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Meet Michelle Lewis of Mama Bear Studios & Michelle Lee Lewis Photography in Surprise

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lewis.

Michelle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My Dad gave me my first camera when I was just 13 years old. I quickly fell in love with it. It was a hobby of my Dads, and as a teenager did I not only get to take photo class in high school but we had our black and white darkroom at home. I truly have been crafting my style for over 20 years now. After high school, I decided I wanted photography to be more than just a hobby like it was for my Dad. I attended Northern Arizona University where I learned I had a passion for photographing people. Not only did I work for the school paper, but also the sports department for NAU as a staff photographer for all their team sports while still working on my degree. I graduated NAU with a bachelors in photography & advertising. I thought my road was clear, I would continue on with photojournalism and work for newspapers. I absolutely loved the daily assignments and meeting so many different people with great stories to share. As an interned after college at the Arizona Republic, the internet became available to everyone’s cell phones. It was a game changer!!! Newspaper sales went quickly down and the industry was in shock of what was to come. I was asked to go back to school for video, but my passion has always been in still photography. Capturing one moment in time to share for a lifetime. So, I was stuck in a technology shift that had a girl right outta college in limbo. What to do???

I freelanced to a while and did work of mouth jobs but social media had not quite advanced as it has now, so paying for a billboard or telephone book ad was too pricey. So, the next few years, I did my photography on the side thru word of mouth and worked in sales. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my daughter that my spouse pushed me to just do my photography full time. With the help of Facebook and Instagram, I started building my business. I believe in slow and steady, so I made a plan and put it to work. I have been growing my business strong for almost eight years, building my client base and reputation in the west valley. I turned my passion for photographing people in the newspaper world into a business of photography peoples portraits. Newborns, maternity, family, high school seniors, engagements, and, business profiles, and wedding/events.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Mama Bear Studios & Michelle Lee Lewis Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in portraits. Whether that be a newborn baby, maternity, milk bath, high school seniors, headshots, engagements, weddings, and events.

One thing that does set me aside for others in town is a capture sunset photo. I end most sessions in the desert to show off our amazing sunsets.

Do you feel like there are certain traits that increase the likelihood of success?
I can chat with the best of them, I like to build a level of trust quickly when I meet a client to get the ease and feel comfortable in front of the camera. That way their smiles are natural.

Pricing:

  • High school senior session 225.00
  • Newborn session 275.00
  • Weddings packages starting at 600.00

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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