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A Cherry Blossom Styled Shoot: Behind the Scenes + Headshots

M Rose Styled Shoot

April 6, 2016

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On the afternoon of Friday, March 25th, 2016 the cherry blossoms officially reached peak blossom. And on that same afternoon, myself and 15 vendors and 12 other photographers were at the start of an incredible styled shoot; one that I had been dreaming and planning of for weeks. I don’t know how I managed to schedule this shoot on the actual day of peak blossoms….and I especially don’t know how we managed to dodge the rain that was drizzling (pouring, at times) all morning long – but somehow, we did (The answer? God. Seriously. He must love me! Because I was praying hard!)

After my last styled shoot, I had seen first hand just how much work and effort goes into making everything come together – every vendor’s piece is so important and vital to the overall experience and resulting images. I wanted a way to say thank you for believing in me to my vendors and the other photographers participating – and I wanted to do it in a way that was more personal than just some fun swag (although there was that, too!). I wanted to interact with them on a one-on-one basis, even if for only 5 minutes each. So, I offered headshots to everyone coming! I’ve never done that before – done so many portraits in a row, in such a quick succession, but it was SO fun. After I took Brandi’s photos, she thanked me and I told her, “Of course! I love this!” and she said, “I can tell.” I loved hearing that from her, and I hope everyone else I photographed that day felt a piece of my love for THEM by sharing what I love to do with them.

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I’m going to open my heart a little here, and tell you something a little humiliating for me. Yesterday, I not only received my first “No” for submitting this styled shoot to a blog, but I also found out that my last styled shoot, which was previously featured on a blog I was pretty proud to be featured on, had been taken off of their website after “recently re-launching their website with a more sophisticated aesthetic.” What a low blow!! Talk about a confidence wipe-out. I was pretty down on myself about it, and wondering to myself what the point of doing these shoots even is, and why I even bothered with them. I suddenly felt very defined by someone else’s expectations of beauty and a worldly standard of Keeping Up With The Joneses. I’ve been fighting the comparison monster for awhile now, some of it stemming from social media and some of it stemming from things like this – not enough likes, not enough followers, not enough shares or comments, and apparently not enough editors who think my work is “good enough.”

Getting into this “world” of photography has done SO many wonderful things for me and for my business. I’ve become smarter, more efficient, far more courageous, and I’ve honed my skill even more. But there is a lot of “popularity contests” that exist in the photography world of Instagram, Facebook, and blogs. It seems if I don’t have a feature on a particular site or I don’t have a particular type of website, if my images don’t look a certain way….then it’s somehow less then.

But then I reread an email I had received from one of the participating photographers. She had declined having portraits taken that day (I totally get it…I didn’t want anyone taking pictures of ME that day, either!), but later, after I had sent out the gallery with everyone’s images in them, she wrote me and said, “You brought out each person’s personality and made them shine!” This is exactly what I needed to hear after getting down about my two rejections. It doesn’t really matter if an editor or a blog doesn’t choose to feature my session (or changes their mind after the fact)….what matters is the way we all felt that spring day. And all of us felt proud, excited, and united. At least, I know I did. At the end of the day, I was beaming with joy. And as I edited those images, I swooned all over again. THIS was my type of beauty! And I’m not just talking about the images of the details on the sweetheart table or the ring shots on the macarons – I’m also talking about the images I took of the women who were there supporting me. I fell in love with those images, too. And I realized – or rather, I re-remembered that THAT was why I had gotten started in photography in the first place. Because making people see how beautiful they are to ME made me feel happy. For me, photography has always been about the connection between myself and individuals. So what if I’m not “accepted” by the popular crowd? Since when has that mattered to me, anyway? I crave something deeper. I crave something different, something real and honest and raw. And if that doesn’t look good splashed across my Instagram or a national wedding blog, then so be it!

I hope the people I took portraits of felt loved, beautiful, and worthwhile. I hope they know how grateful I am for their help and their hearts.  I DO want their work to be seen by the masses, because I think it deserves to be, and I’m rooting for them even more than I am myself! But even if this shoot isn’t picked up, I hope they know I feel blessed to call all of these women new friends and confidants in this industry and in this life!

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To see even more Behind the Scenes photos, be sure to check out the #mrosestyledshoot hashtag on Instagram!

  1. April says:

    Yes! All of THIS! You put together an amazing day, but what really impressed me was how you effortlessly set the tone…everyone was joyful, open, excited, and genuine. We were not competing, but delighting in creating TOGETHER. Love that! You are inspiring because of your total Meghan-ness. I could care less about the publication junk. I left feeling like I won the lottery that day because I spent time with you and you showed an interest in each of our lives/businesses. ????

  2. Jeanna says:

    Fun pictures, and I think you’re awesome. 🙂

  3. Casi says:

    Meghan, I had so much fun meeting you at the #mrosestyledshoot and connecting with so many new photographer friends. We all struggle and we all have one another to help each other get back on our feet. Thank you for putting together a wonderful and beautiful styled shoot. I couldn’t have imagined a better day for it #somuchpink. Love you girl! You are wonderful and don’t you ever forget it.

  4. Lauren says:

    Ahh Meghan, this is probably one of the sweetest and supportive blog posts I have ever read! It was truly an honor to have met you and to now call you a friend. This styled shoot was amazing, and just because it didn’t get published doesn’t mean it wasn’t! We all fall when we learn to fly. But when we fly, we soar above everything and then look back and realize just how beautiful the flight was. Keep your chin up! I am so excited to work with you again! Sending you so much love.

  5. Emily says:

    Wow such a beautiful shoot and amazing headshots of everyone! Getting those “no’s” are always the hardest but you are an amazing photographer with a great heart and everything will work out! <3

  6. Jaime says:

    Meghan…you are beautiful inside & out, and you are a fantastic photographer! Beyond that you truly made this shoot an event to remember. I am so thankful that we connected—even more thankful for the gorgeous photos you took of me (and my products), and can’t wait to do it again! Keep smiling…and congrats on the feature!! xo~

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I'm Meghan and I'm so glad you're here! My blog is where you'll find advice on planning your wedding, tips on what to wear to a session, and of course, my beautiful clients!

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