Meet Jennifer Zmuda | Photographer & Cinematographer

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

Hi Jennifer, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I started my business in 2006, I was hustling for every dollar I earned and didn’t have a full understanding of my CODB. So I was effectively working myself to the ground for free or sometimes at a deficit. I came from the arts world where it’s engrained deeply in us that we don’t do what we love for the money, we do it for the passion. This is a nice thought, but a terrible practice that leads many to feel underappreciated, burnt out emotionally, and physically incapable of asking to be paid appropriately for the work and service they provide. But in 2006, I was in my 20’s, child-free, saddled with student loan debt, and trying to live on my own (with a roommate to make the costs more manageable). I was in a place in my life where I could physically spend months/years on end working 80-hour work weeks. But just because I could didn’t mean that I should. This was a pre-TikTok era, so I really didn’t know any better. I thought everyone was busting their butt and sacrificing to make ends meet. This way of life lasted for me throughout my 20s and well into my 30s. It wasn’t until 37 when I became a single mother by choice and had my daughter, that things started to change. I physically couldn’t continue to live life the way I had been while also caring for and raising my daughter, and what was more motivating was that I didn’t want to. Being able to spend balanced and quality time with my daughter became my paramount priority and simultaneously being able to provide a stable financial environment for her was the trigger for (some serious anxiety and panic attacks, so glad Wellbutrin was invented) some pretty significant changes to my business model and pricing structure.

So what changed? I went through and did a very thorough CODB assessment including the salary I needed for us as a family, emergency savings planning, retirement planning, and business growth and development funding. Then with that number, I divided it by the workload I felt I could do while sustaining more balance in my life to be a present mother to my daughter. The result was shocking to me. I had been undervaluing myself, my time, and my services significantly. With new priorities, new goals, and a clearer picture of what I needed to get there I made a shift in the types of projects I was bidding for and accepting, as well as made a push to switch from solely project-based work to a retainer method to help create a predictable workload and income. This shift has allowed me to grow as a business from just me as the sole employee to a team of 7. I’ve been able to delegate tasks to my team members and prioritize my specialized talents and skills where they can be most beneficial. We’re on the cusp of another jump in growth which will bring some additional changes and challenges, but every step forward only strengthens the stability of my business. That increase in stability allows me the peace of mind to sign off and disconnect from work at the end of the work day. I know my daughter is benefitting from this balance, but so am I and that is an amazing thing. At the end of your life, it’s the memories made with your loved ones that will matter the most, not the number of emails you responded to.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Jennifer Zmuda is an Emmy award-winning director and professional photographer in Columbus, Ohio; drawing on her national reputation as a dance photographer, Jennifer’s photography services showcase a passion for movement and storytelling that sets her work apart. From corporate video production to upscale commercial photography, her work is backed by an extensive portfolio of high-profile clients nationwide. Jennifer’s projects have been featured in The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Architectural Digest, Pointe Magazine, Dance Magazine, The Columbus Dispatch, CityScene, and many other local and national outlets. With a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine, she launched her photography business in 2006. She continues to shoot dance and family photography, product and lifestyle photography, corporate videos, and more.

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.
Anyone coming to visit us for a week at this stage in our lives is going to get an itinerary filled with fun kid-friendly activities and good food! Some of my daughter’s and my favorite things to do around Columbus consist of going to Cosi, the splash park at Scioto Mile, The Columbus Zoo, ziplining at ZipZone Outdoor Adventures, or visiting any one of the city’s awesome Metro Parks. My daughter has endless energy so we are always looking for fun and engaging things to go and do. Plus, we love the outdoors so it’s a necessity for us to soak up as much time as we can outside while the weather is nice! Lastly, no trip to Columbus would be complete without trying some of our favorite places to eat! We are big fans of Fox in the Snow, Newfangled Kitchen, Khaab, and Johnson’s Ice Cream.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Huge shout out to Lynette Shy of Confluence Art Solutions who has forever been my most vocal cheerleader and Maddie Keegan with Frazier Financial for getting me on the right path and moving my goals forward.

Website: https://jenniferzmuda.com

Instagram: @jenniferzmuda_dance

Linkedin: Jennifer Zmuda

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferZmudaDancePhotographer

Youtube: @jenniferzmuda

Image Credits
Photos by Jennifer Zmuda. Featured Dancers: Annie Fleming, Rowan Wang, Emery Pierce, Joshua Page