Rising Stars: Meet Em Daugherty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Em Daugherty.

Hi Em, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a Queer Photographer in Fort Collins, CO and I have been so incredibly grateful for the growing artist community here. In 2016 I studied photography in college and fell in love with film under the safelight in a darkroom, and haven’t stopped shooting film since. I began a small film and digital photography business, Daugherty Photographs, in the middle of 2020 after leaving the service industry during the pandemic. When the opportunity presented itself, I took a risk and started processing film from my home studio full time in addition to providing photo sessions. What started as a small operation to develop my film has grown in the past two years to developing film for over 75 clients, all of which I get to talk to personally about their photographs – an actual dream come true!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some roads have been full of potholes, while others have felt like I could coast comfortably and enjoy the ride. I’ve dreamt of owning a business since I was a child. I wanted to build my work and business from the ground up just as my Grandads and Dad had done. The real challenge is finding a balance between work life, my own creative outlets, and rest. In addition to being a photographer and film developer, I also work full-time at a local garden center and nursery! Daugherty Photographs is owned and operated by me and me alone, and sometimes life gets a little overwhelming when there’s not enough time in the day. I’m thankful for the support I’ve received from clients and friends when I express I need rest or need to adjust my time frames. Everyone has been so kind and understanding thus far.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Film work allows me to take my time, slow my pace of everyday hustling, and gives me the tangible side of creating that I long for. The really special thing about film photography for me is the way it can be manipulated and pushed to its limits in pre-production and post-production. My work varies from quiet images of Queer home life and self-portraiture to experimental portraits, live shows, and weddings, paralleling the raw timelessness and slower pace of working with film in each setting. The community aspect is one of my driving forces behind Daugherty Photographs and my goal is to keep a dying medium alive, giving my fellow artists a trusted space for their photos to shine. Since it began, I’ve learned that film shooters are flourishing in our Northern Colorado artist community and beyond. Photography is a beacon of creativity, a source of reflection inside and out, and film experimentations are endless!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
What truly fulfills me is creating. If I can support myself and my business through creative outlets, then I genuinely feel like I’m succeeding.

Pricing:

• Film Processing Starting at $16

Contact Info:

• Website: www.daughertyphotographs.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queershootsfilm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaughertyPhotographs

Image Credits
Image credit – Em Daugherty of Daugherty Photographs