Jenna Kathleen
Wedding | Last Updated: April 12, 2024
Hey!
I’m Jenna, a wedding photographer based in West Yorkshire in the UK.
My style is colourful, relaxed, fun, and mostly documentary. My work tends to attract laid-back couples who just want to enjoy their day as it happens without worrying about posing for photos.
I began photographing weddings part-time in 2018 and left my job as a commercial retoucher in 2022 to become a full-time wedding photographer.
Although my photographic style has developed over the past six years, one thing that has remained consistent is my love for Fujifilm cameras. This love goes back to my pre-teen days when I won my first Fujifilm (an HS10 bridge camera) in a competition.
I have always loved the look and lightweight feel of Fujifilm cameras. The stunning colours they produce make them an easy choice, as I knew the colour would be a big feature in my work.
My first X-Series camera was the Fujifilm X-T10, which I bought in 2016. I have continually upgraded my kit along my journey. I now own and use two Fujifilm X-H2S for my wedding photography and a Fujifilm X100V for personal use.
My favourite thing about the Fujifilm X-H2S is the ability to assign custom settings, which you can switch to at the click of a dial. I like to shoot in manual mode, and I use my custom dials to set them up with base settings for different scenarios, such as inside and outside.
This way, when my couple transitions from inside to outside or vice versa, I can move one click on the dial and be ready for the shooting conditions.
I also have a custom setting for confetti, which is ready to go at 20fps using the electronic shutter.
I’ve experimented with many focal lengths along the way, but always with prime lenses.
If there is one lens that stays on my camera all day, it’s the Fujifilm XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR (27mm equiv).
I cannot say enough good things about this lens. It has a multitude of uses throughout the day. It is the perfect storytelling focal length, and it’s incredibly fast, sharp and reliable in fast-paced scenarios such as the confetti run and dancefloor.
This, paired with the Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR (50mm equiv) on my second body, is the perfect combination for shooting: close and fill the frame with what’s interesting. The 33mm is just as fast, sharp and reliable, and the focal length is perfect for most situations I encounter on a wedding day.
I also own two third-party lenses from Viltrox. Last year, I introduced the Viltrox 75mm f/1.2 XF specifically for portraits and those rare moments when I needed extra reach, such as the back of a church.
Although it doesn’t come out of my bag at every wedding, I know that when it does, the results will be stunning due to the wide aperture’s bokeh.
New to my bag this year is the Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 XF, which I’ll use occasionally when I need to bridge the gap between the 33mm and 75mm. I expect to use this lens for portraits and speeches if the space between tables is tight.
Because the Fujifilm mirrorless camera system is so lightweight, I don’t mind carrying two bodies and four lenses to every wedding.
Like most other photographers, I love natural light only when it’s good quality. When the light is poor quality, I will use a flash, as it keeps my work consistent in colour and is especially helpful when editing.
I use the Godox system as it is important for me to be able to use the flashes interchangeably both on and off camera in whatever way suits the location and part of the day I’m photographing.
I use two of the Godox V1-F off-camera, triggered by either the Godox V350, so I can also use on-camera flash or just the Godox X2T-F of Godox XPro-F. I’ll often have a CTO gel and grid on my flashes and use the bungee cords to suspend them if there’s no room for light stands.
I also have a Godox AD100 Pro, roughly the size of a lens. It can be popped into a small bag for portraits and handheld on the dancefloor on a boom arm, which is something I’m excited to experiment with more this year.
I carry an array of Godox accessories in my bag.
I carry both cameras with a ThinkTank Pro Speed Belt V3 with Spider X Holsters. I used a harness, but the belt offers more freedom and less back pain!
I also have a pouch on my belt, which I usually use to carry spare batteries and snacks.
The Lowepro ProTrekker RLX 450 AW II easily fits my whole kit, and it has wheels with a backpack option.
The GoPro Hero 10 is handy for behind-the-scenes.
I have two Pixapro Retractable Light Stands and a memory card case with spare Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards.
Loop Experience earplugs for the dancefloor—I cannot stress enough how important it is to look after your ears, especially when standing next to six-foot speakers every weekend. I use them at every wedding.
I use many different software programs in my photography workflow. Studio Ninja is my chosen CRM, and I couldn’t be without it. It makes the client journey much easier and more organized.
I use Aftershoot to (manually) cull and edit my images with a profile based on my own custom preset. Once the images are edited, I run them through DxO Pure Raw and import them into Lightroom on my Apple iMac to work on.
I use a Loupedeck CT alongside a Wacom Tablet to refine and edit each image by hand before uploading the finished images to a Pic-time gallery via the Lightroom plugin.
Every day, I count myself lucky to have this job, to be my own boss and to have the freedom to choose how I want to live.
Since joining this industry, I have made new friends, had new experiences, and learnt so much about my own work by investing my time, energy, and money into learning from others. My favourite thing about the wedding photography community is its great community over competition.
I’m excited to see where my third year in business will take me!
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