Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Murray.
Megan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My path to photography was quite a long one, a 33 year long one to be exact. I used to draw a lot, to write stories, to put on performances on my make-shift stages. I loved being creative and spent most of my time finding ways to play around with that creativity. I even won awards for storytelling and was featured on a PBS show about children’s art.
Somewhere along the way though, I forgot all of this. I got wrapped up in the pressure to choose a career and to “make something” of myself. I studied Business in college and spent many hours knee deep in the white and black lines of spreadsheets. All of my choices were so centered around creating a safe life, that I forgot to also make sure it was a beautiful one.
When my 2 beautiful boys joined this world, things shifted for me. Parenting has a way of blowing your heart open in both its beauty and its hardness. Bringing creativity back into my life became a whisper that couldn’t ignore. I started picking up my dusty old camera again and capturing my kiddos. I wanted so badly to document those moments in time. The way my youngest smiled from ear to ear as a baby, the times where my oldest son would jump off the top of things, and that brief minute of soaring, before gravity takes over.
Being behind my camera felt as if I was slowly bringing something, or maybe someone back to life. My friends started to catch on which led to me becoming the resident child birthday party photographer and soon I became focused on getting as many families in front of my camera as I could so that I could practice. 3 years later, I have a full book of clients that I have the privilege of getting to photograph year after year.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think it’s tricky to turn any passion into a business, especially if it’s in an area that people aren’t used to you living in. I majored in FINANCE so I dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome feelings when turning my photography hobby into an actual business. Am I good enough? Will people value what I have to offer?
Ultimately, I think it comes down to staying true to yourself and not trying to be something or someone you are not. I don’t feel like I can create what I want to create without first being authentic to who I am.
One of the hardest things I do and still struggle to do is to just let my intuition take over. To trust myself enough to know that I can let go of control and let things play out in my sessions. This is where the truest moments lie for me and where I can deliver the highest form of images to my clients.
The other thing I would say is to not be afraid of trying new things, to lean into your curiosities. If you have an interest in something, don’t be afraid to take a class on it! Lean in a bit to that thing and see what may come out of it. There are plenty of online classes these days as well as in-person classes at City Recreation Centers and even Craft stores. I have taken countless classes both to learn the technical side (which to me is like… so not fun) and on how to find my voice (oh so magical).
Being creative is so good for the soul even if you don’t consider yourself “crafty”. I believe strongly that the world is at its most beautiful when each of us shows up as close to who we are meant to be every day. When we take liberties to learn a little more about the things that interest us and sharpen our skills at the things that we yearn to be great at.
It’s a great way to rediscover who you may have always been but might have forgotten along the way.
We’d love to hear more about Hazel’s Roots Photography.
I am a natural light family photographer. Natural light meaning I don’t use flashes or other artificial light in my work.
I am drawn to the wild, natural moments between families. The way parents look at their kiddos, the way the whole family laughs when their preschooler tells knock-knock jokes. I want to capture my families’ stories that only they can tell. My favorite place to tell these stories is in the foothills, at sundown.
I joke that 95% of my job is to entertain your children, but truly I want my sessions to be more than everyone having to smile and look pretty because there are enough moments in life where we are expected to do just that. I want you to have a family playdate, to investigate the cactuses that permeate the meadow, to go on a deer hunt, and to test how quickly the river will carry your stick away.
I encourage this kind of play and try to leave lots of time for games in my shoots. It’s not easy getting the whole family dressed, happy and smiling just to go sit for an hour, so I let the kids lead.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I was raised to think that nothing was impossible, that I could be and do whatever I set my mind to, which was, and still remains an incredible gift. My Dad was a hobbyist photographer as I was growing up. I remember his photos hanging in the hallways of the hospital he worked at, during various art contests that were held. I was so proud to see his photos displayed like that (it might have helped that the photos were of me) and fascinated to know that you could pursue a life that involved using both your right and left brain.
I get a lot of my inspiration from my Grandmothers as well. The name of my photography business is “Hazel’s Roots Photography”. I named it after my great-grandmother Hazel who lived a life, and in time, that I’ve always longed for. She did not feel the pressures of work, social media, or the weight of an ever-growing pile of incoming emails. Her job was her family and she took it very seriously by filling her great-grandchildren’s bellies with homemade cinnamon applesauce, and bread and butter sandwiches. I named my business not only after her, but also after the good old days as I imagine them, full of freedom, the outdoors, and the beautifully imperfect.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HazelsRoots.com
- Email: hazelsrootsphotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: @HazelsRoots
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hazelsroots/
Image Credit:
All images by Hazel’s Roots Photography
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