be something different.
I made so many connections and with the community just by, you know, sharing my love for what I do and I feel like that really set me apart. And in biggest way I do so much for the community. I work with the military community, and with silent auctions to help provide like high-end items that will go towards causes that I have a heart for. Those are the things that I feel like really set me apart. A lot of other photographers aren’t present in those things and I wanted to be a part of everything. Abilene is a community that I absolutely love and cherish and I make friends with everyone I meet. I really just enjoy that aspect of of being an Abilenian and I think a lot of people really feed off of that.
Image by Kirsten Ashley Calligraphy & Design
Let’s talk about your client wardrobe!!! What kinds of dresses do you have?
Do you style the husbands too?
So when I first started looking at different things to add to my client wardrobe, I thought about what’s going to fit everyone. What are, you know, the prettiest colors that I can go for? What kind of materials do I like? So I mean it’s obvious when you go with more of the higher end designers, you’re looking at the more luxurious materials like the chiffons, lace and beading. Thing get more beautiful and intricate. So I really honed in my styles far as what I could be picky about. I really have seen so many beautiful designs come out of some of my favorite designers. And so when I’m looking for dresses, I’m always looking for a specific materials and how they’re going to lay in the pictures and it’s definitely an addiction. I absolutely love shopping for my wardrobe because it’s so fun to style these beautiful moms and watch them glow and feel so beautiful in things that they would have never chosen for themselves. And I think it’s one of the my favorite parts of my client consultations, when they get to actually see the magic coming together.
As far as styling like the whole family, I go into depth about everything…. What the kids will wear…. I have wardrobe for babies….. I have wardrobe for kids up to 8 years old. And then I always keep a couple things on hand for the husbands, just in case. Except men pants. I would keep men’s pants on hand, but men it’s like there’s like 500 different sizes. I actually have different kinds of Pinterest boards and everything. So each client can look and say “oh, this is the look we’re going for”.
What are some hurdles or struggles you have had to overcome in growing your business?
In the beginning of my time as a photographer one of the most difficult moments was when I had a client show up in jeans and a zebra top for her maturity session. It was the biggest struggle, because I did not have tons of control over it. And so from then on, I decided I will have control over all sessions. If I’m going to be photographing them, they will look the way I want them to look and and that’s going to be that. Also with that comes other struggles because you have to ensure that you are making you know your your way. That you’re making enough for overhead costs. If I’m going to be providing and asking this of my clients, there’s a large overhead that goes along with that. So finding the balance of how to run a business with how to run a high end business where my clients are going beautiful and I’m able to provide them with this beautiful style, that was one of my biggest struggles. How do I do this and function? I had to function as an actual business rather than just somebody who providing pictures and provides pretty dresses. So I think that was a big turning point is the business.
The second hardest thing… No, really the first hardest thing after I had actually become a business, was how to be a mom and how to be a business owner. That was really the biggest struggle. I mean, at that point you’re going back to work. I have to remember there’s actual hours that I have to work. If your kids are not going to school, they have to go to a caretaker. You have to have care for them during the times that you need to be editing. If you don’t have care during the day, you’re going to be up all night editing. Where do you find the balance of letting yourself actually succeed as a mom and a business owner? But also there’s a human that you’re having to take care of it. That’s yourself. Where do you find that balance? That was hard. And oh, you have a husband too? Yeah. There’s also a husband. Yeah, he’s in there too. I have two dogs and a cat and fish right? So I mean it’s still something that I struggle with daily. Tonight it was “How do I make sure that I can come to a meeting? and tuck the kids in bed?” I mean, it’s still an absolute struggle my kids. If I sit down on the computer when they are home they are like “No! I do not want you on the computer Mom!” They want my full attention. And I mean, I want to give that to them, so retaining that relationship with my kids, especially while my husband’s deployed and I’m still having to constantly say I am a business. It’s a struggle that I kind of thrive off of too. Yeah, I kind of crave the craziness and I function and thrive the best in it. So it works really well for me and I’ve learned how to balance my life properly but it’s definitely been the biggest struggle with having a business.
How do you achieve work/life balance and personal wellness?
Having an actual set schedule! I love my planners. I use an Erin Condren planner. It is my absolute life. It’s a physical planner. I have to see everything, I’m a visual person. It has to be in front of me. I have to be able to touch it. I have to be able to write in it. Planning out my days hourly is really the biggest thing, and you have to take the time to do that. Otherwise, you’re going to be a mess. And I mean, that’s really just the biggest. If you can stick to your schedule and like have an actual schedule then that’s going to be setting yourself up for success. Like right now during the summer, my kids go to a summer steps program. They are there from 9 am to 3pm. So I know I’ve got 9am – 3pm. Those are my work hours. If I do not get what I needed to get done in that time I’m going to have to be staying up late. So you gotta hustle. During the school year it causes a lot of hardships. I push myself a lot harder because my kids are gone a lot. So I take on more sessions, therefore, I’m busy every single day.
Then with things like getting my laundry done….. I outsource a lot of my housework. I use Sudsy’s. His name is Sal and he is amazing. He works with women who are all moms who need help getting back on their feet, you know, and just like, he’s really awesome. I outsource a lot of my my housework because if I don’t, then those things pile up and then I can’t function when my house is a mess. I can’t function in clutter. I mean it goes along with my brand. My brand is not cluttered. I can’t do cluttered. I can’t do mess. There’s a laundry lady she comes in and cleans my laundry and puts it away from me.
What are your dreams for JRP? Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to share?
As far as my dreams for Jaime Rogl Photography, I have always loved to watch it grow. I love where it has gotten to, and what it has become. I love getting to see it unfold. So as far as dreams go, my dream is to just keep doing what I’m doing. I really cherish my business and everything that I have going for it and I’ve created exactly what I’ve always dreamed for it to be. It’s it’s it’s worked out well for me because when I have baby fever I snuggle a baby and then I get to give it back. Then I’m like totally good. I’m living the dream right now. I’m living the dream. I don’t have my own baby. So I’m gonna just snuggle this baby!
As far as different projects go, I think it’s very normal for any creative to get into this creative funk. You feel like you’ve had a plateau you’ve gotten into this weird success trap where you have hit exactly what everybody wants you to do. You are meeting all of their needs. But also in you just feel like “Wait, I’ve paused. I’m not going anywhere right now.” So I mean I mentioned this with my maternity event. This is what kind of inspired it was getting into the success trap. I was like, “Okay, where do I go? Now what do I do? How do I push myself?” Coming up with different creative projects has always been a big thing for me. Nature photography is my side that usually pushes me. When I’m not getting the push that I need with my nature photography, then I do things like the event that I have coming up next week, which is a maternity event that is inspired by birth flowers. I love nature. I love photographing flowers and I love photographing mommy’s-to-be. So what’s better than bringing the two together? I’ll have twelve women who are all helping to represent different birth flowers for each month. Completely styled. I have different kinds of bouquets and flower crowns everything that goes with that idea. Everything birth flowers for each month will be represented by all these momma’s. This is my way to just like you like “hey, I need something different. I need to be inspired. I need something fresh.” It’s just perfect because I love flowers. I love pregnant moms. I’ll just marry the two together and I’ve got my maternity events.
All lifestyle Newborn & Motherhood portraits provided and photographed by Jaime Rogl Photography.
Thanks so much for joining me in celebrating Jaime Rogl Photography’s new brand launch! Be sure to check out her website and follow her on Instagram (@jaimeroglphotography). She is opening up her online registration for summer/fall family sessions on July 1st at 9:00 AM. First come first serve! Make sure to set a reminder as there are only 20 slots available!
Interested in creating a more cohesive brand for your small business? Contact me today to schedule a consultation!
