Check Out Megan Taylor’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Taylor.

Hi Megan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started with photography in college. This was in the early 2000’s, so websites like Tumblr were hugely popular and Instagram was barely a thing yet. I asked anyone and everyone if I could photograph them and spent a few years taking very conceptual, and admittedly unusual photos on a borrowed DSLR. I would build elaborate sets, make clothing out of unconventional materials, and use flood lights from Lowe’s as “lighting”. I wasn’t creating the kind of work I’d ever show in my portfolio now, but I learned a lot and made many friends in the process.

After a few years of this, I started exploring other types of photography- families, engagements, weddings. None of these genres ever clicked with me creatively and I kept circling back to fashion. I had my degree in fashion design from FIDM and fashion was still an industry I felt connected to. I had been working front desk at a chiropractic office and made the jump to freelance. This was not immediately successful and I found myself back on the job market after struggling to get consistent work. I landed a position as a photo editor for an e-commerce fashion brand, which was surprising because I truly bombed that interview. I gradually worked my way up to being the lead photographer during my 3 years there before transitioning back to freelance. This time I had much more industry specific knowledge from working at the brand and found some initial success doing model portfolio shoots.

I’ve now been freelance for over a decade, and those early model photoshoots really helped open doors and allowed me to make a lot of connections in the industry. I’ve taken a few pauses to have each of my children, but I’ve always been able to circle back to photography and pick up where I left off. I now focus mainly on brand work and 2 years ago switched from digital photography to film, so I now shoot the majority of my work on film. Switching to film was a huge learning curve that I almost gave up on, but now I can’t imagine using any other medium. Film offers such an intangible tactile feeling to the images and renders colors so beautifully in a way that I was never able to replicate in my digital work.

Alright, 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 past few years have been a whirlwind. After switching to film things really picked up. It has been immensely difficult balancing this with motherhood and is something I’m actively working on every day. Work life balance can be such a challenge when you are passionate about your career. I love being a mom and spending time with my kids, but I am also a deeply creative person. I need both in my life to stay balanced. I know things will ease up a bit as my kids get older- they’re 6 and 3- but right now I’m definitely stretched to my limits.

Another struggle was the switch to film. I had been shooting digital for over ten years and was accustomed to being able to fix images in post if needed. If lighting was off, I could adjust that. If something was a little underexposed, I could brighten the image later. I was still a technically sound photographer but that safety net is completely gone with film. If film is underexposed even a little, the image suffers. There is no “looking at the back of the camera” to see if the image looks right. Everything from composition to exposure has to be locked in before you even press the shutter. Film can still be edited in post but you don’t have nearly as much latitude to work with. The lab you use is also incredibly important. I cycled through probably 8 labs before finding my favorite, Carmencita. You can take the best photo in the world but if the lab isn’t treating it properly, you won’t get the full potential of that image.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a fashion photographer specializing in film photography. I work mainly in the commercial and activewear spaces. For activewear specifically, I don’t know many other photographers who are shooting that content on film so that definitely sets my work apart. Film has such a beautiful way of capturing texture and skin tones in a way that really aligns with creative athletic work. I love to experiment with color in my work and create vibrant, high contrast images. I also enjoy applying alternative creative processes to my work, like printing out images and making collages. I also scan most of my film at home on a Fuji Frontier SP3000, which has been a challenging and rewarding process.

How do you think about happiness?
Top of this definitely is my family- my husband and my two kids. I can’t imagine life without them. Additionally, I love gardening and growing our own food. I have to say that photography makes me immensely happy as well, especially shoots where I have full creative control and can take on a bit of a creative director role. I also love sourcing vintage fitness props and scouting new locations with my kids.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meganjtaylor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganjtaylorr

Image Credits
photo of me is taken by my husband James Taylor