Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Au.
Melissa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I always took photos. My mom taught me how to use a manual DSLR film camera in high school. As I became an adult, in addition to my personal photography, I would take portraits for people and families I knew just because I enjoyed it. I was an elementary school teacher until the birth of my daughter and was fortunate to be able to stay home with her and then also with my son two years later. I continued to photograph my friends as their families grew. At a party, I met a woman who had seen my work and she asked why I didn’t do it professionally. My answer was something like, “Oh, yeah, that would be my dream job.” She keep pressing saying why not? I had nothing to lose. I already had the equipment I needed. I had a network of moms and families. I wasn’t currently working outside the home. It dawned on me at that moment that I really did have nothing to lose. That was 11 years ago. And now I’m really good friends with that woman too!
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?
I have been fortunate in that my business has grown at the same rate as my available time. As my kids went off to school and were away from home more, I got busier and able to devote more of myself to my photography business. So, that was the smooth part.
Though shoots are often held outdoors or on location, I do have a home studio and my office where the image processing is done is at home. One of the hardest things for me is having clear boundaries and balance between work and home life. I am never really “off” of work as it is always there calling to me and I am constantly jumping back and forth between picking up kids, processing images, changing the laundry, planning shoots. I try to schedule my day so that there is separation but the reality is that everything is intertwined. On the flip side, it is beautiful and I have to embrace it because I can almost always make the mid-day school events, be there for my kids when they get home from school and run a thriving business on my own terms.
I had the photography and the interpersonal skills (people skills are equally important!) but the business skills were all new to me when starting out. Creating your brand identity and figuring out what makes you special in your niche are super important. There is also all of the bureaucratic stuff like taxes, permits, trademark–even just a standard workflow that I had to learn all from scratch and on my own (hello Google). Working from home can be isolating not just socially but also in terms of a community of other people who are either going through what you are going through or even better have done it before and can advise you. I am always open to mentor other upcoming photographers because I didn’t really have that myself and could definitely have benefitted from it. I am still looking for that community.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I do it all… well, almost all—no weddings! Families, children, pets, business portraits, food, commercial, interior design… I have found l like to mix it up to keep things changing and interesting for me. I need to be challenged by new subjects and scenarios and this is how I thrive professionally and artistically.
I really enjoy working one on one with children and animals. I like the rapport that I get when working with individuals. It gives time and space to focus on getting to know my subject to capture their story in their portraits. Children and animals are raw and pure. They aren’t worried about how to hold their hands or if their hair looks good. They just are as they are and that is what I strive to capture. I try to tell the story of whatever I am photographing–be it a person, a landscape or a meticulously designed interior space. The images I am drawn to take are those where the family dog is licking someone in the face, the littlest kid is running away, mom is trying to grab the little one and dad is laughing. That’s the real story. That is what the family will remember about life during the time that was captured, not everyone perfectly posed and smiling into the camera.
Love of animals has always been a large part of my life. As a family, we have lots of pets and foster for the Humane Society. I embrace the chaos that a dog brings to the shoot. I understand that they have no idea why I am pointing that big black clicking box at them. I love that and do not expect anything from them. I realized that many of my vacation images were of dogs I met along the way so I recently started an Instagram account devoted entirely to those dogs: @just_here_to_meet_the_dogs.
I am definitely known for my themed mini photo shoots, which are based primarily around holidays throughout the year. These are stylized mini shoots to targeted to create a price point where parents can get their children professionally photographed all throughout the year. I have so much fun coming up with the concepts and changing the set to keep things fresh from year to year. I make these into mini-events that are short and sweet, fun for kids, and affordable for the parents.
In the past year, I have also become known for my interior photography. If you would have asked me in the past, I would have said this type of work sounded boring but not so… I love it! I think that the space we surround ourselves in is extremely important and I am totally inspired by the rooms I photograph. I love to hone in on the moments that the designer has created and again capture the story of the space. I am lucky to work with fantastic designers to showcase their beautiful work. Interior photography is really where I have gotten the most publicity as my work is featured all over the Internet and social media and in print magazines.
Lastly, as a family, we are known for our holiday cards. It all started when my son pulled my daughter’s hair after I had set them up for the annual family card photo. I was like, “that’s the shot.” And from there, we have tried our best to keep it playful and different. We get people that we don’t even know saying they saw our card at a friend’s (in common) house and loved it. Not gonna lie, it’s a little bit of pressure to top each year’s card but its fun and has become a family project each year. Now, I have clients who to me and we work together to create inventive photos unique to their family each year.
Pricing:
- Varies depending on project. Family portrait shoot $190 with images additional. Pricing list can be found on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: dandeliondreamsphoto.com
- Phone: 858.381.2468
- Email: melissa@dandeliondreamsphoto.com
- Instagram: dandeliondreamsphoto & just_here_to_meet_the_dogs
- Facebook: no longer active on facebook
Image Credit:
all images ©dandelion dreams photography
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