Interested in booking me for photography services? I have a dedicated photo site now! Visit jennchen.photo for service details and pricing.

ABOUT

Hi, I'm Jenn!

I live a multi-hyphenated existence in San Francisco, California, splitting my time between writing and photography. I’m about to celebrate 14 years of self-employment, a journey that has had many twists and surprises.

  • Writer: features, interviews, essays, my newsletter tanjennts

  • Photographer: modern headshots, personal branding, events, travel, and more. Visit my photo website to book with me.

  • Specialty coffee professional: editor at large at Sprudge. Since mid-2020, I’ve been writing deep-dive features on the intricacies of the specialty coffee industry.

  • Reformed marketer: within coffee, I was a digital marketing consultant for a decade. I worked with various coffee companies, from single-location cafes to global nonprofit organizations (CQI, WCR, FTUSA) to industry-leading manufacturers (Acaia). 

  • Community organizer: I helped launch a coffee community in Chicago and revived one in the Bay Area. I’ve also donated time to the SCA on various committees and now donate my time/services to a bully breed rescue in California.

  • Plant parent: mostly thriving indoor container garden & an outdoor container garden for edibles

  • Dog parent: I adopted my rescue dog Zoey in February 2020, right before the lockdowns. It has been a wild ride since then

But if you need a few sentences to neatly wrap it up:

I’m a San Francisco-based writer & photographer in specialty coffee, food & beverage, culture, and beyond. I’m also a personal branding photographer for creative business owners and solopreneurs, providing custom content to elevate their brands and draw in new clients.

My photography services now live on a different site.

Photo services

I’m inspired by the specialty coffee industry that I’m in and the creative clients I work with—all while being powered by chips (of all kinds).

In addition to writing in-depth features as the editor at large at Sprudge—an online, globally read specialty coffee publication—I also shoot a unique blend of documentary and lifestyle portrait photography for creative people and their work.

Regardless of the medium, I am most interested in creating a space of trust for my clients and interview sources to feel safe, seen, and heard. I love capturing people and their passions, in their place of work.

My writing style is contradicting: I love direct communication but I also love the beauty and cadence of well-crafted, long sentences. And my photography is the same: I love colorful maximalism as much as I enjoy a dark and moody look.

Things to know about me:

Pie is better than cake. Sweet potato pie is better than pumpkin pie.

My superpower is being able to cut onions without crying. Obviously, I have no tear ducts (kidding).

Adopt, don’t shop (pets)

I am just short of being an extreme introvert, but I love wearing bold, saturated colors

My favorite chip flavor is salted egg

Some other interests include: jigsaw puzzles, board games, Switch games, NA cocktails, miniatures, and cozy day hikes

One of my favorite donuts is the simple passionfruit-glazed yeast donut at Firecakes in Chicago. A close second and third would be a mochi donut glazed with ube or black sesame.

MY VALUES

Provide a space of trust

A big one for me, because it’s necessary for interviews (trusting me to write about them authentically) and portrait photography (trusting me to capture them at their best). Surface-level interactions are not for me; I’m an introvert.

Be receptive and open

Dream big and try new things. Pay attention to what people tell me or what the universe tells me.

Learn, evolve, and share

I love learning new things or going deep on a topic. This is a reminder to constantly learn and evolve. I don’t necessarily need to share everything, but sharing what I can is one way to avoid being a gatekeeper.

Make an impact

Every impact is an important one, it doesn’t matter if it’s on an individual level or a global scale.

Embrace myself & my differences

Pay attention to my gut! It’s almost always right. Part of this is also to be true to me and make sure everything I put out aligns with who I am. I should be excited about new projects, not dreading them. Buck traditions and expectations.

Do the best you can

Life is hard and sometimes shitty. If I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances I’m given, and with the tools I have on hand, then that’s all that I can do. No beating myself up on this.

Clips

Reflections On The Coffee Industry’s Summer Like No Other

Stop Calling it “Geisha” Already

Who Gets To Call It “Coffee”?

All Neon Like: The Glowing, Glorious History Of Neon Coffee Art

Writing Portfolio

Current Projects

At any given time, I’m trying to conquer new skills and work on projects. Here are a few that I’ve been trying out:

  • Spanish on Duolingo
  • Edible garden in self-watering planters on my patio

Upcoming Travels

  • April: Houston for SCA Expo
  • August: Virginia
  • October: Chicago, Milan (Italy, for HostMilano), Las Vegas