Senior starts photography business

Senior+starts+photography+business

Story by Lily Stephens, Writer

About one year ago, Baker University senior Jessica Georgie decide to start her own photography, video and graphics business.

After listening to Baker alumna Gloria Atanmo, author of From Excuses to Excursions: How I Started Traveling the World talk about her book and speak about the value of following your dreams last spring, Georgie was inspired. The next day she decided to go out and follow her own dreams.

“She said ‘go out and follow your dreams’ and literally that day I went out and bought a camera,” Georgie said.

Georgie said that Atanmo “has always been an inspiration to me since I was a freshman.”

At the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey, Jessica Georgie was the unmarried Jessica Lane. Initially, she called her business “J Lane Images.” After marrying she decided to change the name to “Georgie Graphics.”

Once a name was chosen, Georgie began taking pictures of friends and family for a few bucks here and there. Not having taken a photography class since high school, she edited photos to the best of her ability and people were loving what she was producing.

After a few months of work behind the lens, not only were friends and family requesting shoots, but organizations on Baker’s campus were beginning to notice as well.

In the fall of 2016, she created the recruitment video for Baker’s Kappa Sigma fraternity.

“Jessica is incredible at what she does. Her passion for her work really speaks through the final product. Her skill, her attitude and flexibility are going to take her a long way,” former President of Kappa Sigma Ryan Emme said.

Not only has she done work for fraternity life at Baker, Georgie has also taken pictures for Baker University Panhellenic for the last two years.

“She was very professional and it seemed like she knew what she was doing the entire time,” current Panhellenic Vice President Caringtyn Julian said.

While Georgie loves working with Baker students and organizations, she hopes to expand her client base after graduation this May.

“I think the hardest thing is advertising beyond my own social bubble,” Georgie said. “I have friends and friends of friends who are starting to come to me.”

While continuing to grow her client base through internet advertising, after graduation she hopes to continue taking pictures, attain an official business title and, after settling down, open her own studio.

“I don’t see myself expanding until I’m well off,” Georgie said.

One day she hopes to purchase a house and transform it into a studio, to create a comfortable, “homey” feel for her business. Until then, she will continue to do mainly outdoor work and once she buys a house, convert one room into a studio.

For now, she loves having clients come to Baker’s campus for shoots.

“The majority of my work is on Baker’s campus. It’s so beautiful,” Georgie said. “Even if it’s someone I don’t know, I tell them to come here.”

If you are interested in contacting Georgie Graphics, she has an Instagram, Facebook page and a website.