Today we’d like to introduce you to Merrilee Willoughby.
Merrilee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. My grandfather was a photographer and I like to think that I inherited some of my passion from him. For most of my life, photography was a hobby and I took classes in college for fun. For many years I shot on film and spent hours in the darkroom. About eight years ago, after I had my first child, I turned my passion into a business and launched Photography by Merrilee.
I started out shooting families, expecting couples and newborns. After a couple of years, my husband and I started shooting weddings as well. Now, in addition to families, weddings, and events, I also teach camera classes for parents and I work with a local children’s boutique, So Childish, to provide in-store events like Santa photos and harvest photos.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggles I encountered were in the beginning learning how to run a business. It’s easy to think that because you’re launching a business that revolves around your passion, it will be a smooth road. While I did know how to take pictures, I didn’t know how to obtain a business license, price my products, pay sales tax, identify vendors to work with, etc… I learned quickly that taking pictures would only occupy a small amount of my time.
The rest is devoted to processing photos, ordering products, accounting, marketing, pricing, selling, customer service, etc… I remember feeling overwhelmed trying to learn how to run a legitimate and successful business. It was a lot to figure out all at once, but I was very fortunate to have mentors in my life who were more than willing to share their knowledge and expertise. I spent a lot of time those first couple years talking to people and immersing myself in workshops and conferences. I had to really think about where I wanted my business to go and how I would get there.
It was hard to sift through all of the information and advice and really figure out what worked for me and my business, but I’m glad I put the time in at the beginning. I’ve spent a long time developing systems that really work for me in all the aspects of my business and now things run very smoothly.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Photography by Merrilee – what should we know?
I specialize in family portraits and weddings and my goal is always to provide my clients with a set of images that captures the joy and beauty in their life right now. I look for what makes each family or couple unique and what memories will bring them the most joy. I strive to find and capture everyday moments that are authentic and true. I want my clients to have photographs that are true keepsakes that will transport them back to those moments.
I work with my clients from start to finish which means my work begins long before their wedding or the day of their session and often doesn’t end until they have a canvas on their wall or an album in their hand. I spend time getting to know each my clients and finding out what it is they want to capture in their photos and how they want to enjoy their photos in the future. We work together to come up with a plan to make that happen. Each session is totally unique and that is exactly how I like it. Living in Southern California, we are spoiled for choice when it comes to location.
I’ve followed families around Disneyland to capture their little ones dressed as princesses riding the carousel and I’ve documented adoption ceremonies. I’ve had sessions where we went hiking, tide pooling, bike riding or sailing on the bay. My goal is to find the thing or the place that will have the most meaning. Some of my favorite sessions have been in my clients’ homes simply following them around while they played games, made music, baked cookies, or read books together. In addition to taking photographs, I also teach camera classes for parents. About a year ago, I launched my In Focus Camera Classes with the idea that I could help parents better understand how to use their cameras and capture everyday moments with their children.
At the time, I’d received a number of inquiries about classes or one-on-one tutoring from parents and it was almost always the same story – parents would tell me that they got a fancy camera as a gift or purchased one when they had their first baby and they’d intended to learn how to use it, but now it’s gathering dust in their closet and their baby is growing up and they haven’t taken any pictures. My classes are designed so that parents will gain a solid understanding of how their camera works and learn basic photography concepts along with some tips and tricks for capturing their little ones. I’ve had parents tell me that my In Focus classes have empowered and inspired them to pull their cameras out of the closet and start clicking which is exactly what I’d hoped for!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think that my business has been successful for two reasons. The first is that I’ve been able to provide my clients with really meaningful images and the second is that I strive to provide amazing customer service. I don’t want my clients to end up with a disc of images stashed in a drawer somewhere that they never enjoy. Instead, I want them to end up with a finished product that will bring them happiness for years to come.
A week or two after most of my photo sessions, I meet with my clients in their homes to help them determine the best way to enjoy their images. I’ve designed wall layouts with prints or canvases and I’ve created many custom family and wedding albums. No matter what, I want my clients to be delighted with their photographs and I will do whatever I can to ensure that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.photographybymerrilee.com
- Phone: 619-987-7498
- Email: merrilee@photographybymerrilee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merrileew
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/photographybymerrilee
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/photography-by-merrilee-san-diego
Image Credit:
Sara Goetz Photography, Photography by Merrilee
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