Today we’d like to introduce you to Miquie Crislip.
Hi Miquie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started my photography journey my freshman year of high school where I took a film class. In this class we learned everything from taking a picture to developing and printing our film. I was hooked. As time went on, I ended up buying my first “big” digital camera my sophomore year of college and started doing creative shoots and graduation photos for my friends. I loved taking photos but those things were not speaking to my soul. Fast forward a bit and a friend of mine asked me to take photos of her and her boyfriend which opened the door to couple shoots. I fell so in love with capturing love. Unfortunately, covid hit as I really started my passion for photographing people so it ended up getting pushed to the side. During covid I moved to Oklahoma which is where I met my husband who encouraged me to pick my camera back up. After doing a few shoots for some of our friends, I was asked to do a friend’s wedding and though I had no idea how to approach a wedding day, I said yes. It was one of the best things I ever did for myself. 4 years later, here I am doing this full time, honing in on my style, photographing the best love stories and traveling the world. I never knew I could make art for a living, but here I am.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Societal expectations, covid, and my husband’s work accident have all been bumps in the road. Freshly graduated from high school, I was told that art could never make a living, that you had to go to college and do something that had job security. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to not listen to the outside noise and follow your dreams. In 2023 my husband ended up having a pretty bad work accident that had him out of work for almost 9 months. This of course caused some financial strain and I had to work a job I hated just to make sure we could buy groceries. During his recovery, I ended up quitting my job on a whim due to how bad the environment was and decided to go full time with photography even though I had 0 bookings. My husband believed in me and I knew if I worked hard enough, I could make it happen, which I did. Thankful is an understatement.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a hybrid wedding photographer, meaning I shoot digital and film. I would say I am know for capturing how the moment feels rather than making it look perfect. I feel as though I capture people’s true humanness, which to me looks more beautiful than posed moments. I am most proud of my film work/my ability to anticipate moments. A good photographer observers, a great photographer can anticipate. I think my ability to capture moments in a way you cannot only see into the day, but you can also feel how the day feels, sets me apart from others. I am drawn to moments that are deeply lived in and I thing a lot of those in my world want to rush them, where I allow those moments to breathe.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I hope that anyone reading this sees how much I value humanness over perfection. The most looked and treasured photographs are those where you can see that persons personality coming through the photo. This is your friendly reminder that moments do not have to be perfect. They can be messy, intentional, lived in and those will be your favorite photos to look back on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://miquieskyephoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miquieskyephoto/
