BEHIND THE LENS: Simplicity by Megan Wright, Boise Idaho

Last November we posted on our Facebook page that we were looking for photographers to interview for our Behind the Lens series.  We had a terrific response and are thrilled to be lining up a bunch of wonderful interviews in the upcoming weeks (if you are interested, please send us an email to momswhoclick@yahoo.com).

One of the wonderful photographers who responded was Megan Wright who we are featuring today.  We are so excited to showcase her beautiful images and to learn a little bit more about Megan and her work.  As you will see from her images below, Megan's photos really capture her client's emotions (I just love the photo of the couple below).

Megan, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today!

Your Name: Megan Wright
Your studio/business name: Simplicity by Megan Wright 
Location: Boise, Idaho 
Website/Blog: http://photographybysimplicity.com/ 
Twitter:  @chasingmeg 
Facebook: http:// www.facebook.com/simplicitybymeganwright 

Your Style:

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography? My style is simple, rich and emotive. I try very hard to find genuine interactions and connections every time I shoot. I know these type of moments are personally the kind that I want to look back at and remember. 

Are you self-taught or classroom trained? I am self taught although I love pushing myself by being around and learning from other creative people. 

How many years have you been a professional photographer? Two years. 

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years? I would like to be only specializing in lifestyle and stylized family and children photography. 

Is there a photographer who inspires your style? Definitely! Who would that be? I love a funky mix because of the different things they do but some favorites are, YAN, Leah Cook, Sean Flanigan, Benj Haisch and Tara Whitney. 

Favorite location to take photos? Anywhere that makes my subjects feel totally open and free to be themselves. If that is their home, a favorite park, a parking garage rooftop or a alleyway I am happy! 

Favorite vacation spot? Hands down NY City! You can never run out of things to do, see or take pictures of ;). 

Your Business: 

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer? It would have to be when my family and I moved to Boise. I wanted to get out and meet people and I thought what better way to do that! I had been taking pictures for friends for a long time so it seemed natural and just I decided to go for it. Photography has been an amazing way to meet so many great people, both clients and other photographers. 

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you? I really feel like taking advantage of social media and word of mouth has been my biggest method of growth and marketing. 

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked you? Haha! That will remain a secret! ;) 

Favorite print lab? Black River Imaging. 

Your Gear: 

Are you Canon or Nikon (or –other): Canon all the way! 

If you could only have one lens on a photo shoot, what would it be? The Canon 24-70. I favor primes but if I could only have one this would be more versatile. 

What brand bag do you carry your camera in? I use the Epiphanie Ginger bag (in brown) and I LOVE it. 

What gear would we find in your camera bag? Canon Lenses, 35, 50, 17-85, 28-135, and a Speedlite 430 EXii that doesn’t see the light of day very often and various other odds and ends. 

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? 100% natural light. I love the challenge and beauty of it! 

Are you PC or Mac? I absolutely love my Mac. 

Your Tips and Tricks: 

What post processing tools do you use? PS and LR4 

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg? Raw 

Best advice you would give your 20-year old self? Care less about what other people think and go after what you want. It’s obtainable! 

Best advice you would give a new photographer?   Don’t compare yourself to others. It is artistically draining and self defeating. 

What site do you use for your photography and why? I use a Wordpress blogsite. It is easy to customize and very user friendly. 

What Else Should We Know? 

What was your worst photography experience? I am so fortunate and can say that I really haven’t had one. 

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not? I can’t think of a thing! 

And just because we want to know you better, fill in the blanks...

Three things I can’t live without.... Outside of my faith, family, and friends I would have to say, my camera, my phone and music. 

I wish I had more..... time to travel. 

The best thing about being a photographer is...Getting to do something that I love for a job! It is a lot of work but I always look forward to it! 

The most important lesson I ever learned was.... Love and value people. They are so worth it. 

My favorite time of day is... Night time. I am a TOTAL night owl.

Behind the Lens: AnyWhere Photoz Photography, Baton Rouge, LA

We love it when photographers reach out to us and ask to be featured on our Behind the Lens series.  And we are thankful that Nicole sent us an email  introducing us to her beautiful work.  Nicole hails from Baton Rouge, LA which unfortunately has been seeing some terrible weather....she was out of power for 3 days!  

As you will see from Nicole's images below, she is creative and definitely has an eye for detail.  We love her work and find her photos to be truly inspiring.  I, for one, want to capture a dragonfly after seeing her photo.....gorgeous!  

Thank you Nicole for sharing your story with us!

Name: Nicole Williams

Your studio/business name: AnyWherePhotoz Photography         

Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Website:  www.anywherephotoz.com

Twitter/Facebook: www.facebook.com/anywherephotoz

Your Style

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography?  This was a recent testimonial from a client.  “What can I say but WOW!!!!! Everything was professional and most of all fun. Nicole puts her time and attention to detail on location and in the editing room. Dedication shows through on each and every shot. She truly ''captures the moment".”

Are you self-taught or classroom trained?  I am a self-taught photographer

How many years have you been a professional photographer? 5 years

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years? Unsure at this point but I am moving to the top and I want that business to go with me.

Is there a photographer who inspires your style?  No there is no particular photographer.  I think there are several photographers that do really nice work that I like.  I kind of take a little form them all to help form my signature style.  Which I am still working on developing.  But if I had to put a plug out there it would be Alain Martinez.  His work is really nice!

Favorite location to take photos?  Downtown Baton Rouge and by the various lakes.  Love the water.  Makes for beautiful pictures.

Favorite vacation spot? Haven’t been on many vacations but going to the Dominican Republic to shoot a wedding in September.  I am sure from the web pictures that will end up being my most favorite vacation spot. 

Your Business

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer?  For years I shot with a point and shoot until my husband/ business partner dropped and broke it.  He took me to the store to replace it and bought me my first DSLR.  He knew my LOVE for photography before I did and believed in me.  It was at that very moment that I thought “hey” I could actually do this.  

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you?  Talking to my clients.  I try to get to know them as a person instead of a client.  Because of this the relationship is better, they are much more comfortable in front of the camera on shoot day, the pictures reflect this relationship.  I also find because of this they return for more shoots and refer me often to friends and family.  And the best part of this tip….it is FREE!

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked you? Why don’t I quite my daytime job so I can provide more shoots. 

Favorite print lab? WHCC, Nations, and Blue Marble Imaging

Your Gear

Are you Canon or Nikon (or –other): I am a Canon girl and I have a 40d and a 60d

If you could only have one lens on a photo shoot, what would it be? 85mm 1.8

What brand bag do you carry your camera in? Shoot Sac

What gear would we find in your camera bag?  Everything LOL But my absolute favorite things to have would be my 70-200 2.8, 85mm 1.850mm 1.4.  Extra batteries, memory cards, flash, lens cleaner, and lollipops for the kids of course. 

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? I mainly shoot natural light however; I am starting to test the waters of OFC.

Are you PC or Mac? I am a Mac junkie.

Your Tips and Tricks

What post processing tools do you use?  Aperture and Lightroom

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg?  I shoot Raw almost always and Jpeg for events/parties.

Best advice you would give your 20-year old self?  Invest in your craft early by buying good equipment.  And find a mentor who will actually teach you.

Best advice you would give a new photographer? Learn how to operate your camera then Shoot, Shoot, Shoot.  Get a good mentor and don’t be afraid to have a different camera style than others. 

What site do you use for your photography and why? Zenfolio, I like that the setup is easy, it looks good and my clients can move around within easily without any problems. 

What Else Should We Know?

What was your worst photography experience? I tried to play tennis for the first time last year with my son.  I feel and broke my collar bone in two places.  I had to have surgery, a 4-inch plate inserted in my collar and 7 screws to keep it in place.  Could not pick up my camera for months and that to me was the worst experience ever.  I learned at that how much I really do Love my craft.

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not? I absolutely love Korean Dramas (and no I am not Korean, I do not speak Korean, and I barely understand it) Thank God for English Subtitles. 

  

And just because we want to know you better, fill in the blanks.....

Three things I can’t live without….my family, pizza, and my camera

I wish I had more…..time

The best thing about being a photographer is…I get to capture a moment for someone they can look back on for years to come.  I get to tell that story for them with pictures that otherwise would be gone. 

The most important lesson I ever learned was….IN Business Everyone has an agenda and mines is not what is important to them.

My favorite time of day is…Evening when the sun is going down.

BEHIND THE LENS: Emily Burke Photography, NYC and Denver

We are kicking off the summer with another great interview!  Our featured photographer, Emily Burke,  can be found shooting dreamy images in New York City or Denver (two cities we love!).   Thank you Emily for taking the time out to be a part of our series!   We love your inspiring work!

Your Name: Emily Burke     

Your studio/business name: Emily Burke Photography

Location: New York City (NYC) and Denver

Website: http://www.emilyburkephotography.com

Twitter/Facebook: www.facebook.com/emilyburkephotography

Your Style

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography? I would hope my clients would describe my style as dreamy and painterly. I prefer to shoot outdoors and use only natural light. They would call me an environmental photographer and say that my images are happy yet soulful, colorful and magically lit.

Are you self-taught or classroom trained? Classroom trained with a lot of self-teaching. I have a BFA in Photography and worked as a freelance photographer and photo editor for the NY Daily News but I had to learn so much more on my own.

How many years have you been a professional photographer? I’ve only had a portrait business for 1 year but I’ve been shooting since sophomore year of High School (10 years ago).

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years? In 5 years I would love to have continued success and be doing exactly what I am doing right now.

Is there a photographer who inspires your style?  Who would that be? Many different photographers have inspired me at different points throughout my journey including Sally Mann, Meg Bitton and Ashley Skjaveland.

Favorite location to take photos? Central Park

Favorite vacation spot? Santorini (I went there on my honeymoon and can’t wait to go back)

Your Business

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer? I always wanted to be a photographer, but just over a year ago at my editing job, I felt a creative void. I quit my job in May of last year and focused all of my efforts into the portrait business that I now have today

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you? Facebook is free marketing (for now), use it!!

What is the most surprising thing a customer has asked you?  If I could come back in 3 weeks!

Favorite print lab? WHCC

Your Gear

Are you Canon or Nikon (or –other): Canon!

If you could only have one lens on a photo shoot, what would it be? Hands down the 135mm 2.0

What brand bag do you carry your camera in? Lowepro

What gear would we find in your camera bag? The Canon 5D Mark III, the 135mm 2.0, the 85mm 1.2 and the 50mm 1.4 for newborns.

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? All natural light

Are you PC or Mac? Mac!

Your Tips and Tricks

What post processing tools do you use? Photoshop, Portraiture and Noiseware

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg? Raw

Best advice you would give your 20-year old self? Stop being so scared and stop doubting yourself

Best advice you would give a new photographer? Don’t try to skip steps. Don’t get frustrated when you aren’t the photographer you want to be yet, it takes a long time. Enjoy the entire journey!

What site do you use for your photography and why? I have a simple site by Pixpa. It is very easy to use and customizable for my needs.

What Else Should We Know? I’m a Taurus

What was your worst photography experience? My first few newborn shoots. I could never get the babies to sleep until I learned all the tricks.

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not? I don’t have any kids.

  

And just because we want to know you better, fill in the blanks

Three things I can’t live without….Coffee, my husband (aka my business manager) and country music.

I wish I had more…..time to spend with all of my family and friends

The best thing about being a photographer is…getting to do what I love to do every single day

The most important lesson I ever learned was…. understanding natural light

My favorite time of day is…early evening (the golden hour)

BEHIND THE LENS: Sasha Holloway, Bleulips Photography, United Kingdom

Today we are thrilled to feature the work of Sasha Holloway from Bleulips.   We discovered Sasha through our Facebook page.  She posted a response to one of our questions and we are so glad she did!   After spending time perusing her website (which we love--the design and images are fantastic) and reading her blog (which gives you a sense of her fun, witty personality), we wanted to get to know her even more and thankfully she was happy to take time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions.  

As you will see below, Sasha's images have a fresh, urban, vintage vibe.  And not only is she a talented photographer but she is also one crafty lady.   Sasha, thank you so much for being a part of our series.  You are an inspiration....truly!

We are so excited to feature the 

Your Name: Sasha Holloway

Your studio/business name: Bleulips

Location: United Kingdom

Website: http://www.bleulips.com

Blog: http://www.sashatheblog.com

Twitter:  @BleulipsbySasha

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/bleulips

Other: pinterest.com/mocha

    Your Style:

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography?  Fun, vintage, urban and laid back. I bring laughter and a unique personality to the session that get’s them relaxed and ready to rock.

Are you self taught or professionally trained?  I am both self taught and trained by workshops.

How many years have you been a professional photographer? 2 years officially

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years? In 5 years I really hope to be established. It's really hard being a military family to plant your roots. However, its all about how you make things. We are retiring soon and moving back to the South so I am looking forward to hopefully having a studio and a household name. Might even have my own set of actions you never know LOL. Seriously in five years time I hope to still have an active business with happy customers.

Is there a photographer who inspires your style?  Yes.  Who would that be? Gosh there are so many to name that inspire me but my mentors that really pushed me out there to get on the ball Jeni Boisvert, Divian Conner and Kimberly Scott.

Favorite location to take photos? I love urban locations, cities and these small towns here in the UK.

Favorite vacation spot? Egypt

Your Business:

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer? I decided to become a photographer and work for myself when I realized I could finally do it. Meaning I had the TIME to do it. I could not dedicate my time to two careers and one which was more demanding than photography and more of a priority. Once we moved here to England I decided that I was able to financially set up the time I needed to try and grow my business but at the same time grow my strengths as a photographer and business woman. I have a Masters in business and let me tell you I've definitely had to put it to the test at time when dealing with finances and things. 

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you? You’ve Been Spotted cards. I pass these out to potentional clients offering them a free 20-30 minute session. It gets my name out there and people to talk.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked you? Could they have their images for free just because.

Favorite print lab? WHCC / Loxley

Your Gear:

Are you Canon or Nikon (or –other): Nikonite

If you could only have one lens on a photo shoot, what would it be? 50m 1.2

What brand bag do you carry your camera in? Kelly Moore bags

What gear would we find in your camera bag? 50 1.4 , 35 1.8 , D90.  I have the financial ability to upgrade to a full frame however I want it to be a gift to myself once I have the steady flow of business to justify that purchase. I don’t need or want to jump on the bandwagon of going full frame just because everyone else is doing it and not getting any business to go with it. So it will be a gift to myself.

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? Natural Light

Are you PC or Mac? Mac Daddy

Your Tips and Tricks:

What post processing tools do you use? Lightroom 3 and Adobe CS5

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg? Raw

Best advice you would give your 20-year old self? Don’t be afraid to take risks with your passion.

Best advice you would give a new photographer? Network with local photographers and don’t feel like you have to buy everything you see someone else getting. LEARN your craft.

What site do you use for your photography and why? I currently use Bludomain. I absolutely love their templates and have not had any issues with them as of yet. My very first site before I did my rebranding and changed my look was with Photobiz and I loved them as well. I just decided to go with Bludomain for personal reasons nothing negative.

What Else Should We Know?

What was your worst photography experience? I think my worse experience was really working it for a client and was so into the session I didn’t realize I actually slipped a little gas out LOUD. I was mortified.

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not? That I actually served my country for many years and I was apart of the craft industry. I have several scrapbook layout published in magazines like Scrapbook Trends and designed for several manufacturing companies. So I am a crafty girl at heart. (my craft blog where I craft and keep it real (http://sassysasha.typepad.com)

Tell us something else you’d like us to know: I still color in coloring books and if I’m really bored I might knock on your door and run.

And just because we want to know you better, fill in the blanks.....

Three things I can’t live without…. Chapstick, gum and music

I wish I had more….. time

The best thing about being a photographer is… the ability to change a person’s view of themselves in a positive way

The most important lesson I ever learned was…. Stop worrying about everything around you and get out there and bust your butt just as much and you can be successful too. Don’t get caught up in the hype of trying to be a popular photographer it’s not about the numbers.

My favorite time of day is… night .. I get so much done at night when its pitch black and quiet.