Meet Mercedes D Lopez of Merlo Photography in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mercedes D Lopez.

Mercedes, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story as a photographer began in 2016, I have only been doing photography for about three years now but I’ve grown tremendously and I’m super proud of that. I come from a family with creativity and art in their veins, some of them can draw, wood burn, create amazing DIY projects, and as for me, I can capture memories.

My main reason for being a photographer is the pure confidence and joy that individuals get from my photos. When somebody asks me what made me want to start doing photography, the answer to that is I love bringing out what people don’t see in themselves. An individual is beautiful in their way and I love being part of what brings that out of them. I used to struggle with my confidence and it took a lot to overcome that and helping others with that same obstacle is one of my most favorite things about photography. The moment someone looks at their photo I took and they say “I feel so confident” is the best feeling ever. I have always loved portrait photography and still do a lot of portrait work to this day, I just think humans are beautiful! I recently got into doing photos for tiny dancers. Kids have such a light within them and being able to capture their talents is truly inspiring.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of my biggest obstacles has always been myself. I used to criticize myself so much to the point where I wanted to quit. It had nothing to do with the subjects in my frames but more with how I constantly told myself to be better. I would also be in my head because I’m a full-time student at the University of Phoenix trying to obtain my Master’s in psychology who also works a full-time job as a Junior Loan Processor, I would tell myself that I wasn’t putting enough time into my photography and for that, I wouldn’t get better. Once I learned balance, I knew that if I believed in my art enough I could do it all. We make time for the things we want. Being a photographer was something I wanted.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I have branded my business as Merlo photography. I specialize in portrait photography and have recently been doing tiny dancer action shots, family photoshoots, graduation photoshoots and some fashion photoshoots. Merlo Photography is known for my availability, my pricing, and my interaction with people. I’m a very outgoing person and I try to put myself in my subjects’ shoes, meaning that I understand that for most of my models it may be their very first photoshoot so they might feel a little nervous and I help them work through that. I’m most proud of how happy my models are when they get their photos back. It makes me so excited when I see my photos being shared. Photography is a lot of fun for me and I love my models to have fun as well.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is simple: create goals achieve them, repeat and have fun doing it. I win every time I send off the photos to my client. When it comes to photography, I never want to be better than anyone else, I want to learn and continue to create beautiful memories, that for me is being successful as a photographer.

Pricing:

• $50.00 Package: 1hour & 25 fully edited photos
• $65.00 Package: 1.5hours & 40 fully edited photos
• $80.00 Package: 2hours &65 fully edited photos

Contact Info:

• Phone: (480)865-8219
• Email: viewsbymerlo@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merlo.photography/

Image Credit:
Models:
Jeanelle Santos
Mercedes Traylor
Leslie Robles
JohnPaul Robles
Maricela Leon
Kaydence Mardis
Marielle Maggay
Annette A

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