Meet Megumi Bacher | Photographer

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

Hi Megumi, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
I think the most important lesson I’ve learned through my photography journey is that it’s ok to be nice, it’s ok to be me.

In my photography classes at college, my teachers always said not to share too much info with other photographers, whether it’s locations that you shoot, about types of equipment to create that image, or even what kind of camera settings… People would steal your ideas and clients. That was particularly tough advice for me since I was basically surviving my college years, living away from my family in the U.S. with support from my friends. As international students, we had to share a lot of things, cars, textbooks and notebooks, rice cookers… and especially experiences and knowledge. Where do you go to get the cheapest food? Where do you go if you miss 1 credit? Was that school counselor nice? They’re all very necessary things to know to survive in the U.S., and we all shared everything we knew to help each other.

So my teachers were telling us to be alone. Figure out everything by yourself. And if you share what you know, people will eat you alive. lol I think it was a very common thing in the industry back then. I don’t know what they were so afraid of, but with no YouTube or Instagram, the only way to get access to other photographers’ bits of knowledge was through school or being an assistant to a photographer. But even there, people don’t want to share what they know?! That idea was insane to me…

As I got out of school and tried to work as a photographer, I quickly noticed what teachers were saying was true. A lot of people seemed to have an invisible wall or shield. Nobody wanted to let me in. It took me a while to realize that was especially true for me because I’m a girl, a foreigner, Asian, have an accent, didn’t grow up in the states, and my official title given by the U.S. government was even “Alien”. So, as a lot of early 20 something would do, I, too, created my own shield. I acted like I didn’t need anybody’s help, and that I can handle myself, F me? F you! vibe. Was that the right move to get into the industry? Nope. And every “no” I got, I started to lose my passion for pursuing photography as my career. Totally F me? F everything! vibe.

After that, I tried a lot of different things, most of the time just to survive here, and kept my shield pretty high. Then fast forward a few years, I got my kids. And that changed everything. I just couldn’t stop taking photos of my kids! My passion for photography, especially portrait photography, was unstoppable any longer. Now we were in the social-media-share-everything-era, I sought other photographers’ knowledge on the internet about new digital cameras, how to poes a family of 5 to look good in holiday photos, and look through an endless amount of other photographers’ works to “steal” their ideas. Then I found something new. They are a lot of “online communities” where people share their knowledge and help each other to succeed and grow. What. Is. That?! So I joined. I thought I’d be welcomed as a mom photographer just like the others in the group. I was wrong and I was right. I still saw the invisible shields tall and high here and there, but I actually met other photographers, working professional photographers and other creatives, willing to share what they know and experience, and willing to help others to grow in the same industry. I dug more and even found a group for women photographers, BIPOC creatives, and they all said somewhere along the line of “sharing is caring”… I didn’t get the memo apparently for all these years, but sharing and helping others is what we all wanted. Behind the shields, we all wanted to know what everybody is doing and what is the right step to be a good artist. Behind the shields, we were so lost and lonely. I’m sure social media changed how this creative whole industry or the whole world to be honest. During the pandemic, everybody wanted to connect with somebody like yourself and wanted to validate that what we are going through was “normal” everybody is going through it. I met people going through the same things as me, and we all had the same questions. My shield crumbled.

Outside of the shield felt something familiar. We are all just trying to survive and find the easiest way to do it. If what I know can help somebody, I’m more than happy to share. I want to help and I want to be helped. That’s how I was! And now I know that’s how a lot of people think, too. I hated being secret. And what I learned is that being open and kind to others is great for my business as a portrait photographer. I can connect with my client on a deeper level. No being too cool to be… I just want to help. And that’s me. Being myself is finally paying off for me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think I take more time to talk and get to know my clients before I photograph them. I always tell them that I want to feel like we are friends before we meet at the session. I believe human connection can show in photos, and I think people can see that in my works, especially with kids’ portraits. I took a long time to get to where I am now, and I feel like my career just has started. But now I know exactly what I want to show through my work. Positivity.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I had so many families and friends visiting me from Japan over the years. I always take them on my LA tour. First we start at Santa Monica Pier, say hi to the Pacific Ocean, then drive through the westside to Beverly Hills, drive through mansions they’ve never seen unless in Hollywood movies, then we go real Hollywood, and then we get really close to the Hollywood sign at the Griffith Park and see the entire city from there. Mexican food and good Chinese food are a must.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First of all, my grandpa! for showing me the importance and beauty of photography. My photographer friends who had open minds and welcomed me in their groups, and keep encouraging each other. And my friends. Without them, I couldn’t even cook rice.

Website: https://www.megumibacher.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megumi-bacher-3633914/

Image Credits
My portrait by Rachel Utain-Evans