Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Alcala.
Hi Jenna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I fell in love with imagery long before I ever dared to call myself a photographer. I grew up in California surrounded by horses, salt air, wild light, and these wide-open places that make you feel small in the best way. I didn’t know it then, but all of that was quietly teaching me how to see.
I actually started in this industry on the business and production side — spreadsheets, shoot logistics, all the “unsexy” parts that ended up giving me the best behind-the-scenes education. I learned exactly what clients actually need, how to anticipate problems before they happen, and how to build a shoot that feels effortless for everyone involved.
About 15 years ago, I finally picked up my camera for me, and everything shifted. I was hooked on capturing real people, real moments, real joy. Lifestyle and travel work felt like home — bright, human, a little messy, a lot alive. Slowly but surely, clients started coming to me not just for photos but for the feeling behind them, and that turned into producing and creative-directing full campaigns.
Since then, I’ve worked with tourism boards, hotels, resorts, developers, and lifestyle brands — often building the whole shoot from scratch, from casting and scouting to directing. I love creating imagery that makes people think, “I want to be there. I want to feel that.”
I’m proud of the career I’ve built, and I’m still very much in love with the work. My style is vibrant, warm, and immersive — images that feel like memories you’ve somehow lived already. And honestly? Even after all these years, it still feels like I’m just getting started.
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?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not — but I’m grateful for every bump.
When I first got into the industry, I worked for incredibly successful — and incredibly demanding — men in a fast-paced studio world. We had the biggest clients, the biggest shoots, and the kind of deadlines that make your heart live permanently in your throat. It was an amazing, immersive education… and also wildly stressful. I learned fast, because you had to.
In the beginning, I thought I’d learn lighting by becoming a photo assistant. But honestly? That door wasn’t really open to me. It felt like a boys’ club, and I wasn’t exactly welcomed on that side of the industry. So I pivoted. I leaned into the business and production side — I had just graduated business school — and I figured if I couldn’t get in one way, I’d get in another. That path ended up giving me an incredible foundation for how I now run shoots and serve clients.
Finding my footing as a woman in this field took time. The coolest part, though, is that everything shifted when I finally stopped trying to fit into a world built by men and started leaning fully into my own feminine energy and power. Once I did that, the right people started showing up — women who worked the way I worked, saw the way I saw, and valued creativity and ethics in the same breath.
As I grew, I realized I was creating images of women the way another woman sees them: powerful, soft, confident, grounded. There’s a certain way we witness each other — with admiration instead of objectification — and that’s become one of my greatest strengths as a photographer.
It took a minute to move through the noise, the ego, and the old structures, but I’m really proud of where I landed. And I’m proud of the voice and perspective I bring to the work now.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a commercial lifestyle and travel photographer, and at the heart of my work is a deep love for people, place, and story. I think some of that comes from growing up in California — surrounded by horses, nature, and wide-open spaces that made me crave adventure from a young age. Travel has always been in my blood, and it naturally became part of the work I do today.
As a woman in this industry, one thing I’m really proud of is the perspective I bring to my imagery. There’s a gentleness, a strength, and an intuitive way of seeing people that comes from being a woman photographing humans. I’m drawn to capturing people the way I witness them — with admiration, empathy, and a sense of realness.
I specialize in lifestyle and travel campaigns for hotels, resorts, tourism boards, and residential communities. And what truly sets my work apart is that I can both make a photo and take a photo — two very different muscles that I’ve spent years strengthening.
On big production days, I’m fully in “maker” mode. I have this natural ability to make people feel comfortable, even with a huge crew around. I’m bouncing ideas with the creative director, guiding my lighting team with a clear vision, weighing in on props and wardrobe, directing talent, keeping the energy light, and somehow remembering where the sun is going to be in six minutes. It’s a juggle — but it’s one I deeply love. Every image we create is a collaboration, and we work hard for them.
Then there’s the other side of my work — the travel jobs where I’m a quiet observer. That’s when I’m “taking” the moment as it unfolds. No directing, no staging — just me blending into the background and witnessing a slice of real life. I love how people tend to relax around me; they stop performing and just are. That’s when the most honest images happen.
I’m proud that I can move fluidly between these two modes — leader and witness. Director and observer. Big production and small, intimate moment. I think that balance, and the love I have for both approaches, is what makes my work feel like me.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’ve taken a few big risks in my career… honestly, becoming a commercial photographer at all might be the biggest one. This industry is no joke. There are so many insanely talented photographers, trends move fast, budgets have shrunk over the past five-plus years, and brands need more content than ever. Sometimes I’m genuinely proud of myself for making this work for over 15 years. It’s not the safe road — not even close.
But the risk that stands out the most was the moment I decided to shut down my successful production company. At that time, I was servicing dozens of brilliant, creative photographers, and my business was thriving. It was steady, respected, and honestly… very “sensible.” But I didn’t want to be known as a producer forever. I wanted to be the photographer. For a lot of reasons — creative, personal, energetic — that path just felt more like me.
The leap was terrifying. Any producer will tell you: it’s the hardest job on set. The photographer? That’s the fun seat. I wanted that seat. So I walked away from something stable and successful to try to build something entirely my own.
I didn’t know if I’d land on my feet — and I learned quickly that you can’t half-commit to a dream like this. If you hesitate, you stumble. You really do have to go all in for something to work.
So I jumped. And I’d do it again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jennaalcala.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennaalcala/
