When I first started out with the idea that I wanted to turn this passion for photography into a business, I tried shooting anything and everything.  Family, babies, seniors, family reunions, dogs, cats.  You name it, I was game to shoot it.  As time has passed I’ve figured out the I don’t really want to shoot everything.  There are subjects I prefer to photograph more than others.  One of my favorite sessions is high school seniors (although seniors, as in citizens, are pretty intriguing to me too but they tend to be less gung-ho about the whole idea). High school seniors come to the session full of excitement and ideas and clothing options.  When I photographed my first senior almost a year ago I was a little petrified.  As soon as I had the session booked, I went online for inspiration.  Guess who gave me that inspiration… Maureen Wilson.

I was excited to feature Maureen today because she not only inspires me with her beautiful senior portraits, but she is always encouraging when I have a question or post an image for critique on the forums we share.  Her newborn work is glorious as well.  And she is so down-to-earth and funny, I’m completely and utterly envious of her stash of lenses,  and I hope we can meet one of these days IRL, maybe even on a Gumbo Wednesday. 

Hi Maureen,

Where are you from?
A bit of everywhere but when someone asks I say Kingsport, Tennessee.

Where is home now?
South Mississippi.  We moved to the hubs hometown after college.

Are you formally educated or self-taught in photography?
I am self taught and still learning something every day!!  I am a proud Bloomie (www.bloomworkshops.com), but other than that it has been a ton of reading online, studying and practicing.

What is your favorite kind of session to shoot and why?
Definitely Senior Girls!!  hands down.  For years I thought it was babies/children (which I absolutely Love)  But I can remember leaving a session last year with a beautiful girl thinking that I could do that every day!!  They are so gorgy and I am a bit obsessed!!

What’s your best advice to avoid stiff poses and fakes smiles when working with clients? “Monkey-butts“.  Totally my favorite word!!  It will make the best of them crack up.  Adults and children alike.  “Everyone say……. monkey-butts!!”  They are always expecting me to say cheese.  Ha.

Talk to me about personal projects.  Are they important and what have you done lately?
I am trying to work on some wall displays for my house.  I do not have a single portrait of my children on the walls of my home.  I have been pulling shots and combos trying to make up my mind!!  I want BIG too.  I’m talking larger than life Tanner and Maggie.

How do you stay motivated and your photography current?
I always want to stay on top of things.  My favorite thing is finding a new location to shoot.  Somewhere different.  I always have my eye open for a new spot.

If you could be invisible for one day with your camera…
Wendell and I were talking about this last night.  Our oldest, Tanner, just went to kindergarten this year.  He is not my chatty child and you have to ask him specific questions to get any info out of him.  We were thinking that it would be fun to be a fly on the wall in the classroom and see him interacting with his new friends.

Name a photographer you would like to take a portrait of?
I think that I would have the best time shooting Kristy Lane.  Besides the fact that she is gorgy, we would laugh the whole time!!

What’s your best advice for balancing work and family?
I am the last person to give advice for this question.  I am always running around like a chicken with my head cut off )

What’s in your camera bag?
I shoot with a D700.  I have a bag full of lenses including a 50mm1.4, 85mm1.8, 28mm2.8, 60mm2.8 Micro, 16mm2.8 Fisheye, Lensbaby Composer, 14-24mm2.8 and 70-200mm2.8.  My VERY fave by far is the 70-200mm.

When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?
At “the store”!!  I owned a local scrapbook store that I just closed in April (because I could not do that and run my kids to and from school and activities as needed)  It was in the same building with 2 other businesses.  One which is owned by a very close friend, Rebecca.  So if I am not behind the camera/in front of the computer, I spend much time hanging out at the store.  We do Gumbo for lunch every Wednesday.  I even schedule sessions around Gumbo Wednesdays.

If not a photographer what would you have been?
I majored in Elementary Education at Mississippi State but I have worked at and owned a scrapbook store for the last 7 years.

If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home?

Definitely somewhere on the beach!!  On vacation this year with my toes in the sand i pointed out to Wendell that I can make a living doing beach photography and we should just move!!  I think that he said “yeah, right!!”  But worth the try right!?!

What talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be able to sing well.  There is something about an amazing voice that can bring tears to my eyes.  My SIL laughs at me because I always cry during the national anthem (when its sung well).  Not a tear down the cheek, more along the lines of boo-hooing.

What are the three words your spouse would use to describe you?
Loud ) hard-working and Lead-foot!!

Something that is over rated…
Drama!!  As entertaining as it is (hee)… Can’t we all just get along )

Your favorite movie of all time?

Probably Just Married.  Anybody that “knows” me on forums sees my favorite quote everytime I post and it is from that movie.  Seriously LOL at that movie!!
“You never see the hard days in a photo album… but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next.”

If you could change one thing you did while starting your photography business, what would it be?
I would have learned my camera sooner.  I can remember making technical mistakes (and not really knowing how to fix them) that were so simple if I had taken the time to LEARN!!  Augh.  Can’t believe I did that!!

Name one blog you stalk regularly.
Honestly I am the worst blog reader EVER.  I cannot get DSL at my house so I work off of a wireless card that is about a half of a step above dial-up.  I just do not have the patience to wait for everything to load.  But I ALWAYS look forward to posts from DFs Jules Trandem and Gretchen Davis!!

Maureen’s work can be found HERE.