Meet Clarissa Mickelson of Arizona

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarissa Mickelson.

Hi Clarissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I picked up my first DSLR camera in 2022 during my second year of college at Brigham Young University Idaho. At the time I was working on a marketing degree with an emphasis in social media, and it was becoming clear to me that I was going to need to know at least a little bit about creating content as well as distributing it. I signed up for Photography 1: Beginner Photography and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love. I finally dropped the marketing side of my studies a couple of semesters later after I completed a social media marketing internship where my favorite part of the whole internship was a photoshoot for a client. I have been pursuing photography ever since. I finally graduated in 2024 with an associate’s degree in general studies and a minor in photography.

My baby boy was born in November of 2024 and I registered Clarissa Mickelson Photography, LLC in January of this year. I am currently a stay at home mom and small business owner!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The decision to be a photographer came at the end of a long long list of other ideas, dreams, dead ends, and failed pursuits. I didn’t grow up with one specific answer to the familiar question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I changed my major in college at least 4 times. It honestly took some convincing to get myself to officially devote myself to photography. I didn’t want to be another photographer in a job force that is oversaturated with photographers.

However, despite the journey to get here, I am very grateful for where I am today and for the choices that have led me here. I believe I have always had the soul of an artist. I needed the time and freedom to learn and grow, to meet people, to try things out, and to connect to the person I was growing up.

I don’t plan on being just another photographer. A couple of my life goals are to never lose my personal spark of creative passion and to never settle.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a fashion, portrait, and product photographer!

I would say that I specialize in the things I love, as is true for most people. I Love the studio. I Love high contrast and dramatic expression. I love to take my subjects, whether they be people or products, and create for them images of themselves that are larger than life. It’s like a conversation. “Who do you want to be? What do you want to be? … Okay, I’ll show you that.”

I am most proud of the photos I have taken that were created for commercial purposes but look like art. Images that make people stop for a moment to look for just a little longer.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
That is a fantastic question. Growing up my family nicknamed me “Director of Activities” because I was constantly planning and putting on games, performances, parties, reenactments, scavenger hunts, soap operas, you name it, for anyone and everyone within my sphere of influence. Participation was required. I even planned a good number of my sibling’s birthday parties. I have tons of great memories of all the shenanigans I dragged everybody into.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://clarissamickelson-photo.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissa.mickelson_photography?igsh=czg3b3BtbzZzeTZx
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarissa.mickelson/

Image Credits
Profile picture taken by Mary Elise Photography