Meet Jasmin Eshaghian

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmin Eshaghian. 

Hi Jasmin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my first job at Photogenics LA, an art-driven fashion agency that represents top models, talent, and creators. I started out working under the creative director and moved up to being the Marketing Director. I remember working behind my desk and often admiring our head photographer, Alexis, taking digitals of our talent and thinking “I wish I can take photos like that and be that comfortable with the camera and people she’s shooting.” Being around creatives, I started taking photos for fun as a hobby and continued as I left. I created an Instagram page for fun and one day a woman named Elizabeth messaged me and said “Hey, I love your work! Can I hire you to set up a photoshoot for my jewelry line?” Never have taken a class, had a real client, or even felt confident enough to have someone pay me for my work, something inside me sparked so energetically. I felt so much fear, but I knew this was my opportunity to trust the unknown. I said, “Hi Elizabeth, absolutely”. That’s not even where my journey started. As I started freelancing and found two other clients, I still had so many doubts and my belief system started circling around this idea that I was never going to be fully financially free in this industry and my fears took over me. I decided to enter an entire different industry. I decided to get into my family’s background which is real estate. I got licensed and started as the marketing director at compass and then an executive assistant to one of the partners at The Agency. Both being very respectable positions, I felt so empty in those two years. Something inside of me didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel aligned and no matter how much people would tell me this is where the money is and I would be so good in this industry, I felt incomplete, and my soul was screaming. I woke up one Friday morning and knew this was the day. I left my job, signed up for a photography course at UCLA a few weeks later, and immediately got a text that week from a friend asking me if I’m still doing photography and if she can hire me. This was my sign. I knew the universe was going to support me if I went all the way. I created my website, a professional logo, Instagram page and have never looked back. I have now over 10 clients that I work with and hold strong professional relationships with each of them. I am very grateful for that and for finding my niche of food + portrait photography and working alongside some of the most successful people in my community. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to this present moment had more fear than I had anticipated and still does from time to time, which is only natural. Unfortunately, I had many false narratives on this journey that I had to battle against and understand them to be untrue. I had to tell myself every day that I’m worthy of this desire and there is enough success in this industry to go around. I had to detach from the financial aspect and really pay attention to why I’m doing it and my purpose which was to create beautiful content for people and create the story and vision they had hoped for. Self-doubt is one crazy thing and I have my days, but when you’re working toward something with passion and loving action, the universe will be on your side and lead you the way. Do it when you’re scared, that’s when the results will come to fruition. As Abraham Hicks says, “Don’t focus on the problem, focus on the solution.” 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a photographer and social media manager. I specialize mostly in food + portrait photography which has me working alongside all different sorts of clientele. Restaurants, chefs, wellness companies, entrepreneurs, and more. Having lost my dad in a tragic accident when I was 21, I got involved in poetry and started falling in love with stories of my favorite poet Rumi. Studying him for 10 years, I wanted to bring this aspect of depth and storytelling to my photography. I like to understand my clients and really get to know them on a soul connection before I start shooting, that is the most important part to me. When that happens, the photography becomes natural because now it’s their story and vision I am creating for them. 

We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking.
I definitely think of myself as a risk-taker, but I had to learn the hard way in my early 20s that risk-taking is the only way to get to the other side of your fears. I think that most of the risks we want to take are gut feelings we are having but sometimes our egos are so loud, the fear rises and stops up from making action. I remember being at my day job and waking up in doom every morning and feeling my soul being sucked. I intuitively knew I should leave but the thought of losing a salary, not being able to find a new job, being attached to the idea of how “cool” I thought my position led me to wait much longer to quit than I should have. I risked taking on new clients when I felt insecure and possibly have my work be criticized but learned it’s only in these scarier choices where you find your confidence and growth. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jasmineshaghian.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasmineshaghianphotography/?hl=en