When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?
I knew my sophomore year of college that Photography was something I wanted to pursue seriously as a career. It was after I had been in to Photography my senior year of high school, and then taking a year off in college, before a friend in a local band asked me to come take photos for their show that I realized I wanted to do something with Photography. I was 19 at the time, and 3 years later at the age of 22 I got my business license, went full time, and haven’t looked back since.
When and how did you start out in photography?
I started out my sophomore year of college (at 19) taking photos for local bands and musicians, which lead to doing headshots for my actor friends, and then having my friends “model” for fashion projects. Eventually I dabbled in lots of types of Photography, from Weddings, to Family Portraits, to shooting local events before I tried it all, and narrowed it back down to what I truly loved and was most passionate about. Today I focus solely on High School Senior Portraits and Commercial and Editorial Fashion work.
How would you describe your style?
My style is a natural, fresh and fun – with a fashion forward approach. I keep my post-processing to a bare minimum, and while my clients are stylish they are never over-styled. I want my work to capture their personality and beauty without anything like too much makeup, props, additional lighting or a studio setting getting in the way. My style really focuses on their personality and clean, bright looking images (no matter what time of year!).
What’s in your gear bag?
Ona “Capri” Bag
Canon 1DX
Canon 85mm 1.2L
Batteries, 8GB CF cards and a reflector and step-stool.
I like to pack light for my portrait work – but you can see my extensive gear list here.
85mm 1.2L – it’s been on my camera for a solid 2 years straight!
How did know when the right time to start charging was?
I almost always charged something from Day 1 – for most shoots. I had done a few shoots here and there for my portfolio or as favors and I found that those people were the WORST clients because they were getting something for free and didn’t respect or value my time. I charged very little starting out – but it was very important to charge something for my work, so that my clients saw value in what they were getting from me.
How did you market yourself when you started out?
I’ve always marketed through word of mouth – Facebook did not exist at the level it did when I started, and social media was not a big “thing” yet – so I relied on word of mouth to shoot jobs here and there. I connected with people in my industry while I was building my wedding portfolio and by the time I ventured in to High School Senior Portraits, Facebook was starting to take off. I found a few clients through friends that I asked to be “Senior Reps” and represent me at their high school and use my images for their profile pictures. It grew exponentially from there as Facebook began to take off, and my work spread via more word of mouth. The only paid advertising I ever did was through Facebook ads to attract new Senior Reps, but once I was established in my market after a few years I stopped doing any type of paid advertising. I believe in word of mouth, and having a reputable business and letting your work speak for itself. If you focus on your clients and creating quality work and delivering it in a timely matter you will get so much further in your career.
We are going to play a game… name the first person that comes to mind when you think of…
·Newborn photographer: Anne Geddes
·Wedding photographer: Elizabeth Messina
·Lifestyle photographer: Nick Onken
·Most inspirational person: Not Photography related, but currently it’s Macklemore
Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught? If self-taught, what helped you the most?
I have a BFA in Photography from the University of Washington – I felt that the most valuable skills I learned there were processing film and working in a darkroom. We didn’t get an extensive course in working with studio lighting, so I’m mostly self-taught in that realm from experimentation and using our school studio on a regular basis. On the business side I’m all self-taught – running your own business will give you a crash course in that really quick! Having great mentors helped me the most, as well as an inspirational business minded dad who has given me lots of advice over the years. I think if you can find yourself a mentor that is the most invaluable type of learning there is!
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business?
Being a young female – especially when I started out. I have had to deal with people who felt they could take advantage of me because I was young, and “inexperienced”. I still feel that I have to constantly prove myself – especially in the fashion industry. It becomes easier as I’ve gotten older and have more experience under my belt and on my resume. I’ve had many learning experiences through running my own business, and learning how to stand up for myself and my business practices early on has been my most successful triumph.
Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out? (Can be a business or a shooting tip… or any tip you’d like to give them).
My biggest tip I ALWAYS tell people is to get out there and DO IT – shoot, shoot, SHOOT, LOTS and keep doing it over and over again. Heard of that saying 10,000 hours? It’s so true. When you are getting started, practice every, single, day and you’ll improve that much faster.
If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be?
I would LOVE to be a back-up dancer for on a music tour – or a drummer in a band. Random, but secret wishes! In all seriousness, I think I would be a marketing director or business consultant and help other companies grow. I love anything related to marketing and find it would be something totally natural to me and fun to do!
What’s the best lesson in photography (business or shooting) that you’ve learned so far?
Stand behind what you believe in (business practices, philosophy, etc.) – know when to stick to your rules, and when to bend them. Aside from that, the biggest lesson I’ve learned and have tried my best to stick to is communication. Over communicate with your clients, let them know what’s up, and don’t hide from them if you’ve made a mistake or forgot to do something. It’s always better to just let them know and give them expectations. Under-promise and Over-deliver.
“Michelle Moore is an internationally respected & award winning commercial and portrait photographer residing in Seattle, WA. While she is well-known for her natural and fresh approach to photographing teens, and starting the successful hair & makeup trend in high school senior portrait photography; Michelle is also a commercial and lifestyle photographer, working with clothing brands and companies to produce quality images for lookbooks, branding and advertising campaigns.
In addition to her talent as a photographer, Michelle has published two successful online “breakout” workshops with Clickin Moms entitled “Create Your Dream Clients” and “Senior Success” as well as written a posing guide entitled “POSING & MOORE” which has been sold in over 20 countries to thousands of photographers. She also enjoys teaching, and has most recently taught at the Click Away conference in 2014 and the NAPCP retreat in early 2015.
Most notable clients include Amazon.com, Free People, Sasquatch Books, Jessica Lowndes of 90210, New York Times Best-Selling Author Sarah Jio, Jane Park CEO of Julep and publications such as Huffington Post, Inc. Magazine, Martha Stewart and Seattle Magazine.”
Find Michelle Moore on the Web: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
