Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Glynn.
Melissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been in business since 2007… almost 14 years!! That’s crazy to type out! I feel like I was pushed into this career, honestly. I went to school with the idea I would be a fashion designer but ended up with a Marketing degree and no clue what to do next. My mother gifted me my first SLR camera (a Pentax K1000) my Sophomore year of college because she “thought I needed a hobby.” I had no clue how to use it or what to do with it, but I was interested enough to give it a try. I audited a photography course at my university and loved the darkroom process and capturing life around me, but I didn’t really think much about it beyond that. I photographed a couple of friends for their Senior portraits and took a few shots of my sister and her fiancé, and then put the camera down for the next few years. I didn’t pick it up again until I went through a series of really terrible jobs and my boyfriend at the time encouraged me to try photography as a career. I laughed… I had never even considered it. I took photos… I wasn’t a photographer. I wasn’t trained. I didn’t own a digital camera, nor did I know how to use one. It was daunting to me, but I decided to give it a shot since no other career seemed as appealing. I went to Best Buy and maxed out a credit card with a Nikon D60 camera body and one zoom kit lens to get me started. Somehow, I ended up getting to shoot a friend’s small last-minute wedding a few weeks later. In order to get more images for a portfolio and website, I put an ad on Craigslist saying I would shoot your wedding for free. I ended up shooting five or six very small weddings – most of which were never put on my website because the photos did not turn out well at all, but there was one wedding that was perfect. The couple, the details, the location were all ideal. And that was all I needed.
A friend built my VERY basic HTML website for me, and I was off… I booked my very first PAID wedding a few weeks later, and I was both ecstatic and terrified. $700 to capture their wedding… $700 given to me by someone who was trusting me with this extraordinary task. The gravity set in. When the wedding day finally arrived, I had my mother drive six hours to come help me because I didn’t know what I was doing. My mother is NOT a photographer… so, she was only there as my emotional support crutch. It ended up being a success and I feel like that was the first major step for me believing in myself as a “professional.” I worked part-time jobs the first two years while I was building my company, and it was a thrill when the day finally came that I could support myself with only photography. Fast forward to over a decade later, and I’m a thriving photographer in one of the top wedding destinations in the country. I made a lot of really bad decisions in my career (hey, Groupon) and fortunately have gotten really lucky a handful of times. I did it all by myself with no help from anyone… no partner to help support me in low times… no financial safety net in place the first decade. It’s definitely not been easy, but it’s been worth it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Groupon was a big mistake, but I was the first photographer to do one in Austin when Groupon’s rules weren’t solid yet. So… we just didn’t know any better. (We = me AND Groupon) They were new too, so they just didn’t prepare me for what was about to happen. Long story made short. I was basically working for free for two years while trying to tackle the 500 portrait sessions they sold in less than eight hours that day. Brutal.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a boudoir, wedding, and portrait photographer focusing on the real emotions and lives around me. My goal is to always show off the beauty and depth in every person who steps in front of my camera. I love that I get to show people how I see them. I get to reveal joy in children’s faces, love among family members, the intimacy between newlyweds, sensuality and power in a woman during a boudoir session, and so many other wonderful moments. That’s what I’m most proud of in my career… the fact that I am able to connect with my clients in a way that makes them feel safe to open up and reveal those parts of themselves. I also think that’s what sets me apart from other photographers.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Absolutely! 1. Always have savings. 2. Have a VERY solid contract. Get it reviewed by multiple attorneys just in case. 3. Kindness goes a long way.
Contact Info:
- Email: melissa@melissaglynn.com
- Website: www.melissaglynn.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mglynnphoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mglynnphoto
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/mglynnphoto
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/melissa-glynn-photography-austin-3
- Other: www.melissaglynn.me
Image Credits
Amanda Hartfield – for my personal photo
