Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Carne
Hi Marissa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I guess my journey with photography started when I was in college and unable to register for the graphic design classes I needed for the next semester. I saw a black & white film photography course that satisfied an elective, so I snagged it thinking it would be a fun course to stay full time. I fell in love with it instantly! There’s just something about a dark room where you lose yourself to the zen of it. I even changed my major the next semester. In that first class I also met a student that was a film major and he convinced me to chat with one of the professors so I could take a Cinematography course. From there, my passion in storytelling and visual imagery was born. Between the two industries I never felt off course, but rather understood it to be the roadmap that led me to discover my brand that is still evolving to this day.
I specialize in family portrait photography in all life stages; couples, maternity, and newborn. I love being able to capture these moments for couples and families to cherish and look back on forever. Moments in time you can never get back, but you can transport yourself to that memory again and again. I love being able to do that for them, and growing with them each year or milestone. It’s really rewarding.
As I transitioned from having my business as a side hustle to going full-time, I thought it would be beneficial to add another offering to ensure my business’s long-term success. And honestly, I’m surprised I hadn’t discovered sooner- Dramatic Sports Portraits. Coming from a sports focused family and having played soccer year round growing up, this felt like another calling. Visually, it’s a very different style as I’m using Strobe lighting and special effects, but it is very fun and creatively challenging. Using my knowledge of lighting that I’ve gained over the years in television and learning some new techniques from fellow photographers that I look up to, I was able to have a go at this style. I enjoy building up young athletes, helping them find their confidence and look like superheroes. Seeing their reactions to the images we create on site is priceless, further enhancing that confidence, leading to even better images that tell their true story.
Because these styles are so different, I decided to create a second brand. Marissa Janelle Photography being my first, and MJ Sportraits as the second. Between the two, I’m able to feed my creative appetite while serve the community with images and memories they can truly cherish for years.
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?
As a photographer in a big city, the industry can feel incredibly saturated, and standing out is one of the biggest challenges I face. There’s a lot of talent out there, which can be inspiring but also means that competition is high. It takes a blend of creativity, persistence, and adaptability just to keep up, let alone carve out a unique space. Clients have so many options, so you’re constantly pushing to innovate and refine your style. It’s rewarding but demanding, as you have to not only capture great images but also find ways to market yourself effectively and build lasting client relationships. For me, navigating all these obstacles while figuring out a successful business model, has been the biggest challenge.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As I mentioned before, LA is so saturated with photographers and creatives, which is both a good and bad thing. It really makes you step up your game to find ways to stand out. Family photographers are a dime a dozen. My business was started by shooting families. I eventually evolved to working with newborns which becomes a more refined style and market, still very saturated. While I love this style and it is very much still mine, I needed a second outlet.
Finally I started coming across these photographers in different parts of the country that were doing these really epic looking portraits of athletes. I was so drawn in by these contrasty, cinematic looking portraits. Thanks to social media algorithms, I was being fed more photographers that do this style and I was hooked; I needed to try it. I started looking locally and I really couldn’t find many that do the style out here so I thought “This is my chance to stand out”. I started diving in and finding some of the photographers that shared their gear lists and tips for how they do what they do. I invested in a couple lights that were recommended and had a go! There was definitely a learning curve, but I already had a strong foundation of lighting experience and knowledge. After lots of trial and error, I got it down.
In the sports world, there’s these things called media days. It is an event where media professionals gather to capture photos, videos, and conduct interviews with athletes, teams, or organizations. It’s designed to generate press coverage and provide consistent content before a season, event, or launch. Within the last few years, this term “media day” has transformed a bit and a lot of schools and teams adopted their own versions. This has opened the door to athletes wanting these kinds of pictures to really stand out from their competition. Enter MJ Sportraits! Give me all the athletes, I’ll help you stand out.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Providing a service that succeeds based on visuals, you need to do just that, provide stunning visuals. But more importantly, you need to be able to work with diverse personalities and create an enjoyable, collaborative atmosphere that makes clients feel comfortable, resulting in better, more authentic images.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marissajanelle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissajanelleportraits
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissajanellephotography1/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/mj_sportraits
