First Senior Portrait Session

Jacquelyn Canonico

©Meghann Justine Photography

I shot my first senior portraits on Saturday of  my cousin Jacquelyn. I was a little bit nervous about the shoot considering I had never done such a thing before, but it turned out to be really fun. My other cousins were a HUGE help and were amazing in helping me manage the sun and made the shoot go much smoother than it would have otherwise. It was a fabulous learning experience, but it is clear that I still have a long way to go in order to finesse my craft as far as traditional portraiture goes, but it was a good first step in the process.

Constant Inspiration

Matthew Polen

©Meghann Justine Photography

Like most photographers, I have many inspirations which range from other photographers and fine artists, to the people in my life that surround me everyday.

When I look at other photographer's work that is truly beautiful and spectacular, I freeze up with a mixture of "holly crap how can I ever be that wonderful?" and "I want to go take photographs now!" These are the moments when I realize that this is where I'm supposed to be, as well as the times in which I take the best portraits.

When I look at fine artist's work, another side of me emerges. It inspires me to collage and mix photography with paint and ink to take my work to a completely different level. Sometimes their way of viewing composition and content seeps into my traditional photography as well.

And when it comes to being surrounded by the ones I love, I take a breath, relax, and reflect on my goals. Often, I have a new outlook on what I want to do. My ideas for what I want my future to be constantly changes, and I'm always reassessing what I want out of life.

My point is that there is inspiration and room for revisions around every corner in life. It's just a matter of acknowledging that and taking your work to a new level.

Starting Fresh

Peg Jones

©Meghann Justine Photography

It is amazing to me how an artist can grow in a short amount of time. With each new discovery and every new passion found, something changes a little inside, and images have more depth and feel more real. To compare where I was two years ago, and to where my photography is now, it feel as though two different people made the work I've created. I remember making the older pieces, but it doesn't feel like me anymore. I've changed, and therefore, my art has changed; dramatically.

Then I didn't know what kind of photographer I wanted to be. I knew loved film, and shot it almost every chance I got despite my classmates obsessions with digital photography. I felt a connection to getting my hands dirty and smelling fixer on them all throughout the day. I thought, maybe I'll be a fine art photographer! But soon realized that 1. That would allow me almost no income to pay back my outstanding student loan debt and 2. My concepts (at that point), were definitely not up to par.

After two additional years of education, I learned what I needed to know to create better photographs. I learned that high contrast does not equal greatness, that caucasian skin tone should be a zone 6 (generally speaking), that color needs to be controlled and that the digital camera is my friend. With a little practice, digital photography became second nature to me, and I haven't shot film in about a year (as much as that pains me to say).

To see my current work, I direct you to my website, which is currently updated.