Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa McNeill.
Lisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Photography was always a passion of mine from very early on when I was a teenager. One of my first jobs was working at a one hour photo lab processing film. That’s where I picked up my first fully manual film DSLR, a Pentax K1000 (I am still a Pentax shooter to this day). Working at the photo lab allowed me to go out and shoot many rolls of film and then I was able to bring the film back to the lab and process the prints right away. I always had my camera by my side and shot anything and everything. Even though I had this passion, I ultimately took the safe route and pursued a career as a paralegal and worked in law firms for many years, but I always kept up with photography as a hobby and a small side business where I made a few bucks here and there shooting high school senior portraits and family portraits. I educated myself by reading tons of books (there was no YouTube back then) and signing up for classes and workshops whenever I could. In 2000-2004, I had a job with the local newspaper as a photojournalist (still working with my Pentax K1000) and worked on the weekends while working full time as a paralegal. I loved working for the newspaper. I met so many great people and I had a blast covering all the events they would send me to over several communities. I always dreamed of having photography as a career but during that time it was only a dream. I believed that in order to be safe, I had to keep working as a paralegal. While I was grateful to be working and fortunate to work with great people, I always felt unfulfilled.
Fear and lack of confidence made me convince myself that I have to accept it and “that’s just the way life is”. It wasn’t until I turned 50 almost 2 years ago, and with the support of my husband (who I married in 2013), when I finally figured out that in order to live the life I had always imagined and be truly happy and fulfilled, that it was time to pursue my dream. I finally made the scary decision that it was time to turn my passion and little side business into something where I could make a profit and earn a living and that is when I decided to pursue wedding photography. I continued to educate myself with in-person workshops, taking advantage of the many available online resources and working with a mentor. I was also blessed to meet Alexandra Boncek of Ali B Photography, who took me on as a 2nd shooter. The first few weddings I did for her as an intern, and immediately fell in love with photographing weddings. I love everything about it! The stories behind the couples, the families and friends all together, the different vibes of each wedding day and the overall energy of the day. The best part is the beautiful stories you get to tell with your photography and how you captured this day and moment in time for this couple. I love everything about weddings (which is kind of ironic because I had a very small brunch wedding with a total of 30 people) and I feel truly honored when a couple picks me to take on that responsibility and be there for them. I am still working at the law firm while taking on weddings in 2018, but after working hard over the last 2 years I have finally been able to position myself in my business where I can go full time with my photography career and that is the most scariest, thrilling exciting thing I have ever done in my life and I love everything about owning my own small business. My story is that it is never too late to live the life you imagined and to chase after your dreams!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. The struggle I had along the way was working a 40 hour job during the week and building my business at the same time. There have been a lot of long nights, lack of sleep, frustration, moments of “what the heck was I thinking”. But it is all worth it. My understanding and supportive husband made the process a lot better.
LM Studio Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a wedding, portrait and lifestyle photographer in southeastern MA and I travel all over New England. I many specialize in weddings, couples, HS seniors and boudoir. I would say I am most proud of my company because I put everything into it. It is so important to me that I provide the best product and service to my clients and my goal is to make everything as easy and stress free and possible so that they feel calm, happy and well taken care of. I feel that what sets me apart is that I have been doing this a long time. I am not new to photography and have been developing my craft for many, many years. I feel that my experience and my desire to make my client’s experience the best it can be sets me apart from others. I also have a studio in Rockland, MA, where I teach photography related courses.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for me is being fulfilled and happy while having financial security. Living your life on your terms and doing what makes you happy and being balanced in mind, body and spirit, as much as possible anyway 🙂
Pricing:
- My wedding packages start at $2000 and portrait sessions start at $250
Contact Info:
- Website: lmstudio-photography.com
- Phone: 781 724 8853
- Email: lmstudio-photography@outlook.com
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lmstudio_photo
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/LMStudio1/
Image Credit:
The one of me shooting the ceremony was taken by Ali B Photography, the one of me in the car was taken by my husband, all others taken by LM Studio Photography
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.
