Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Green.
Hi Meredith, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a family that valued capturing memories of our life. My parents were always taking photos of everything we did. I loved looking through albums and seeing photos of my brother, sister and me as little kids all over our house. I don’t remember my first camera, but I can remember the excitement of taking a roll of film into a store and the anticipation of picking up your final prints. I was that friend asking the store to make “double prints” so my friends could get a copy as well. There was the experience of getting our own professional portraits taken as a kid. I grew up in a small town in Missouri, with only one photographer in the town at that time. I loved going to his studio, watching him set up his scenes and lighting. Plus, he always knew what to do to make us laugh so naturally. He was great at what he did. I enjoyed going back to the studio weeks later with my mom to select our images and then seeing those images added to our walls at home. The whole experience stuck with me throughout the years because it was special! Mr. and Mrs. Batemen was my first photography idols.
During high school and college, I was interested in writing and design. I graduated with a BA in Media Communications. My first job after graduation was working as a Communications Coordinator for a private, nonprofit high school in St. Louis. I took photos as needed for their publications, but being a photographer still wasn’t on my radar. Life brought me to Texas in 2007 and I needed a job. I took the first thing that came along at a Land Acquisition company, which lead to more opportunities in the Oil & Gas industry. While I loved the companies I worked for, I missed the creative outlets my communications job had provided. I got married in 2014 and was in a friend’s wedding that same year. I became intrigued with digital photography after our engagement session and seeing the wedding photographers in action.
My husband had a Canon Rebel TI and I started messing around with it. However, I couldn’t get the images to turn out how I wanted, so I invested in education to teach myself how to shoot in a manual. I fell in love with digital photography and seeing the immediate results. My dog, husband, family, friends and events were my subjects. I shot everything I could. A passion emerged that I hadn’t felt in a long time with the work I had been doing. In February 2015, I designed a logo, created a Wix free website and a business Facebook page and launched Meredith Green Photography. I put a call out and asked for opportunities. Interest slowly came in. I shot a variety of genres at the beginning. My first sessions included a car salesman with his cars, a small wedding reception, my friend and her son, and a girl’s senior photos. I quickly knew I wanted a full-frame camera and used the bonus from my corporate job to purchase my first full-frame, the Canon 5D Mark III! I studied editing, shooting, lighting and kept shooting the opportunities that came my way.
However, I was working full time, plus shooting and editing during the weeknights and weekends. I then became pregnant with my first child. I was exhausted. As planning to become a mom grew closer, photography went on the back burner. When my son was born in 2016, I documented everything again. I had only photographed one baby before my son and had so much to learn. I quit my corporate Oil and Gas job to stay home with my son. I learned a lot from photographing him in our everyday element. Because my business seemed to fail before it really got started, I didn’t really consider myself a photographer. I also didn’t mention it to a lot of the new mom friends around me, but one friend noticed. In the fall of 2017, she said, “I know you have a camera and can use it, will you take our photos for our Christmas card?” I was thrilled and that passion came back! I was so nervous when I showed up to meet them. The shoot went well and I knew family photography was for me! Capturing kids’ personalities never gets old. As a mom, I know how quickly they change and grow and I love capturing it all.
Since that shoot in 2017, I haven’t looked back. I invested in more education, upgraded my website and logo and pursued my dream of being a professional photographer. My daughter was born in 2018, which allowed me to practice techniques on another baby and siblings. I learned a lot from a photography standpoint and a mom standpoint, which is a big aspect of my business. I can relate and understand how important investing in a photography experience is to families. I know the stress of getting outfits coordinated and picked out. I know how important timely and clear communication is. I understand how much effort it takes to get everyone out the door to the session and then the worry of if the kids will cooperate. I do my best to help my families prepare so they feel confident as they walk out the door. This brings us to 2020, when I decided to revamp the way I ran my photography business. I’m all about exceptional customer service and relationships with the families I capture. I felt like my business was missing something.
After a mentorship, I decided I was going to start offering that special experience I loved as a kid when getting my own portraits done. I rented office space for Meredith Green Photography and started learning about offering print products. I love digital images, but I wanted to offer my services to busy families who never take the time to get their images printed or say they’ll get to it next week. Parents are busy and I help take the stress away of the question, “Now what do I do with all these digitals?” Each session includes an in-person or online pre-session consultation to plan each family’s session. I want to learn about their family, the parents, and each kid. I like to know what they love about that certain child and partner. It’s great when I can incorporate this in at a session. A few weeks after their session, clients meet back with me at my office to view their images. From there, I help them make their image selections and create print products. I enjoy seeing their reactions to the way I captured their family at the Image Viewing and Selection Appointment. I like that extra, personalized, customer experience I get to have with each family I work with. Most of all, I love creating artwork that can be passed down through the generations to remember this fleeting time in a family’s life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a journey. There’s been learning the technical side to photography, learning to become a photographer, and then learning to run a photography business. The three are all very different. Plus, in DFW there are thousands of great photographers. It’s hard to not to get lost in the shuffle or passed on based on pricing. It’s a highly competitive market. It’s easy to compare myself to other photographers and wonder when my work will get there. Plus, it can be lonely being a one woman show. I wear all the hats in my business. When things go wrong, there’s no one else to turn to… either to blame or just lean on for support. I had a hard drive crash earlier this year. The drive had six (new clients) front porch sessions on there. I hadn’t backed up the sessions or edited and delivered the galleries yet. If the lab could have recovered any data, the price tag was steep. However, nothing on it was recoverable. Let me mention here that I was have since then implemented a strict back up procedure after each session, but reaching out to those clients to tell them there images were gone was awful. They were all understanding and most accepted my offer to reshoot, but I lost a lot of sleep over that whole situation.
My husband was supportive, but it was a gut wrenching business experience and I wanted to talk to other photographers about it. After that, I reached out to a few other family photographers I knew and asked if they wanted meet up occasionally to talk about everything photography related. It’s been a great to have that support! Also, when I switched business models this year, I knew I would lose clients, because it wouldn’t be for everyone anymore. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about losing those clients, My biggest struggle is balancing being someone who cares deeply about customer relationships, while running a profitable business. I had to start saying my time and work is worth more than what I previously charged, which is uncomfortable. I don’t like to over generalize, but I’d say this happens to a lot of businesswomen. It’s a tricky road to navigate and one I’m constantly finding my way on. I’ve heard a lot of “no(s)” this year, but it’s made the yes(s) even sweeter!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Meredith Green Photography specializes in family photography, capturing maternity sessions, newborns and families. I have a light and bright style full of joy! My images are true to life colors, with genuine connections. I’m a people person, who is great with all types of people, so I put my subjects at ease. I also make your session about you and try to honor your requests or specific ideas you want incorporated in. As a family photographer, you have to be able to roll with it. Kids are kids. They a little people that hardly ever want to sit still, pose for the camera and smile. You have to give them some freedom to be kids during the sessions. They are full of ideas of their own and often times, when you let go of your expectations, the best emotions to capture happen naturally. You also have to know when to let everyone relax for a second or when to push the dad or child who doesn’t want one more photo, to do one more photo. It’s a delicate balance.
I’m proud of my growth as a business owner. I knew something was missing from my business, but it was scary to make the switch to offering print products and a full service, customer experience where digital images delivered through an online gallery are all the rave. There is nothing wrong with that process, it’s what I did for five years, I just knew it wasn’t for me anymore. It’s an investment financially and time wise for my clients, but one done with a lot of heart and hard work from me. I really appreciate the returning clients that trusted my process and came along with me this year. My client experience sets me apart from others. I help families plan and think out the session ahead of time so you aren’t left the day before wondering, “Why did we think this was a good idea?” I also have a client wardrobe closet with dresses for moms, especially for maternity or newborn sessions to make dressing during this time less frustrating. It’s also full of items for kids and newborns. Plus, seeing your images in your home will make you proud of your investment. And having me creating an album or wall art for you, adds time back to your busy schedule. I even have a software program that can show you what your images would look like hanging on the walls in your home. I’m all about the little touches to make your family photoshoot a fun and memorable experience!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
It’s important to give back to your community in hard times if you’re able to. When the first round of stay at home restrictions were lifted in Texas in May, I decided to offer Front Porch Mini Sessions with the session fee being donated to local charities as a way to give back to the community.
It was nice to get back to shooting and I the families loved these front porch mini sessions for the ease and convenience of walking out your front door. I was able to donate $575 to The Net FW and $575 to Christ Haven’s for Children (both local organizations) through these sessions. The organizations were thankful for extra donations during a strange time. The families were able to document a memorable phase in their life and happy to know they were helping out the community. I was able to work, see clients that bring me joy and help out the community, which brought a lot of personal satisfaction with my job and owning a small business.
Contact Info:
- Email: meredith@meredithgreenphotography.com
- Website: https://meredithgreenphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meredith.green
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meredithgreenphotography
Image Credits
Headshot and Branding Images: Alexa Vossler Photography Family, Maternity, Newborn Images by Meredith Green Photography
