Connect
To Top

Meet Jean Laninga of Jean Laninga Portraits in Central Downtown Phoenix

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jean Laninga.

Jean, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been a professional photographer for 10 years, starting out in families with lifestyle, and evolving to opening our own opulent studio in December of 2017 to work with a passion for women and glamour. I have found that I love working one-on-one with women who are not photographed often and don’t have recent photos they love, women who feel un-photogenic, the mature women, and women who want a day all their own to feel pampered and their most beautiful. I love the way my clients leave this transformative experience with a legacy of timeless, classic, elegant portraits that will be cherished forever.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been very rough with lots of obstacles in the way. I had a friend tell me to turn these obstacles into opportunity, and that’s exactly what happened with our studio. When you want to run a business, there’s always a thousand reasons to let it go and say, “Well, it’s just not going to happen then.” We have to create that space, sometimes many times a day, to make it happen and keep it going. Just seeing the world in this way created a way for us to move the studio from what was a very unreasonable place, to one that is perfect and, really, the best option for our clients. I have found that the biggest obstacle is me, and that’s in all areas. As a business offering a luxury product, I’m often faced with valuing what I do and transferring that value to my clients so I’ve had to discover and shed many blocks about value, money, getting out of my own way. This journey has been an ongoing but amazing experience, and I can say that I’m a completely different person today than I was before this journey – I’m loving what these struggles are growing in me!

Please tell us about Jean Laninga Portraits.
I am a portrait photographer, specializing in women and glamour, and women 50+. Many women are absent from their own life story because they are either behind the camera, or, as we mature, have more photos of ourselves that we just don’t love, and that keeps us from updating our portraits. I want to change that and offer every woman a photograph they love, either for themselves, for their families, for their loved ones, for their business. I want to close that gap of sometimes 20-50 years between portraits. I want to tell her story and I want her children to have beautiful images of her when they go looking for photos of her, and I want her to be proud of the image she hands out on her business card.

What sets our studio experience apart from the rest, is to ensure the best success of women loving their photos through processes aimed at discovering how women dream of being photographed, through design consultations, personalized wardrobe styling and professional in-studio hair and makeup, huge components of women loving their images! An added plus, we will pamper her with a day all her own and help her feel beautiful and amazing and show this back to her in her images.

I am known as THE photographer for the KNOW Phoenix Book 2018, a book of 100+ women you need to know and do business with in the Phoenix area. I was chosen for this project to create a beautiful image anywhere on location, posing women in a flattering way, and capturing who they are to accurately represent them and their cause or business.

As a woman who struggles to see her own beauty, my private, safe studio experience is designed to create the most beautiful images you’ve ever seen of yourself with a personalized boutique experience built from skill and love, because I believe that when rediscover your beauty, you can accomplish great things!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have paid more attention to “business” during my schooling. Portrait photography is actually comprised of a very tiny amount of shutter-clicking, yet is sustained on building relationships and creating connections, networking, designing, marketing, managing and maintaining schedules, paying taxes and keeping accurate records, etc. These somewhat mundane tasks keep the ship going, and learning them at an age past 50 has been challenging and slowing down the growth of my product. It is what it is, but I would encourage anyone in school to take and pay attention to basic business classes!

Pricing:

  • Session Fee: $295
  • Packages start at $1275
  • A la carte items start at $250

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in