Jina lafary: capturing timeless moments and inspiring a new generation of photographers

Every year, I think I’ve got to reinvent myself. And this year it's been totally different because instead of reinventing, I'm refining myself.”

In a world where trends come and go, Jina LaFary has built a legacy that endures, providing her clients with images that stand the test of time for nearly 15 years. This year, Jina is embarking on a new journey—launching a new website, a fresh logo and now mentoring fellow photographers on the business side of their craft, sharing the insights and wisdom that have fueled her own remarkable rise.

Jina’s story is one of humble beginnings and quiet determination. Growing up in Barbourville, Jina recalls how her sister received a camera as a gift when Jina was in the fourth grade, sparking a curiosity that would later define her career.

“I really believe that God instilled this in me before I ever knew what was going on,” Jina said.

Jina and her husband, Eric, met when they were young—meeting on the internet, “back when it was safe,” she laughed. Jina got pregnant with their son, Ryan, and eventually the couple married and have since had three more children, Jaiden, Emma and Lilah. The couple recently celebrated the arrival of their first grandchild, following the birth of Delaney to their son Ryan and his wife, Caitlyn.

After seeing how much Jina enjoyed taking photos of their children, Eric purchased Jina her first point-and-shoot camera. At the time, she didn’t realize photography would become her calling—Jina was on track to become a nurse, nearly graduating before her heart led her elsewhere.

“I would come home and I would cry to my husband and he would say, ‘what do you want to do?’ And I was like, ‘I just want to take pictures.’ He said, ‘if you think you can make a business out of it, then do it.’ But it didn't happen that way.”

For years, Jina’s dreams were put on the back burner.

“Life happened,” she said.

Due to a rare condition, Eric was forced to quit his job and Jina soon realized she was going to have to go back to work. Jina worked in banking for a time and then at a local call center, but she knew deep down she wanted more.

Jina’s coworkers began asking about the photos she had on display in her work cubicle, photos Jina had taken of her children over the years.

“They asked how much I charged and I thought, ‘I don’t know what to charge.’ So, I just told them I’d do them and they could pay me whatever they wanted to. My first session, I made $75 using my point-and-shoot camera my husband had bought me. And it felt so right, I knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.”

Jina said it was her father-in-law who finally pushed her to take a leap of faith.

“He told me to pray about it and when I started praying about it, I watched doors open just like that—things just started falling into place,” she said. “I told him I didn’t have all the equipment I needed, and he said, ‘God will provide.’ And he did—it took off from there.”



Because she hadn’t taken any classes for photography, Jina was literally starting from scratch, looking for help and advice anywhere she could find it. After having no luck with any local photographers, Jina reached out to a photographer out of state who she had been following for quite some time to ask for some advice.

“I sent her a Facebook message and said, ‘I really admire your work, and I would love to just pick your brain.’ She told me she does mentorships, but the only way she would agree to mentoring me would be if I agreed to do everything she asked. So, I did.

“She would make me take pictures of a tree every single day at different times during the day, so I could learn lighting. And then, once I would take that picture, she and I would discuss it that night. I was like, this is so stupid, you know? She has me taking a picture of a tree, but I learned so much from her. Now, you could put me in any lighting situation, and I will know exactly what I need to do to make that picture look amazing.”

In 2012, Jina officially launched her photography business, Unforgettable Photography. She began by doing newborn photography and then moved onto weddings.

Later, Jina invested back into herself by taking photography and business courses and she relaunched her business as Jina LaFary Photography in 2016. And, in 2020, she and local photographer Keshia Amburgey, opened their own photography studio, Studio 206.

Today, Jina focuses on portrait photography and wedding photography, but more than anything, she focuses on providing her clients with timeless images they will cherish for years and years to come.

In a small town where resources and opportunities can be limited, Jina defied expectations, growing her photography business into a six-figure enterprise. Jina went from taking all the sessions she could just to make ends meet to being able to be pickier about when she works and who she works with, and from taking photos out of her home to now taking photos in her own studio.

This year, Jina is turning her attention to mentorship, launching a new initiative to help local photographers master the business side of their profession, with “Booked. Profitable. Unstoppable.” Drawing on her own experiences, Jina hopes to equip others with the practical knowledge and confidence needed to build sustainable, rewarding businesses.

“I feel like 10 percent of it is taking photos and the other 90 percent is the business side of things,” she said.

This isn’t a mentorship to teach you how to use your camera, but rather a chance for local photographers who already have businesses of their own an opportunity to learn from someone who literally built her business from the ground up.

She hopes to help photographers go from burnt out and underpaid to earning what they deserve for their hard work and passion.

that started it all for her and hopes she can do that for someone else through her mentorship program.

“She saw something in me that I didn't even see myself,” she said. “I still think about her from time to time. It was like she was an angel. I feel like that's how God intended it to be because when you grow up poor and you never fit in with the crowd, you always have to be validated in some way. So, all my life, I was looking for validation, and I think that with her, it wasn't a roadblock—she validated me from the beginning. She even told me that eventually I would be mentoring others.”

By sharing her knowledge and experiences, Jina is not only giving back to the community that has supported her over the years, but also fostering a new generation of confident, empowered photographers.



As Jina continues to frame the moments that matter most, she hopes to also help others discover their own paths to success—one timeless image at a time.