Her Story
About Beth
Beth Jeffrey owns and operates Beth Jeffrey Photography in Carlsbad, California. With 18 years of professional experience since 2006, she specializes primarily in family photography while also offering wedding and food photography services. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from The Evergreen State College in Washington State, completed around 2001, along with a film photography course during college and a post-graduate internship at San Diego State University involving dolphin photo identification. Prior to focusing on photography, she worked in marketing and at an aquarium, and she has been published in National Geographic and Surfing Magazine. Beth is passionate about animal rights, assisting rescues in high-kill shelters, and teaching photography to women assistants. She attributes her success to persistence and not giving up, values honesty and clear communication with clients, and advises young women entering the field to be persistent, practice hard, and avoid comparing themselves to others in a male-dominated industry. She faces challenges with competition and pricing but sees opportunities in destination weddings and teaching classes.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Beth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and not giving up. There have been so many times when I wanted to give up because I haven't had clients, but I just kept trying and putting myself out there. I work really hard and am very persistent with marketing and being transparent. Even though my situation is tough with my husband being disabled, it has taught me hard work and persistence.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is if you do something you love, then you'll be successful. Also to stay focused on just one thing. My dad actually told me that. Stay focused and don't give up, because otherwise it's just not good.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't compare yourself to others. Number one, be persistent, don't give up. And just work really hard, you know, just keep trying, you have to practice, learn to take constructive criticism. And don't try to compare yourself, especially to other men, because it's a male-dominated field. Try to be tough and not be insecure or intimidated by men.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My biggest challenges are the competition and trying to raise my prices to make enough money to get ahead. I've never really made a ton of money, just enough to get by. I want to sell my presets on my website but haven't had time because I'm busy making ends meet. I want to advance by teaching classes and buying newer equipment. Opportunities include traveling for destination weddings like the one in San Francisco I'm doing, and teaching more classes or attending photography retreats.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Just to be honest, always, and communicate well with my clients and always be honest. Number one, make sure people are happy. Honesty is number one, that's just my number one value about everything from A to Z. Always being direct and honest about everything with my clients, with my friends, also being kind.
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