Meet Claire Meyer | Professional Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claire Meyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance has been my greatest challenge as a young business owner and I know it’s something many entrepreneurs struggle with, particularly when they feel motivated and successful.

I am a 22 year old professional portrait photographer who started taking photos as a hobby 9 years ago. I now run a full time photography business. When you’re a small business owner, it can feel like you’re never off work. You’re typically responsible for every aspect of your business, this level of responsibility can be overwhelming and time consuming. Your work is so personal to you, and you may feel that the harder you work the more success your business will bring. However, in many cases this backfires and leads to intense burnout. I used to not value the importance of a work-life balance, and now it is my top priority as a small business owner.

I think my work-life balance became the worst during COVID when I was living alone and opened Claire Meyer Photography as an official business. Without much else to do, I spent all my time working. I was only 19/20 and still in college, and I had got gotten to the point where I was charging around $400-$1,000 per session. As a financially independent college student this was a huge amount of money and working as hard as possible became my #1 priority. I always wanted to put my best foot forward, even at the expense maybe not living my college experience to the fullest. During the summer I’d spend all my time working- the way I saw it was that the harder I worked, the more successful I’d be, and the more money I’d make. Some people may love this mindset and run with it, but I found it led to incredible burnout and a loss of creativity, productivity, and passion. I had to get to this negative place to really learn the value of myself as a creative business owner.

When you run a passion-based creative business, your passion, creativity and skill are your greatest assets. When something you love to do becomes your work and responsibility, you have to be very careful about ensuring that thing stays enjoyable. There were times in college where I was truly exhausted and struggling with running my business and it just wasn’t fun anymore. it had an extremely negative impact on my mental health and I never want to put myself in a position again where my creativity and passion is hindered.

It is now my top priority to preserve this balance because great things come about when I’m excited about my work. I’m happy to say now that I’m in a very good place with my work-life balance. I value my time, passion and skill greatly and limit the number of sessions I take on each month. I have time to run my business, I have time to spend with friends, I’m in a healthy relationship, and I have time to focus on other things I enjoy doing. My clients get the best version of me and can count on me to produce a high-quality experience and product. Portrait photography is a business of connectivity and if you don’t prioritize your own connection with yourself and others outside of work, your business will suffer. Photographers quite literally document moments that will be looked back on for generations, and I would tell any young photographer to value their time and passion if they want long-term success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a professional portrait photographer who started taking photos as a hobby 9 years ago. I now run a full time portrait photography business. While I primarily work with high school seniors, families, and couples, the part of my business that I’m most proud of is my creative work.

To me, a creative photoshoot is a photoshoot that’s more than just a person in front of a background. A creative shoot could include special props or have a unique theme. For example, I love to shoot with huge colorful gowns, use glass prisms for fun effects, experiment with smoke machines, and work with bright colors. I’ve also worked on a “Through The Decades” photo series where each shoot represented a different era, and the sets were designed accordingly.

I think what sets me apart of others is how much I invest in my creative work, how I still prioritize what grew my passion for photography, even while having a fully booked calendar of client work.

I recently executed a portfolio building trip in LA. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years, as the studios there are unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere. Notable studios I worked at include the Ragdoll Pink Palace, underwater studio, and an indoor rain room. Every aspect of each photoshoot was planned by me. For 6 photoshoots, I planned and organized the session, selected models, paid for studio/clothes/props, styled the model, shot and edit the photos. This was the most fulfilling thing I’ve done as an artist. I tried to select studios based on what was the most unique and what I could get the most creative with.

I also think my vibrant but natural photography style sets me apart from others from a client standpoint. I truly value COLOR and what that adds to an image! We’re living during a time where minimalism is popular and neutral tones are everywhere in the photography world. Not that there’s anything wrong with that being your style, but that’s not what I want for my brand. The world is colorful, beautiful things are colorful, color is inspiring and emotional, and I wouldn’t want a life without it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m from Snoqualmie, Washington, which is about 40 minutes from Seattle. I would come during the summer and take advantage of the nature in the area! Snoqualmie Pass is stunning and has many hiking trails. Artist Point, Mount Baker is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been and you don’t even need to hike to get to it. I love the Middle Fork Trail area. The Snoqualmie area has plenty of lakes and rivers, and nearby cities with all kinds of things to do. After traveling the world this year, I really began to appreciate how beautiful my home state of Washington is.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give my biggest shoutout to my parents, Rachel and Carl, for always being supportive of my desire to pursue an art-based business. They’ve encouraged my artistic talents throughout my life and have let me follow my own unique path that has led me to where I am today. I’m thankful for all my high school friends who were willing to model for whatever crazy creative ideas I had when I was starting photography. I’m thankful for everyone in my hometown of Snoqualmie who’s booked with me and spread positive words about my business. My business has grown almost entirely organically through word of mouth and people finding my social media through others, and I couldn’t be more proud of that. My boyfriend deserves a shoutout for always assisting on my creative shoots and running around just as much as me during them.

Website: https://www.clairemeyerphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairemeyerphotography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clairemeyerphotography/

Image Credits
Crediting Models – Smoke bombs: Maya N. and Ally D -Pink dress: Christy K – Mountain: Mikeylah and Mareenah – Tile room: Anthonia F – Butterfly Cage: Sheila C -Blue dress: Vanessa C