Hidden Gems: Meet Q’Mariha Lewis of Q Lewis Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Q’Mariha Lewis.

Hi Q’Mariha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always loved capturing memories.

I got my first point and shoot camera when I was 13, and I immediately became the person in the family or the friend group that would tell everyone to stop and smile. In college, I decided I wanted to get more control over how my photos came out, so I saved up some money, bought my first “real” camera, and watched a lot of YouTube tutorials on what the different settings meant and how to change them to get the look that I wanted.

I would drag my friends to a nearby park, or cool-looking part of campus and practice taking photos of them.

After I graduated, I decided to take photography more seriously and joined a few networking groups with other photographers, some models, and other creative professionals. While photographing these people, I really enjoyed hearing their stories and capturing their personalities on camera.

I believe you can tell a lot about a person through their photos and I have a lot of fun helping people show off who they are.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been smooth sailing.

There have been plenty of times where I tried something and it just outright failed. I’ve learned the hard way that I need to set boundaries with people so that I don’t burn myself out. One of my biggest struggles has been having thoughts about whether I’m even good enough to be charging money to photograph people, or “Imposter Syndrome” if you will.

I know it’s something that a lot of small business owners face at times, but it’s still so frustrating because I wish I could just be 100% confident in myself all of the time.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Q Lewis Photography?
I am a portrait and personal branding photographer, currently based in the Scottsdale area.

My goal for my portrait clients is to give them a relaxed, customized photography experience that’s all about them and what they want. I work with a team of professional hair, makeup, and wardrobe stylists to ensure that my clients look exactly how they’d like to on camera. We do the photoshoot at a location that suits the client’s desires whether that’s in-studio or on location, and in the end, the client gets to choose exactly which photos they would like to have edited and take home.

My personal branding clients get the same customized experience, with the focus being more on their small business needs. My goal for them is to get them on-brand imagery that will help them connect with their ideal client, images that they can use across all social media platforms, their websites, flyers, etc. Help show who they are as a business owner.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
One fun fact about me is that I’m conversationally fluent in French.

I’ve been studying the language since 2009 and I even got to go to Montreal and Paris where I was able to put my years of study to good use. I’m trying to learn other languages as well. Right now my main focus is on Spanish and Japanese, but I’d love to pick up some Korean and German too.

I just think that learning a foreign language is a great way to learn about other cultures and it’s a lot of fun.

Contact Info:

• Email: qlewisphotography@gmail.com
• Website: qlewisphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qlewisphotography/

Image Credits

The one set in a desert landscape, with a Black woman wearing a purple top and black glasses by Laura Vlieg Photography
The rest of the photos were taken by Q Lewis Photography