Meet Emily Murtagh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Murtagh.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
As a child, I was surrounded by creatives… my father was an entrepreneur and dabbled in sketching and photography. And my mother was always creating beauty around her; from drawing and painting, to designing and sewing clothes for my sister and I. She also decorated our childhood home with beautiful murals she painted on the walls of our home. Together, they taught us to have a great love of nature in all its forms which I believe still shows in all of my work. As I grew older, I was intensely drawn to photography and at the age of 12, I was using my father’s film camera to create images of my sister and cousins dressed up in whimsical dresses. As an adult, my husband reignited that artistic spark when he gifted me with my first digital camera. As the mother of two small children at the time, I began to see everything differently and wanted to document our story the best way possible. I started taking photography classes and learning how to shoot in manual and it has been an obsession ever since. My love for storytelling has now spilled over into telling not only my own but others as well. I think it is so important to document the here and now, and also to show people how beautiful their own story is amidst the chaos that can be life…

Please tell us about your art.
I love capturing moments in time. Not only are they beautiful pieces of art… photographs are what make memories tangible. We can look back on photographs and remember things that we had all but forgotten. There’s something so incredibly beautiful in showing others the beauty everyone else sees from the outside that they themselves have trouble seeing. Life and all its tiny hurdles are worth celebrating and framing. My work is not perfect, I try and document that which is real at every session I do. I not only want you to be able to remember how your child or significant other looked like but what also what that moment felt like. And to do that you have to let go of the idea of perfection and be in the moment. As far as how I create my work and my gear; I have to say, I’m a minimalist when it comes to equipment and gear. I usually only use one prime lens and one camera. I try to keep things simple. I try to make all of my sessions something my clients will look back on and think “That was really fun and relaxing!” There’s never any pressure to look straight at the camera, my favorite thing to tell my clients is to just show up prepared to have fun to explore nature, be you and love on those closest to your heart. It truly is the most beautiful gift to be able to do this kind of work. I can truthfully say it has my entire heart and I am fully invested in every moment I document and the images those moments create.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Find a community that supports you! They are out there, I promise! There are communities that are amazing with supporting fellow artists and sharing their knowledge… I honestly don’t know where I would be without those communities. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to fellow artists. I’ve found that most of them are more than happy to make a new friend and the knowledge and support you can bring each other can be life changing!

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can visit my website and follow along Instagram & Facebook.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilyjaynephotography.com/
• Phone: (520) 861-1533
• Email: emilyjaynes.photography@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily.jaynes.photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilyjaynephotographytucson/

Image Credit:
Emily Jayne Photography

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