Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Burgess.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Megan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
If there are two things I love most in life its people and pictures. When I was little, I was the kid that wanted to be around people from the moment I woke up until the moment I fell asleep. In my mind, there was always more fun to be had, more people to see, and more adventures to go on. I was raised in a family of strong women – pairs of sisters across generations: my grandma and great aunt, my mother and my aunt, and my sister and I. My great aunt (lovingly referred to as Auntie Susie), had her camera with her almost always, documenting everything, trips to Sea World, the Zoo, Balboa Park, birthday parties, as well as our everyday adventures of after school snacks and tea parties under the tree in our backyard. Her legacy lives on through the love she showed us, as well as the shelves and shelves of photo albums filled with moments and memories we can cherish forever. The first time I ever recall a camera in my hand was in Junior High. It was a basic, rather crappy, Fujifilm 6-megapixel digital point-and-shoot, and I brought it with me just about everywhere. I’d stop to shoot new grass, flowers, or water ridden rain gutters…anything that caught my eye.
Through the years, I slowly began upgrading equipment and stretching what I found interesting and picture worthy. Soon, friends started coming to me and asking if I would shoot photos of them. I’d agree and continue expanding what I shot. I took photo classes in high school and gained an even greater appreciation for the freedoms that come with digital photography once I learned film. I entered into my college years at SDSU, originally declaring as an art major to pursue photography, but switched the week of freshman orientation to Liberal Studies/Elementary Ed. I went through college still shooting photos and continuing to hone my craft, all the while figuring the path to an elementary classroom was where I should be. It wasn’t until the last semester of my senior year that I realized my dream and degree were not in sync. I finished out my schooling, (because well…when you’re 3/4 through a degree, you might as well) graduated, and honestly felt pretty lost for the first few months. I sat long and hard and realized that my camera was more of a constant in my life that I’d care to admit. People had trusted me to shoot moments and parts of their lives even when I was terrible at it, and at this point, I had nothing to lose if I chose to step out on my own. So I did, and I’ve kept shooting. Fast forward almost five years and here I am. Shortography was born and I’ve never looked back. I am humbled always by the business and clients I have been blessed with because I realize I am just a drop in a sea of brilliant artists around my city making their way in photo and video. I love it all the same though. It fills my soul in a way I never thought it could or would.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was that kid who couldn’t wait for the next fun thing. I was an “on/off” switch, always gearing up for something new I could look forward to. My sister has been my partner in crime all my life and has been by my side through weddings and other adventures I’ve encountered in my photographic endeavors. Sharing time and experiences with people is a quality I’ve held dear ever since I was little. Though there are days where I enjoy time alone, time with people I feel safe is what recharges me the most.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Hah! A smooth road? No, but a bumpy road is what makes us appreciate when the road IS smooth, am I right? Anyone who is an independent contractor or works for themselves knows full well that it’s hard when you know the success of your business relies completely on your personal motivation to make things happen. What I have come to realize is truer than anything over these last few years is that it’s not only WHO you know, but HOW you treat people and those connections. People can open doors for me to build my business, but it’s on ME to walk through those doors and nurture a relationship and establish a trust to create something unique to who they are. There are so many types of photographers out there, but when your niche is people and portraits – how you connect with humans matters. It matters so, SO much.
There’s a vulnerability that people feel when they’re in front of the camera. I know that because I feel that. I feel self-conscious, exposed, and worried about how I’m being represented. Those are things ALL clients (except for babies, young kids, and pets) feel. I have to remind myself of that on days when I’m running out of steam as a business. It’s my job as a photographer to not just “take pictures,” but to make those clients feel safe and affirmed. There’s always a million things to worry about on the camera side of things when I’m juggling weird light, delayed arrivals, six children, or crowded locations…but I cannot forget that the connection I make with people and the space I hold for them at that time is what makes their experience.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Shortogaphy is the name, the photo is my game. To clarify, the “short” in Shortography is not because you get shorted out as a client of mine, but because I’m short. A clever play on my under five foot stature + the photo work I love most. I specialize in lifestyle portraits, but I also work for a few San Diego businesses creating photo content for events, food/drink, and menus. The thing I am most proud of is the friendships I’ve built with people who started as clients – the life and memories that are created when I’m just “on a shoot.” I’ve had the honor of following and documenting some people all the way from their engagement to their wedding, to their new house, to the birth of their first baby, to their baby’s first birthday and beyond. I’m proud that my “work” means more to people than just another photo on their phone or their wall. My work is compiled of moments. Moments of the here-and-now, the nitty-gritty, sometimes hair-messy, crazed children, everything-feels-like-it’s-going-wrong moments.
That’s real life, and what I kindly remind people of is that it is worth remembering. The raw life and connection I so desperately seek to showcase in my clients is what inspires me and charges me up. But life isn’t always happy, or joyful, I know this to be true. Some of the work I am most proud of and most emotionally tied to was born out of great sadness and pain. My camera has been with me through the last days of a family friend’s beloved pet, to family photos after a close friend’s cancer diagnosis, and with me through the loss of a sweet friend of mine and a 21-gun salute at his memorial service. People often poke fun at how people “take pictures of everything” these days, and I get it. They’re not wrong…I guess I see it differently, though. My camera always at my side represents my readiness to capture what I see and witness in my own life, and the lives of others – the things people wouldn’t think twice to stop and notice. That’s what I hope sets me apart, and what people have grown to know me for. That girl who reminds them of the extra that lives inside the ordinary of themselves.
Pricing:
- Family Session // $275
- Couples Session // $300
- Portrait/Pet Session // $200
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shortography.com
- Phone: (619) 573-7124
- Email: megan.shortography@gmail.com
- Instagram: meganjaneburgess
Image Credit:
All images are mine!
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