This month’s Photographer of the Month is Meghan Stewart of Meghan Stewart Photography. Meghan has an amazing eye for art, which is apparently a family trait – her mom is an amazing painter. Meghan tried to follow in her moms footsteps with painting and drawing but she quickly found out that she just did not have the patience for it. Enter, the camera. One shot and she was hooked!
Meghan has been shooting weddings, families, and children for over 4 years. As you will see in the interview, she LOVES getting to know her clients and watching their children grow. Her personal touch shows in her amazing images.
She recently won two People’s Choice Awards for some photographs that she took while she was on a mission trip in Salta, Argentina and one of the Tanner’s shop in St. Augustine.
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I consider my personal style to be comfy, casual, laid back, down to earth and a little goofy sometimes. I believe life should be fun and enjoyed – that is the same approach I take with my photography. I want each of my clients to be completely comfortable so they can be themselves – that way we get the best images. I love to laugh, play, listen and talk.
Life is important and beautiful and I strive to capture that story and be a storyteller with my images. Whether it be a wedding or a family/portrait session, my purpose is to tell the storey of the person in front of my camera. I believe every soul has a story worth telling… and it’s beautiful.
Even though I see wedding after wedding, this is the only one these two will have. It is my pleasure, and honor, to tell their story through my photographs. I also love to get to know my couples so that I can look for moments that will be special to them.
Really, because I’ve gotten to know them before the big day, I don’t feel like I’m going to work… but I am going to celebrate a great love and commitment between two friends. I can’t help but want to give them the best photos. This way they can relive their big day over and over for many years to come.
Jasmine Star, Studio222, The Schultzes, Jill Thomas, and Jose Villa, to name just a few (seriously – there are so many amazing photographers)
Camera gear wise – hands down my 50mm 1.4 is a must at every shoot and rarely leaves the camera body. I feel lost without it. Then probably my laptop and my iPhone – I mean, I have to stay connected, you know?
Person/people: Family and friends – because they love me no matter what, and they encourage me to continue following and pursuing my dreams.
Place: If I could never be near some sort of body of water again I think I might do the ugly cry. (Editor’s note: Please, get her to some water stat!)
Thing: Coffee in the morning. It’s such a great pick me up but is also soooo comforting.
How does your studio set itself apart from the multitude of new photographers
out there that keep popping up?
You are probably tired of hearing this, but I really try to get to know my clients. Photographing their wedding isn’t just about me being there with a nice camera and knowing how to work in photoshop. It’s about me telling their story. I can’t tell their unique story unless I know them. I have a fun little questionnaire for each of my clients to fill out so I can get to know them (and they learn a bit about me, too). It’s all about the relationship.
I also offer high quality products that clients are looking for.
In this digital age it seems as though we photographers have tostay on our toes to keep up with the times. I know that when my big day rolls around and I get married, I’m going to want my files for sure – so how can I deny my clients the very thing I would want? I do always advise my clients to print at labs, so they will get a better quality image.
I am just so thankful for facebook because I am so not the the kind of person to go out and network. Facebook has made it so easy for me to tag clients in pictures, post notifications of when I’ve blogged, tell people about a sale, and just keep people informed on what’s going on with me. It’s all free… and I get to sit in my yoga pants and drink coffee while I network. What more could I ask for?! Now twitter – I’m working on that one.
Digilabs Pro has been great for my business. It was really easy for me to set up and use and I love how I could customize my galleries to match my branding. I’ve never had any clients tell me that they have a hard time navigating around the galleries. Customer service is so important to me and DigiLabs Pro ROCKS!
Honestly, I can’t think of any huge disasters… I do carry a wedding day emergency bag with things a bride might need, but forgets. You know, the pretty coat hanger, so I don’t have to photograph the dream gown on a less than attractive plastic hanger. There are other things in my arsenal like baby wipes, bobby pins, safety pins, mints, Tylenol, etc…
It definitely is important to make your bride feel that you are confident in any situation that might not seem perfect.
Be you. I use to spend a lot of time comparing myself to other people – in photography, as well as in other places in my life. In the end, I realized that I just wasn’t happy. When I finally decided to just be who I was created to be, and not worry about what others thought, life became more beautiful and enjoyable. This world certainly would be boring if we were all alike.
Remember, you are beautiful and we need you. I believe Andre Gide said it well when he said, “Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself.”
As Al Sacharov once said, “The key is to trust your heart to move where your unique talents can flourish. This old world will really spin when work becomes a joyous expression of the soul.”
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