Meet Jezurine Paulsen | Creative Portait Photographer

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

Hi Jezurine, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe having a good support system is a very important factor. I would not be where I am today without my husband. He has supported me through my toughest times and always pushed me to get out of my comfort zone. I have felt ‘Imposture Syndrome’ multiple times and in in order for me to get through it, I had to sit down and focus on my brand and what that really meant to me. I wanted to be transparent, and show the realness of being a stay at home parent running a photography business. A lot of the times my business needs to be put on hold so I can be present for my family. My photography brand has been through so much. If you follow me on my socials, you can see that I struggle with consistency. I try to use different platforms to express myself and my creativity.
My ultimate goal for my brand is to come across as an authentic, organic and editorial photographer. I love editorial portraits yet I also love organic-styled sessions with families. It’s hard to find a balance, so during this journey I am taking full advantage of trying out everything until I feel secured.

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.
It took me awhile to find my ‘niche.’ When I first got into the business I always knew I wanted to shoot with families. I thought “I have kids of my own, how hard could it be??” While it was fun, I did feel a bit drained. I didn’t find the thrill in it as much as portrait sessions. Something about portraits make me want to be extremely creative. Collaborating with models and make-up artists gives me a huge rush. I follow a lot of great portrait photographers on TikTok and instagram and I love that they don’t gatekeep. Their insight on portrait photography has given me inspiration to dive right into it too. And, it was not easy from the beginning. As an introvert I found it hard to make connections in the community, I didn’t know where to start. I did what I thought was the best route by joining Facebook pages and attended meet-ups. I basically threw myself out there looking for possible collaborations. Along the way, I did a ton of “TFP” (time for prints) sessions to create connections and in return get exposure.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a stay at home parent, I can take you to the best indoor playgrounds for your little ones haha. I have been on a hunt for the cutest play areas that are within in the Detroit area. I have found SO many great ones. One of my favorites is Dinoland in Madison Heights. It’s perfect for all ages and it even has a small cafe with plenty of coffee. For something fun to do without the kids, walking around downtown Birmingham is always so luxurious. I love window shopping and I feel like that place is the perfect spot to do it. To get out of the house to catch up on some work, one of my favorite coffee shops is EOS coffee shop in Saint Clair Shores. They have the best variety for flight of coffees and the vibes is amazing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I absolutely need to give a huge shoutout to my husband. He has been my number one supporter from the very beginning. After he got out of the military our family has taken a full 360 turn in our lifestyle. To be quite honest, we are more relaxed and stable in all areas. While we loved the rush of the military life, It feels so nice to stay stable and secured. With our new journey as a family, I have taken on the job of being a stay at home parent while he finds his new life outside of the military. With all of his love and support I have been able to take my love of photography into a business. It was very nerve wracking and my anxiety was at an all time high. I didn’t know where to start! But, he always pushed me in the right direction and providing me new ideas.

Website: www.jezurinepaulsenphotos.com

Instagram: @jezurinepaulsen_

Facebook: Jezurine Paulsen Photos

Other: TikTok: @jezlikepez

Image Credits
(myself)