Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Merriweather.
Hi Chloe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My very first camera was given to me by my godmother as a gift. It was a kodak that could fit in your purse or my case my mom’s because I was around 8 at the time it was gifted to me. Up until 8th grade when I joined the yearbook for the first time I had been taking pictures of everything and anything just for fun, not thinking anything of it. High school came along and I joined as a freshman, sticking with the sports section.
Adam Korman, my yearbook advisor all four years, called me up to his desk in class one day (I remember I thought he was going to tell me to stop filling up the camera card and overshooting). He was reviewing my football edits and was impressed by one photo that he shared with the administration. It ended up being on the school’s website homepage. His comments on my shots and skill gave me the confirmation to put my plan for Cmerriweather Photography into action.
To this day he refers people to me for their photography needs. In the spring of 2019, I had my first client, a dear friend who still supports me to this day. From my Godmother to my yearbook advisor, and my first client I kept pursuing to expand Cmerriweather Photography because of them. I started attending Arizona State University in Fall 2021 and within a week of moving to Tempe, I found a way to take football pictures through the student section club and applied for a photographer/videographer position in the marketing department.
I went through the application and interview process to receive a job offer in the Enrollment Communications department, where I have the most supportive working environment. For the past year I have been studying graphic design (recently adding marketing and fashion to my studies), photographing students on across ASU’s campuses, and working freelance. It may seem overwhelming but I know everything I am doing is helping me achieve my career goal of becoming a creative director.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Consistency, consistency, consistency. It seems so easy, but to me, it is the hardest part of building a portfolio. Whether it be posting consistently or creating content on your own for the practice you must always make time to improve your skill. As a college student with a separate job from Cmerriweather photography, there is little time to squeeze in creative content shoots.
I always have ideas flooding my brain but it is the time it takes to set up and plan that is difficult. I have had to push myself to take the free time I do have and put it into my photography. The photography community is so welcoming and continuously helps one another. At times I felt I was falling behind and there will always be others that copy your work. Instead of feeling like I was a competitor, I stuck to my brand and started being CONSISTENT.
I started this business because I wanted every senior to be able to have the chance to have a personable, memorable, and affordable way to remember their senior year. I knew too many people that could not afford an $800 30-minute senior session. There were no affordable options in my area so I made one. My whole concept was about what the senior wanted. If it was a sport they participated in or the avant-garde style they embodied the sessions were meant to represent them. It then grew from seniors to families and now I have a studio in my garage at home.
Within the past couple of weeks, I have been posting regular and following trends, it has been exhausting but in the end, I have seen the results through an increase in followers and views….. yes followers aren’t a measure of success but I am glad to see my content reaching a larger audience. I have also learned to invest in myself and equipment, photography is not a cheap creative outlet. Renting a studio has been one of my larger accomplishments recently and the work I created there has become some of my new favorites.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am NOT majoring in photography nor do I plan on being a photographer as my career. When meeting one of my clients for the first time they always ask first, “So are you studying photography?”. I am a graphic design major, recently adding fashion and marketing minors, and am planning on using that to become a creative/art director, which incorporates an eye for photography.
I enjoy photography and I feel that if I did have it become a full full-time there would be an amount of pressure that takes away from the enjoyment it brings me. Sometimes at a shoot, I do get the urge to drop everything and become a freelance travel photographer, but I know there would be many more responsibilities that add pressure. Another fun fact about being an artist, not just with photography or graphic design, is that I have painted three murals within the past year. It was a great experience that gave me insight into another type of art.
Studying graphic design at ASU has been one of the hardest challenges I have ever been through and am still going through. For someone that grew up doing crafts and taking weekly trips to JoAnns and Michaels, you would think it would be a breeze, but the preciseness and technique taught at the design school have been so far ingrained into me that I see the design in every aspect of my life now.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
In the Spring of 2022, I was given the opportunity to audition for an ASU commercial that entailed being flown out to Hawaii. Risk-taking doesn’t always have to be dangerous, it can be out of the ordinary. In no scenario did I ever imagine myself auditioning for a commercial because I have never once been interested in acting, theater, or even public speaking. Watching, yes. Participating, absolutely not. But hey a free trip to Hawaii sign me up! I did the simple audition, uploaded it, and waited.
Two weeks later I received an email back saying the director, producer, and casting agent was interested in setting up a zoom call ASAP. I was shocked to hear on the call that they were eager to set up filming and send over paperwork, but I knew there was something too good about this. When I asked about filming dates it lined right up with when I was supposed to shoot my first wedding.
The team bartered with me trying to make it work but in my gut, I knew I could not cancel on the bride and groom. By not canceling the wedding I received several other weddings and general photography jobs that helped exponentially with my portfolio and experience than the commercial could’ve. I took a risk in auditioning but also took a risk in canceling and do not regret it.
Pricing:
- Senior Sessions start at less than $100
- Couple sessions start at $75
- There are add-on costs
- Always respect your boundaries with clients such as charging a late fee and travel fee
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cmerriweatherphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmerriweatherphotography/?hl=en
