Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Duane.
Hi Miranda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For as long as I can remember art and creation have always remained a constant interest in my life. When I was younger, I would try every craft I could think of from sewing, drawing, painting, and more. Luckily, I had parents who continued to support my long list of interests and my ever-changing hyper-fixations. The list of random skills I have picked up is quite endless. I think it also helps that I grew up in a household with parents who are both creative in their own ways. My mother is a dental assistant who works with her hands and was once big into photography. Then you have my father who also has a long list of obtained skills from woodworking, to stained glass, and even landscaping which he turned into his own business that he worked for most of my childhood. They both have always told me to try anything once and see if I like it and for that, I’m forever grateful. Like my father, I too have turned my passions into my career. Aside from my photography business Miranda Duane Photography I also own an art business called Sleepy Club. For now, I will solely focus on the photography side of things.
My first introduction to photography was a little digital camera I got for Christmas in the early 2000s from the Myspace era. You know, before everyone had cameras on their phones. I’m probably aging myself here, but I think this plays a part in my character development. I had this camera for years and I think I even had it past the demise of Myspace and the rise of Facebook. I used to take that little camera with me everywhere taking photos of people, my pets, and nature. Thinking back on it now that must have been the start of this love that I have for photography. I’m big on nostalgia and chasing those lost feelings of my childhood and I get a little taste of that every time I pick up my cameras even if now, they’re a little heavier and a lot more advanced.
My path to portrait and wedding photography was never cut and dry. With my reintroduction to photography, I wasn’t photographing people I was photographing toys (weird I know, but a love of mine nonetheless.) There’s so much creativity that goes into toy photography that gets overlooked but it deserves credit for reigniting my spark. That and the toy community as a whole. Hello to all of you reading this who know me from there. Without you, I wouldn’t have kept photographing!
From toy photography, I grew an interest in photographing real people and if you know anything about me it’s that I kind of just leaps into things. If it’s something I want to do I’m going to do it and deal with the aftermath later. Maybe a little reckless but it hasn’t failed me yet. At the time I was shooting with a Nikon D3300 (a gift from my in-laws from a Christmas long before) which isn’t a horrible camera at all but in my head, you have to look the part to play the part. So, I did what any normal person would do, and I threw down a bunch of money on shiny new equipment. If you didn’t know camera equipment is excessively expensive for no reason. Actually, I take that back! There’s a valid reason when you get down to the semantics. It just hurt coming out of my wallet.
Once I had my expensive new equipment, I was ready to get out there and make magic, or so I thought. Turns out that to take portraits you need people and to get people interested you need a portfolio which surprise, I didn’t have. From here I started doing free sessions for anyone who was interested. These photoshoots really helped me to learn how to use my equipment, direct people, and get out my creativity with editing and finding my style. When more interest in my work arose, I started charging for my time and skills. I had the honor of shooting my first wedding early into my career and I’m forever grateful to the couple for trusting me. From there I was asked to second shoot weddings which has taught me so much and helped me grow in ways I couldn’t imagine. This brings us to the current day. I’m still early in my career. I’m going on 2 years, and I’ve met so many people and experienced so many things, I recently quit my 9-5 job to focus my time and energy on my passions and businesses. I’m excited to keep creating and I’m ready to see what the future has in store!
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?
Personally, I think with any new venture there are going to be struggles and things to smooth out along the way.
You’re always learning new things and new techniques which can bring on its own set of obstacles and aggravations. Every photoshoot or event that you do is never going to be picture-perfect, there are so many moving parts that come together to make the big picture (pun intended) and I find myself picking apart all the things I could have done better. In a nutshell, I’m a little too hard on myself and suffer from Imposter syndrome far too often.
I’m someone who likes to think I can learn anything if I keep trying but sometimes the struggle to get it perfect can weigh me down. This along with the fact that there are so many great photographers in this industry causes me to fall into a cycle of feeling like I’m not producing work that can stand tall alongside all these beautiful photos I see online. The internet and social media do that to you though. The truth is at the end of the day everyone is different and has that little something that sets them apart from each other and I think that’s the beautiful thing about being human.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my foundation, I am just Miranda an artistic soul with the craving to live life unapologetically. I’m all about making my clients feel safe and comfortable in their skin. being photographed by someone is a very vulnerable thing to do and it can have people feel self-conscious and nervous. My goal is to have them feeling confident by the end of it and to produce photos that will help them see their beauty.
I approach photographing a little differently than some people do. I’m into raw interactions and candid poses. Don’t get me wrong I pose and direct people, but I try to do it in a way that feels like we’re just taking a walk together and hanging out. I’d say my specialty is working with couples whether it’s engagement, weddings, or maternity photos. I don’t just do couples though, I’m willing to take on most things and just love photography as a whole! Give me all the fun projects!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
What is living if you don’t take any risks? Without risk, there’s no reward. I spent a lot of my early 20’s being afraid of taking risks and I feel like it put me so far behind on where my potential and skills could have taken me. I won’t sit here and say I took all the risks on my own, I have my wonderful husband Ryan who has pushed me to take risks and follow my heart.
I love him for always believing in me and supporting every crazy idea I have (risky or not). If you are someone who needs the push to take the leap this is me telling you to do it. This past year I took all of the risks without any second thoughts, and I have achieved more this year than at any other time in my life. Don’t underestimate your worth because you never know where it will take you!
Pricing:
- Solo – $150
- Engagement – $275
- Maternity – $250
- Family – $300
- Wedding – $1200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mirandaduanephotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirandaduanephotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirandaduanephotography/
