Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Clegg.
Cheryl, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to Boston after graduating with a BFA in Photographic Illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1986. I didn’t have a job, or a place to live (but, I did have a roommate). I began contacting commercial photographers in hopes of assisting jobs.
I was fortunate to work with some very talented Boston photographers. I only assisted for about a year and a half, and then decided to go out on my own. I continued knocking on doors, only this time I was knocking on the doors of art directors and ad agencies. I was fortunate to have worked out a deal with a photographer I had worked with to work out of his space, even better, I was getting hired.
Fast forward to today, it has been 30 years, and I still love what I do. I am fortunate to have a husband & 5 kids that have always been supportive of my photography.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say in any business there are always obstacles. For me, it is the balance of personal life and then, of course, the ever-changing technology, as well as the many hats you wear when you work for yourself.
These days, everyone is a photographer (google tells me there are 60 million photos posted on Instagram every day), making the market even more competitive than it was just ten years ago.
I am fortunate to have a husband who has always encouraged me to keep shooting regardless of our busy household of 5 kids.
Please tell us more about Cheryl Clegg Photography.
I have worked for a large variety of clients over the years. I have photographed models, CEO’s, business executives, babies, kids, product, lifestyle, in the studio and on location. The photographs have been used for advertising, annual reports, packaging, billboards, transit boards, brochures, and websites.
Over the years clients have included many household names such as CVS Pharmacy, Stonyfield Farm, Domino Sugar, Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center, Frugal Fannies and Boston Beer to name a few. I also work with a fair number of charities and always have an ongoing personal project.
I have been working with the Rasin Foundation, Haiti for a number of years, creating a library of photos they can use for raising awareness (and generate donations) of their clinic in Haiti. Recently I created a series of portraits for Facing Cancer Together, a local support group for those battling cancer. I have a series I have been working on of the Lobster Fishermen in a small fishing village in Maine.
I am documenting their way of life while the harbor is still a working harbor (as opposed to a harbor of pleasure boats that people from “away” own). I have another series, totally different than any of my corporate, commercial work, it is a series of portraits of my daughter, on location in almost dreamlike settings.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Wow. That is a hard question. The only thing that comes to mind is that the condo I was going to buy (to work out of) on D St., in Boston, I would have kept, instead of renting in South Boston for 17 plus years.
Contact Info:
- Address: 397 Moody St. Waltham, Ma 02453
- Website: www.cleggphoto.com
- Phone: 617-268-2266
- Email: cherylcleggphoto@verizon.net
- Instagram: @cherylcleggphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CherylCleggPhotography
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
