Ex-Teaneck Teacher Transforms Hobby Into Cedar Lane Business

A former Teaneck teacher laid off from her job at a township elementary school has channeled her love of photography into launching a new business on Cedar Lane.

Longtime Teaneck resident and photographer Janet Joyner along with her husband, Dennis, both found themselves without work about three years ago. After launching an at-home professional photography business, the pair this summer opened what they said is one of the few professional studios in town.

The husband and wife team mixed her years of photography experience with his business education and experience in consumer electronics to open the Janet Joyner Photography studio.

“I love photography. It has always been a passion of mine,” Janet Joyner, who taught at Hawthorne, said in an interview.

Joyner stressed the importance of a professional approach at a time when nearly every smartphone user can snap a high-resolution photo. Unlike an amateur shutterbug, Joyner said she takes time to work with photo subjects, scrutinizing everything from the lighting to positioning.

The couple’s studio space offers natural light and allows Joyner to control the environment for optimal shots, another advantage cited in going with a professional photographer.

“There’s a lot of things that you can do right before you snap that shutter that can give you a great picture,” said Dennis Joyner.

“Everybody is a photographer these days and the average person can take a pretty good picture,” he said. “The thing that has marveled me about watching my wife go through this whole process is the fact that you can take a good shot, but it’s the added things that you learn as a professional photographer that the average person would not know.”

Leaving the client with high quality pictures involves much more than what takes place in the photo shoot, Joyner explained. The team also uses software to touch up the photos.

“We can take great pictures to the next level,” Joyner said.

For now the Joyners are looking to grow their clients and keep an eye toward future expansion, including taking on wedding shoots.

For more information, visit www.janetjoyner.com or connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JanetJoynerPhotography. The studio is located at 406 Cedar Lane.