Daily Inspiration: Meet Mirelle Eid

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mirelle Eid

Hi Mirelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for taking photographs began as a kid on family vacations. I loved looking for cool things or special moments to snap. There weren’t digital cameras then and I always felt such excitement going to the store to get our photos developed, then reliving our family memories through the images. In high school and college I was the friend with the digital camera capturing our nights out and then uploading them all the next day into Facebook albums. I was a psychology major in college, taught middle and high school for many years after in NYC, started a wedding officiant and ceremony writing business (Honeybreak Officiants). and later worked as a coach developing new teachers. When I was officiating weddings in NYC, I admired the photographers I got to work with and how they got to capture couples’ love stories visually. I loved sharing their work on our Instagram account and felt myself wanting to be able to do the same thing with my own images! The common thread that runs through each of those roles and the many different hats I’ve worn, including photographer, is my passion for human connection – learning about people, witnessing their growth and evolution whether they’re 10 years old, 24 years old, or 94 years old, getting inspired by their perspectives on life, listening to their great love stories, and building meaningful relationships. Photography allows us to get to know people in a different way, to freeze a moment in time. It gives us a way to process our inner and outer world, capture memories, and open a window into ourselves and the souls we document. I’ve always been deeply sentimental, and now even moreso as a mom – my 3-year-old son Archie is my muse. As a mom, time is absolutely wild, and getting to capture Archie’s childhood and my motherhood (in all its whimsy and messiness and magic) up close feels like the most precious gift.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t know many entrepreneurs that would describe their road as smooth! I will say that following this passion of mine has been one of the most authentic decisions I’ve made, and because of that I feel that many doors have opened to support this dream. It’s true what they say, that the greatest rewards come through doing what you truly love. That said, prioritizing my creativity, while building a business, and being a new mom requires a lot of juggling, discipline, and a lot of support which I am very grateful to have. It also means that not every box gets checked all the time, which has been a practice in surrendering my own perfectionist nature. Our family also recently moved cross country from NYC to Santa Monica, so that has added another layer of excitement and challenge. Oh yeah, and I’m 6 months pregnant! Truly never a dull moment these days. I will say that we have been so supremely lucky to have made amazing friends out here and have found such incredible community – it’s made all the challenges worth it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a documentary family photographer capturing love and human connection, pregnant mamas, birth, babies, big kids, life moments, and families/extended families of all kinds. My style is candid, genuine, and journalistic. I think that sometimes when we’re on the other side of the lens getting our photos taken (myself included) we worry about looking our best or having that photo be worthwhile. I want my clients to know that everything that happens during our photo session is going to be worthwhile, everything is going to be beautiful – inviting me in as a photographer is a very intimate thing, so when people invite me into their home, family, marriage, birth, knowing what an intimate space it is. I honor that deeply I’m so grateful that I get to be a witness to all of it.

I’m very proud to be doing what I love. Establishing a full life on a new coast, learning how to be a mom, building my business as a photographer, sometimes you really don’t really have time to bring your head above water – so what you do prioritize has to matter deeply to you and has to really fill you up. And that’s how I feel about photography – connecting with families, capturing their love, babies, kids’, all the personalities, all the life moments. I really am so inspired by the families and other moms I meet and photograph. And then the labor of love that is editing – I love the creativity that comes through editing photos, playing with light and color and shadows – and all the aspects of a photo. So many loving hours go into photo editing that again, you really have to love it like I do. As soon as I’m done with a photoshoot, I can’t wait to come home and upload all my photos, pour over them culling favorites, and then diving into the editing process. There is love and art etched into every step and I think my clients can feel that, at least I I hope it shows through during the session and in the photos.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success for me is attracting my ideal clients and getting to create art with them. It’s also achieving a work life balance so that I get to do what I love with the people I love, across all areas of life.

Pricing:

• Mini sessions begin at $385
• Full sessions begin at $550
• Birth photography begins at $900
• Event photography varies and is based on an hourly rate

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mirellemaiaphotography.com/
• Instagram: @mirellemirellemirelle

Image Credits
All photos are mine 🙂 Mirelle Maia Photography