Life & Work with Jennifer Imus of Tustin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Imus.

Jennifer, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my photography business back in 2009, when my daughters were little, and right around the time my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At the time, I don’t think I fully understood it, but I was building something out of this deep awareness that time is fragile. My time with my kids, and with my mom, felt incredibly precious. It made me realize how important it is to document it with intention, because we really don’t know how much time we have.

What started as a creative outlet quickly turned into something more. It became a studio and a small business that I was really proud of. I fell in love with documenting connection within families, those in-between moments that don’t feel like much at the time but end up meaning everything.

In the beginning, I wanted to photograph everything… maternity, newborns, families, all of it. But with two young kids of my own, I realized I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to fully show up for pregnant and postpartum moms in the way they deserved. And I knew they deserved more than just being photographed. They deserved to be cared for. So I put that part of the business on hold, but held onto to the dream of what that studio experience could look like.

I continued building my studio photographing families at all stages, and also seniors, which I still love. But that pull toward motherhood work never really left.

After I dropped my youngest off at college, I just knew it was time. I went back to those old ideas I had written down years before and really immersed myself in building what I had always envisioned.

Within a few months, I created a full-service motherhood studio here in Old Town Tustin. Everything is designed so moms don’t have to think about anything. We take care of wardrobe, hair and makeup, styling… all of it. My goal is that they can just walk in, be taken care of, and actually enjoy the experience.

Now, over 17 years in, I’m in a completely different season of life. My girls are grown, and that perspective has changed everything for me. I understand, in a much deeper way, just how fast it all goes. And that really shows up in how I photograph and how I serve my clients.

It’s not just about creating beautiful images. It’s about creating something that actually lasts for their family.
I’ve gone from shooting on location and figuring it all out as I went, to running a studio and building a really intentional experience. But at the core, it’s still the same reason I started… helping moms hold onto something that goes by way too fast.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even close to a smooth road. There have been so many highs, but also a lot of really hard seasons that people don’t always see from the outside.

Building a business while raising two kids was a lot. I was constantly trying to figure out how to be present at home and still grow something that mattered to me. There were years where it felt like I was doing both halfway and questioning if I was doing any of it well.

And then there’s just the reality of entrepreneurship. Inconsistent income, slow seasons, putting work out there and hearing nothing back. That part doesn’t really go away, no matter how long you’ve been doing it. Even now, over 17 years in, there are moments where I’m like, “What am I doing?”

One of the bigger struggles for me was actually stepping into the motherhood space the way I wanted to. I knew early on that I wanted to serve pregnant and postpartum moms differently, but it took me years to feel like I had the capacity to do it well. And then when I finally made that shift, it felt like starting over in a lot of ways. New messaging, new offers, reworking how I serve clients… that was uncomfortable.

There’s also the emotional side of this work. I feel a lot of responsibility to create something meaningful for them. That’s beautiful, but it can also be heavy at times.

But I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that none of it is supposed to be smooth. Every season stretched me in a different way, and a lot of the struggles are actually what shaped the business into what it is now.

If it had been easy the whole time, I don’t think it would be nearly as meaningful.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a full-service motherhood photographer based in Old Town Tustin. I specialize in maternity, newborn, and baby’s first year, and everything I do is really built around taking care of moms during a season that can feel overwhelming.

What that looks like in practice is a very hands-on, guided experience. We provide wardrobe for both mom and baby, professional hair and makeup, and fully style each session so our clients don’t have to think about anything. They can just show up and be present with their baby while we take care of the rest. That piece is really important to me.

I’m also known for creating images that feel soft, connected, and timeless, but more than that, I think I’m known for how I make people feel during the process. Especially new moms. There’s a lot of vulnerability in that season, and I’m very aware of that when I’m working with them.

What I’m most proud of is the experience I’ve built. It’s not just about taking beautiful photos, it’s about creating something that feels easy and meaningful for families who are in the middle of a really emotional and fleeting time. And then turning those images into actual artwork that lives in their homes and doesn’t just sit on a phone.

I think what really sets me apart is a combination of life experience and intention. I’m not just showing up as a photographer, I’m showing up as a mom who’s been through all of it. My daughters are grown now, so I see this season very differently than I did when I was in it. I understand how fast it goes, and how much these images will matter later.
And I’ve built my business around that belief. Everything is designed to support the client, slow things down, and create something that will last for their family long after this season is over.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I always joke that I was a pretty feral Gen Xer. I grew up in the Midwest with divorced parents and a lot of time on my own. We lived in a semi-remote area, so I wasn’t just popping over to friends’ houses. If I wasn’t at school, I was home… alone… figuring out how to entertain myself.

I spent a lot of that time with music, art, and honestly just daydreaming. I had a huge imagination. Looking back now, I know that my undiagnosed ADHD was in the mix, and paired with that much unsupervised time, I was kind of left to figure life out as I went. That feeling of having to learn as adult what most people were taught as kids has never really left me. I still sometimes feel like that kid discovering mundane things for the first time.

At some point, I found dance, and that became a really important creative and social outlet for me. It gave me structure, but also a way to express everything I didn’t really have words for at the time. It allowed me to feel like I was a part of something truly meaningful.

By 19, I knew I needed something different, so I moved to California. It had always felt like this place where maybe I could fit a little better. Like there was room for someone who didn’t follow a traditional path. And I did find that here. It just took some time, like most things in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jenniferimus.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenniferimusphotography
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jenniferimusphotography