Elise Meader is a lifestyle, family, child photographer, and all around super-woman. Hailing from Central Mass, Elise recounts her epic tale of how she went from passion photographer capturing her kids on their level, to creating wall-mount worthy moments of families'. Elise's laid-back, non-critical path to capturing real moments as opposed to clinically exposed is a big driving force behind her rise to popularity in the central Mass area.
“I never could draw or paint and I never considered myself a creative until I picked up a camera. Its just such a great outlet””
"I put the camera down first, get them to trust me and I talk to them like I would talk to my own kids. Sometimes I shout out the word 'fart!' and it works."
"Do what you would do if I was not here." - on directing families.
In this episode you'll learn:
How Elise got started in photography
Who gave her the push to go for it
How she started shooting automatic and then switched to manual
Why she made the switch and who encouraged her to not give up
Simple photo projects that Elise did at home that her learn manual
How Elise gets kids to interact with her when she pulls the camera
How Elise gets the parents to take a deep breath and relax
I share how I get couples to relax if they are stressed out during an engagement session
How often Elise is shooting with her camera
The gear Elise uses and why it shocked us
How she utilized the equipment she had to define a style for her
How Elise interacts with the families she working with
Why Elise is taking a different approach when it comes to lenses
What advice Elise was getting from other photographers when she first started
How she found her photography style through the criticism
Why we love the approach she took of just shooting however she likes
How she try's to make a new world out of the chrildrens imagination
What Elise does with the photos she takes
How Elise handles the photos of her own chrildren
The old school method of showing off her printed photos
Why she prints small photo proofs instead of getting a photo book printed
How you can start making family yearbooks at home
The fun Photo project Elise does with her family every day
How incredibly useful her Project 366 has been to her professional work
I ask if she goes to weddings and only photographs kids
How Elise got into shooting her first wedding after shooting just kids
Why Elise is going her own way when it comes to shooting what she wants to shoot.
Why specializing in one area of photography might not work for you
And Elise's favorite compliment to get from parents
Links and Resources:
`You should probably mess around in Manual... you know that is a great idea!"