Inspiring Conversations with Mercedes Williams of Mercedes Lenz Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mercedes Williams. 

Mercedes, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I never grew up wanting to be a photographer, if you told me ten years ago today that I was going to be a photographer I would have told you that you were lying. Little girl Mercedes would have told you she wanted to be a princess. 

It wasn’t until 2015 when I picked up my first camera, it was my now husbands’ camera. I was a teenage mom and started only taking pictures of my daughter. I would have never thought I’d be here. After a few months of taking pictures of my daughter, I started offering sessions to my family/friends. I was a server at Village Inn and juggled my time with photoshoots, motherhood, and work. 

In 2018 I was able to serve part-time, and do photography to fill in the rest of my work week. It was working out until I took a much-needed creative break and found my style in photography, and confidence in 2019 after having my second daughter. 

In 2019 I made the decision to leave Village Inn and pursue my passion full time. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to do so since. 

Photography is like my getaway; I plan to take time to work on projects and tell more stories through my images. Capturing all the beauty within everything. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I am grateful for all the trials and tribulations I went through to get to where I’m at now. 

Some struggles along the way would be the realization that even the people you think would be the closest to you will not support you. You’d be surprised with how many strangers will fill that void. 

Or juggling motherhood and being a wife while still trying to pursue a passion. It’s easy to get lost in my work, and now being the mother of three kids it can be a struggle to separate all of them. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m a photographer who specializes in family, maternity, lifestyle, and boudoir. 

I think what sets me apart from others is my wide variety of types of photography I do. I honestly even hate saying things I specialize in because I feel like I genuinely do it all. 

I’m most passionate about lifestyle/storytelling images, and boudoir. Both give me a certain type of drive that is indescribable. I love being able to feel the emotions behind a photo, or even being that person that helped a women find her confidence and beauty again. 

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is making sure my photos have purpose. 

My dad restores hot rods and absolutely loves it, but he was a mobile mechanic for years and hated it. But he continued to do it to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs. He loves working on cars, but not every car, lol. 

I promised myself I won’t let that happen in my journey. It’s important to me to do what I love, and not turn my passion to a job. 

Pricing:

• Sessions start at $300

Contact Info:

• Email: Mercedeswilliams@mercedeslenzphotography.com
• Website: Mercedeslenzphotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mercedeslenzphotography?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MercedesLenzPhotography