Q&A with John Paul Henry
Owner of John Paul Henry Photography
What is your business?
I am a freelance photographer, specializing in editorial, commercial and wedding photography. This means I produce images for magazines and newspapers, create advertising and public relation images and photograph weddings. My speciality is candid, or documentary photography, and creating engaging and colorful portraiture.
What services do you offer?
At the basic level, my primary service is photography. My services can be adapted to assisting many people or businesses, from showing the strengths and services of non-profit organizations to documenting human interest stories and important events. Businesses will find my service in assisting in public image branding useful for conveying themselves to the public. People interested in portraiture and wedding photography hire me for being able to capture reality in interesting and fun ways.
Where do you mostly offer your service?
I live in Paducah but work throughout the region. I work with businesses, news outlets and photograph weddings from Paducah, to St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville and up to Louisville. My work is done entirely on location, as I enjoy creating images from my surroundings, rather than using a studio.
What made you decide to start a business?
Since 2005 I've worked in various staff positions at different newspapers from Peoria, Ill., to northwest Colorado to Lawrence, Kan. Since early in my photographic career I knew I wanted to work as a freelancer. My love for photography, being outdoors and meeting new people and the freedom to work on stories in which I cared were the driving forces in starting my own business.
How do you think you were prepared to start a business?
The short answer would be that I wasn't. The vast majority of photographers out there are not. I cared about making pictures, telling stories. Aside from years of practice and experience, I jumped head first into the proverbial deep end.
Who supported you in the beginning?
My closest friends and family were there for me in the beginning. I'm lucky enough to be friends with several other freelance photographers who soon became mentors. These friendships, and a never ending quest of researching business practices helped in the early stages of my independent career. In 2009, I was lucky enough to align with EntrePaducah and Murray State University Small Business Development Center, both of which I strongly recommend consulting with BEFORE starting your own business. They are invaluable resources -and- our neighbors.
What are your future plans for yourself and your business?
I will continue to create lasting imagery for regional businesses, telling important stories for regional and national clients and photographing happy brides on their big day. I'm looking forward to expanding my business, working with and helping new clients and, simply, providing great photography for our region.
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