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 13 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

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

  • August: Virginia
  • October: Chicago, Milan (Italy, for HostMilano), Las Vegas
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