Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Lloyd.
Hi Megan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Megan Lloyd and I am the owner of Megan Elyse Photo here in Long Beach, CA. I moved across the country in 2021 from Baltimore, MD in hopes of elevating and expanding my portfolio and life experiences. I would say, where I am today was most definitely influenced by where I started.
Up on on a hill, tucked away in the woods of Edgewater, MD was a small little house where I grew up. It was a very creative household. My sister was and is a prodigy musician, my mother is incredibly creative, and my father, though very creative too, is an electronic engineer and a tech gadget nut. So on a typical day growing up, we would have music blasting on my dad’s surround sound system, my sister playing along on drums in the basement, while I would be dancing around the yard next to my mom as she painted some antique side table she probably got at a yard sale. Life was tough on us, but we always had art. We were always encouraged to create and honor our creativity, and for that, I’m forever grateful.
When I was a teenager, I remember always having a camera with me. If it were my Nikon N75 35mm, or my little Fuji Finepix digital camera, both given to me by my father. I didn’t know it quite yet, but I was pretty introverted, but I oddly often found myself drawn into super social settings at the same time (and still do). I would anxiously show up with my camera at gatherings with my youth group, at concerts my older sisters’ bands were playing, at family cookouts, or just experimenting with self-portraits at home or with friends. My camera has always been an extension of me. My shield. A tool to bridge the gap and help me process what I was feeling, and something that gave me a sense of purpose in taking up space.
When I was in high school, I took some Digital Photography & Photoshop classes with my high school teacher Ms. Sears. She was honestly pretty hard on me, but looking back, I wonder if I needed that. Maybe I needed to be shown that the world I was walking into was brutal, critical, competitive, and tough as hell. What I hadn’t learned yet was how to use my sensitivity as the superpower that it was. That right there would take a lifetime and would show me how rewarding and cathartic creating could be.
My high school did not have a darkroom, and I really wanted to shoot film, so my mom found a black & white darkroom class at Maryland Hall; a creative community center where I had grown up dancing. She would drive me there once a week and I eagerly learned how to develop my own film and darkroom prints. Eventually, I started to work part-time at a local film photo lab where I learned a more professional side to film. Once I graduated high school in 2006, I studied photography for the next seven years both at Anne Arundel Community College, where I received my AA in Photography, and then University of Maryland Baltimore County, where I received my BFA in Photography. I was always working multiple jobs during this time, so between that and getting caught up in the emotional welfare that was my social life, I struggled to focus and balance my mental health. I also knew I was going to have the stress of student loans for the rest of my life. Ultimately though, my life was my muse, and I was able to transmute what I went through, into my work. Making images was not only a way to express myself, it also developed into being a therapy and a language.
At Anne Arundel Community College, I took a color darkroom class from Don Kneesi, and I swear, everything changed from that point on. Professor Kneesi talked about light in the most fantastical way. Without light, there is only darkness. By opening that camera shutter, you capture a moment that you will never get again. You documented the light that will never fall the same way again. And then to watch that image appear slowly and patiently in front of you, painting your memory on paper…well…it’s life-changing. We are so prone these days to instant gratification and take for granted the journey and process.
In 2006, when I was 18, I worked at Moto Photo in Annapolis, MD where I met a local writer, Deacon Ritterbush, who hired me to be the published photographer for her scientific memoir. I think that is where the professional journey really kicked up. Once I graduated college in 2013, I was offered a position at Baltimore City Paper as a freelance photojournalist. This was my dream and I couldn’t believe it. Though it didn’t pay the bills on its own, and I had to work other jobs as my main gig, I was ecstatic. I got to mosey around the city with my camera and my press pass to photograph local punk and rap concerts, portraits in Koreatown, winners of the Best Of Baltimore, and one of the best parts–get published in the paper itself. To see your images in print for the first time as a photographer is a milestone.
Since then, I eventually got my name around enough that bands, local artists, small businesses, family’s and models started to hire me for shoots. I yo-yoed between working 9-5’s and photographing full time. It has always been a rewarding struggle to build my professional photography business and my intuition and drive has never let me give up. I’ve been blessed with meeting and photographing so many incredible people and have had the opportunity to make photographs for publications like SPIN, She Shreds Magazine, BUST, Noisey, and most recently, Interview Mag.
In 2021, I moved across the country with my partner from Maryland to Long Beach, California. We were ready to start fresh after the fog that COVID had been. I knew the field would be intensive out here, but I felt like I needed to expand not only for myself, but for my ancestors.
I currently run my photo business Megan Elyse Photo full time, photographing promo for bands, live shows, parties, portraits and headshots. I have also published a zine of my personal film photography and song writing, Soft Machine, as well as my most recent book, Slowride, that showcases images taken in Maryland and LA before I realized I’d be packing up my life to start this new chapter in California. I like to say that my photo work is musically and energetically inspired. Without my sensitivity, struggles, my connection with music, my upbringing, and the support from my followers and guides, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey in no way has been smooth or easy! Not in the slightest. Between my personal health struggles, financial hardships, and needing to learn how to transmute my sensitivities into fuel, it’s been a pretty bumpy road. I have battled anxiety and depression since I was a teen, and though thankfully have since found a very solid holistic support team, it is a daily process and battle. My parents did everything they could to support me in my dream as a photographer while growing up, even before I knew it was the path I was going to work towards. We may not have had all our bills paid on time, but if my camera died and my low income job couldn’t support the replacement, they would find a way to help.
Taking the leap to pursue my dream of running my own photography business has been one of the most challenging and most mind-opening experiences of my life. I moved out on my own when I was 21, and now being 35 in California post-pandemic with the cost of living spikes has been wild. I have supported myself completely on my own now for years, but to run your own business in a state like California is a whole different ball game. Though I have loved ones and a community of supporters online, it is such a scarier risk to leave a 9-5 paycheck in a new state where there is nowhere to lean or fall back other than on yourself.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in portrait, band promo, live music and event photography. What typically sets me apart from other photographers is that I not only shoot digital, but I also incorporate both 35mm and medium format film and have for more than half my life (before film got trendy again!)
As a musician myself, I’m known to bring a musical and emotive energy through my work, where I’m able to create and hold space for clients to be themselves. To feel comfortable and inspired in front of the lens.
Before moving to California, I was most known for my live performance photography in Baltimore. I covered shows at Baltimore venues such as Ottobar, Metro Gallery, The Crown, and Windup Space covering events like Ladyfest, Ratscape and Unregistered Nurse Fest. After my move I’ve slowly eased myself into the Los Angeles music scene while enjoying more one-on-one portrait sessions in LA’s beautiful angelic golden light.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Moving across the country to a brand new coast has left me no other option than to work extremely hard to get my name and work out there. I’ve had to prove to myself that I really want it by giving it my all while telling myself, “Ok this is it; it is time. There’s no going back now. There’s no old job I can easily fall back on. This is your dream, so let’s make it happen.” I’ve had to learn to just suck it up and try to drop my insecurities of failure and fears of rejection. I’ve had to start sending those cold emails and DMs and not worry that I’m burdening or bothering someone. You have to keep reaching out to those contacts you’ve gained, while not being afraid to ask for contacts from those contacts! I have had to remind myself that the time is now.
We all know that having a creative mind can be a lot to balance, especially when you are as sensitive as I am. So if you’re a creative entrepreneur like me, having a safe space to talk or ground yourself is super important. I would highly recommend talk therapy with a therapist or life coach and finding a grounding technique that resonates with you like yoga or breathwork.
Aside from mindfulness, finding some resources where I’ve been able to empathize with other like-minded people has also had a positive impact on my life and career. A resource like this could be a facebook group where you can bounce ideas, ask questions or share, or it could be finding a podcast to gather insight on developing successful business strategies from other successful entrepreneurs in your same or similar field. Listening to Brian Hood’s 6 Figure Creative podcast would be a wonderful place to start. His podcast talks through how to build a successful creative business while setting boundaries and knowing your worth.
So from one entrepreneur to the next, send those cold DMs. Be available, but know your worth. Take risks, but have those boundaries. Don’t forget to breathe and allow yourself to take up space. Don’t let anyone dim your light, because the ultimate mentor comes from within.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.meganelysephoto.com
- Instagram: @meganxelysephoto
- Other: http://linktr.ee/meganxelysephoto
Image Credits
Original images credit: Megan Lloyd BTS images by Kristin Burns, Zack Fowler, Chris San Nicholas
