Star Struck

Jasmine Star details her venture into photography in her breezy bio on her website, “Elements in my life I dreamed of having, but just couldn’t seem to grasp. That is, until I found something I couldn’t stop dreaming of until it became a reality: Photography.
“I left law school and started my business in 2006. The joy and fulfillment I receive from documenting the most special moments on a wedding day compares to nothing else. I am passionate about my art and photography!”

In less than two years, with no paid advertising, Jasmine Star De La Torre, owner of Jasmine Star Photography, in Irvine, CA, has risen to be one of the top wedding photographers in Orange County, CA. In 2006 she photographed only three weddings. However, in 2007 that number jumped to 37, and the number just keeps increasing the longer she is in business. Her quick rise to success proves that being passionate about your work yields great rewards.

Weddings are Jasmine’s main focus, generating about 95% of her studio revenues. The other five percent is headshots. “I refer to my business as a ‘boutique studio,’ which means I highly specialize in one thing—weddings,” she says. “I want clients to know I do not shoot everything along with weddings. I want them to know that weddings are my main focus, so they know they are getting my experience, expertise and my undivided attention on their special day. I do one thing and try to do it very well!” Jasmine says.  

Although she does all her digital work at her home, Jasmine rents studio space to meet with clients (by appointment only) and display her images and albums. “In Orange County, there are many high-end clients, so I needed to make sure I had a nice, professional space to meet with them. I am trying to project a certain image on my Web site and blog and my business location needs to match, otherwise there is a disconnect. I share the space with other photographers, so the cost for each of us is reduced. The studio is very tastefully decorated with a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall and huge images hanging everywhere. I want my clients to feel the value of the whole Jasmine Star experience,” she says.

Jasmine and her husband, J.D. De La Torre, are the sole operators of Jasmine Star Photography. J.D. is her second shooter at weddings and also manages the business for her. She does her own Photoshop editing, retouching and print enhancements using Mac computers. A professional does the Leather Craftsman album layout and design. She uses Pictage for online proofing and ordering.

As for equipment, she uses Canon EOS 5D cameras with mainly a 50mm f/1.2 lens. “I love shooting wide open at f/1.2 because it gives me buttery skin tones. The background is out of focus because it has very shallow depth of field at that aperture. If I’m standing at a distance from the subjects, and I’m locked in on them, then the background is blurred. When I shoot close-up, I’m getting the whole face and not just one part, like the eyes or lips,” Jasmine explains.

When it comes to lighting her images, she prefers natural or available light. She doesn’t mind the grain in her pictures from using a high ISO rating, but she knows how important good lighting is when necessary. For most of her lighting, she mounts a Canon 550 EF flash unit on-camera.

For fill at the reception, she uses a PocketWizard to trip an off-camera flash placed behind the band. “It’s not a bright flash, just enough to show the dancers and the band. This setup creates depth in the room, adding color and vibrancy to the scene. It also lights the other dancers and shows their reaction to what’s happening at that moment,” Jasmine shares.
For as long as she can remember, Jasmine has always loved photography. While earning her business administration degree from Whittier College in Whittier, CA, she carried her camera everywhere. Although back then she secretly wanted to be a professional photographer she had a good reason for majoring in business instead.

“I’m a first generation Hispanic and a first generation college student, so when it came time to tell my parents that I wanted to go into photography and perhaps become a starving artist, I couldn’t do it. They immigrated to America to find a better life and wanted the best for me. To tell them I wanted to be a photographer and may end up being poor was not what they wanted to hear. So, I took the safe road and earned my business degree, but I still did photography as a hobby.

“After college, I joined the business world for about 18 months and then attended UCLA Law School for a year. During that time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and wasn’t expected to live, so I left law school to go home to help her. I was on a full scholarship, so the school said I could return anytime during the next five years and reclaim my scholarship. When my mother’s health improved and it was time for me to go back to law school, I had a breakdown… I just couldn’t do it. The mere thought of it made me miserable. That was when my husband J.D. gave me the advice that forever changed my life. First he said, ‘I never married you to be miserable!’ Then he said, ‘I’d rather see you fail at something you love than to see you succeed at something you hate!’ That’s all it took. Right then and there I decided to skip law school and open my studio. I have never been happier in my life,” Jasmine says, smiling.  

Her interest in weddings was piqued when it was time for her to find a photographer for her own wedding in 2005. “I was feverishly searching the Internet for a photographer and I came across David Jay’s website. I was so moved by his imagery. I felt I’d be the luckiest woman in the world if I could hire him to shoot my wedding pictures. We had a small destination wedding in Hawaii and David Jay documented it so beautifully. I loved my wedding photographs. I was so envious of his career and lifestyle. I felt David Jay was living a dream life and that’s what I wanted to do,” Jasmine recalls.

Her relationship with David grew and he became her mentor and friend. Last fall, she accompanied him on a 25-city, five-week speaking tour where she spoke about her career and her fast rise to fame.

“The tour was called ‘Free To Succeed,’ and my focus was how photographers can brand themselves. Many times, photographers think they’re defined by their images alone and their photos have to be perfect. They show their work in such a way as to make people think they’re something they are not. My advice is to turn that idea around. My business is all about me! When people come to my Web site, they hear and view a video of me speaking and shooting. As people go through the gallery of prints, they hear a lot about me and my style and values. Anyone can hire a wonderful photographer in Orange County. This area has an over-abundance of outstanding shooters. What’s going to stop a bride from choosing someone else? Because she’s going to be hiring me for my special talents and personality. At the end of the day, she will hire me because I am me! That’s what photographers need to get these days,” Jasmine says.

“I tell photographers to just be yourself. Often times they try to create an image of what they believe clients want them to be, which is false. They may think people want to see a certain type of Web site, black background with white scripted lettering and classical music playing. In the bio section, they will refer to themselves in third person. My Web site is all in first person. I tell people what I like to do in my life. If you enjoy playing chess and eating ice cream, tell them. That is who you really are. People can better relate to you if you’re natural, candid, honest and sound human instead of plastic and phony. Humans are intuitive creatures and naturally gravitate towards people who are okay with who they are.”

So far, Jasmine says, she has never paid for an advertisement. Her Web site and blog are sufficient to keep new clients coming in on a regular basis. Her best source of new business is word-of-mouth and referrals from previous satisfied clients, which is priceless. Her willingness to help other wedding vendors is also paying big dividends for her. As long as she can continue bringing in new clients without paying for the exposure, she will do so.

“After every wedding, one of the first things I do is give the vendors all the images from the wedding that involve their product or service. I burn a high-resolution disc for the cake maker, florist, venue and caterer—everyone involved—along with a thank-you note. Since I’ve been doing this, it’s really changed my business. The next time any of these vendors have brides stop in for information, they will send them my way or at least show them my images of their products because they know I really care about helping them. Because I try to help others, they are more apt to care about me in return. One good turn deserves another. That’s a good way to build up extra referrals and increase my business,” Jasmine says.

She concludes, “I plan to continue focusing on weddings and staying in contact with my brides because I establish relationships with them, so we’re more like friends when their wedding day arrives. I write them notes and send them small pictures to keep in touch. After every rushed wedding season, I plan new goals for the next season. I try figuring out what I did right this year and what I can do differently to improve next year. This way, I’m constantly striving for improvement.”
Readers can contact Jasmine at [email protected] or www.jasmine-star.com or www.jasminestarblog.com.

Linda L. May is a freelance writer/photographer based in Fort Dodge, Iowa.