From a humble start driven by an undying passion for photography, we are excited to spotlight wedding photographer, Jackie Siggard! Siggard's journey into the world of photography blossomed into a thriving career that resonates with dedication and creativity. With an eye for capturing the essence of love and connection, she embarked on a remarkable odyssey, fueled by the support of her loving family and a fervent commitment to her craft. As the founder of Jackie Siggard Photo and Video, her work embodies the timeless beauty of true-to-color imagery, illuminated by the vibrant backdrops of Utah's diverse terrain. So let's take an inside look at Jackie and her journey so far.
What inspired you to specialize in wedding photography, particularly in Utah?
I have always loved photography since I was younger and always wanted to be a photographer, but wasn’t sure if you could actually make that a career. When We had our first daughter I decided to quit my job and try to pursue photography full-time and was able to supplement my income within 4 to 5 months. I was just doing families and newborns and then tried doing weddings two years after and fell in love. I loved working with couples and doing weddings, so I decided to put all of my focus into doing just that.
Can you share your process for selecting and utilizing Utah's diverse landscapes in your location guide?
We are lucky enough to live in Utah, where there is so much variety in landscapes. Kendra Bird photography and I decided to team up to put together a location guide for our clients and for other photographers here in Utah that they could share with their clients. When clients book with you most of the time, clients have no idea where they want their photos taken, and we thought having a location guide would be an amazing resource to provide for our clients. We are always adding new locations to our location and are always going out scouting and looking for locations that have beautiful backdrops and beautiful lighting.
How do you ensure that each couple's personality and story are reflected in their wedding photos?
Each couple I work with is different and has a different personality. A lot of the times my couples will tell me if they want their session to look or feel a certain way and I always try to achieve that.
What sets your style and technique apart from other wedding photographers in Utah?
So the best part of photography is that there is no wrong way or right way when it comes to your style. There is a photographer out there for every client. I myself love the true to color, brighter, edits for photos, and have tried to stay consistent with that throughout my career. And I’m always looking for things to set me apart from other photographers in Utah because there are a lot of us.
What is one piece of business advice you know now that you wish you knew when you first started?
One thing I wish I knew when I first started, was to not compare yourself to other photographers, which is really difficult to do even to this day. Sometimes I still struggle with it, but never compare yourself to other photographers. Also invest in education! Every year, I always always purchase a course on something that I feel like I could improve on in my business every year, so I can always make it the best that it can be.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jackie for generously sharing her inspiring journey with us. She continues to be a leader in the Utah Wedding Industry and an inspiration to many! To see more of her work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.
Get to Know Jackie:
My name is Jackie Siggard and I’m the owner of Jackie Siggard Photo and Video. I am married and have two beautiful little girls and this business has become my career and I’m so grateful for that!
While we were dating, Paul knew how much I loved taking pictures. So one day he went out and bought me a camera so I could pursue photography. I was so shocked that someone would spend that much money on me and I actually felt bad because I knew how expensive the camera was. So being my stubborn self, I went out and bought another one so we could both have a camera to shoot on. We spent that summer taking drives in Paul's BMW convertable and taking photos of everything we could.
I offically started doing photography in the fall of 2014 and haven’t looked back since. In 2017 after we had our first daughter. I decided to pull the trigger and pursue photography full time. It’s the best decision I ever made, because now I am able to be home with both of our daughters. It’s been a lot of hard work but so rewarding! I had tried to talk Paul into doing video for a year or two before he finally tried it. When he did, he loved it! So we started video in 2018 and we have been doing photography and videography full time ever since.