Today we’d like to introduce you to Mira Whiting.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I come at photography from a bit of a different angle than many — my degree is actually in history. The common thread, though, is that I love telling people’s stories, and I always have. I started being interested in photography when I was about 12 — a good friend and I spent time that summer playing around with our cameras on her grandparents’ farm, photographing the scenery, each other, our parents, and the cows. I realized that I mostly loved photographing people, and when the opportunity arose several years later at my summer camp to help out the photography specialist I jumped at the chance. With that job, I learned a lot about the technical aspects of photography, from exposure and aperture to developing film and printing in the dark room. From there, I never really stopped photographing people — eventually making the switch from film to digital. After my second son was born, I realized more and more people were asking me to take their family portraits for their holiday cards and such.
Around my second son’s first birthday, I decided to take the jump and officially start my business, and I’ve been having a blast meeting all sorts of amazing clients, from high school seniors telling me about the adventures they’re looking forward to after graduation, to families with newborns enjoying their new bundle of joy, to business people and professors who work in such amazing (and varied!) fields, to the families who come back year after year to update their family’s portraits. Every year my business is growing more and more and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve definitely had some struggles along the way — babysitters who cancel at the last minute, for instance, has been a HUGE struggle. My youngest is starting daycare soon and I am looking forward to not having to juggle who might be a reliable sitter when I have shoots during the week.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Mira Whiting Photography specializes in portraits — from maternity and newborns to families, to seniors, to business portraits, if there are people, I enjoy photographing it! My proudest moment so far has definitely been when I placed second on the Boston A-List for Best Portrait Photographer out of a field of more than 25 in 2017. My happiest moments are definitely when I hear from my clients about how much they love their images, and that they felt comfortable during their portrait session — so many people start out nervous and it makes me really happy to hear that it was a good experience for them.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a somewhat quirky kid — really into reading, really into theater, wasn’t quite sure where I fit in for a long time. I loved singing (I sang with the group that became what’s now Boston City Singers for eight years as a kid). I grew up in Dorchester, a short walk from the red line, and one of the things I loved about growing up in the city was that I could be pretty independent from a fairly early age, taking the T downtown with my friends, going ice skating on the Frog Pond, etc.
Contact Info:
- Address: Arlington, MA
- Website: http://mirawhitingphotography.com
- Email: mira@mirawhitingphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirawhitingphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirawhitingphotography/
Image Credit:
Mira Whiting Photography
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