Meet Mariel Mumm | Maternity, Birth, Newborn + Baby, Family, and Landscape Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariel Mumm and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been a creative person, I have been an artist in various mediums since I was young. I love creating something beautiful, original, and meaningful, and find the process of creating art to be almost meditative. It’s one of the few times when the world around me gets quiet, my mind feels sharp and focused, it lights up my senses in ways that few other activities can. And I love sharing the beauty I create, for others to look upon and hopefully experience joy and a sense of wonder.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Becoming a mother for the first time I was overcome with the preciousness of this tiny miracle in my arms, and I wanted to capture each and every moment forever in my mind, to not let a single moment slip away. And they slip away so quickly it seems. By taking photos I was able to keep track of those moments, and looking back on the images is always able to transport me back to that moment in time and all the feels that went with it. It felt like I could preserve that moment, keep it tucked away and look at it whenever I wanted to remember. By starting my photography business, I wanted to give that gift to other families as well. To capture them just exactly the way they are in the moment I am photographing them – the love between them, how small their children were in their arms, the joy and happiness they share among themselves, the fleeting moments that pass us by so often unnoticed until they’re gone. Our family loves to get out into nature and soak up its beauty and explore, play, and take it all in. I started bringing my camera to capture some of nature’s most magnificent creations and realized that in the same way I can capture moments in time for families to look back on, I can also capture these moments in time that I experience with my own family. Each landscape photograph I take has a memory behind it, an experience we shared as a family, and whenever I look at those images it brings me back to that place in time.
I’m proud that I have built this business because I decided to take a leap and pursue a dream of mine, through moments of doubt and uncertainty, I chose not to give up, I kept putting in energy and work and trusting that that energy would come back to me. I want the world to know that I do this because I love it. I love sharing beauty with others and knowing that it touches their hearts and brings them joy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Absolute Bakery and Cafe serves up delicious breakfast and baked goods, and you can peruse the bookshelves for some great books while you wait for your food. Exploring Mesa Verde is an incredible place to see the cliff dwellings and learn about the culture that lived there so long ago.
The Farm Bistro serves up lunch and dinner using locally grown ingredients and has a cozy, down-home vibe.
Fenceline Cidery is a hidden gem with its rustic taproom and heated patio on the riverbank, serving locally grown and pressed cider and kombucha, and a different food truck every evening.

Drive over to Joe Rowell park in Dolores for a fun, dragon-themed playground for the kids. The Dolores River Brewery has a flavorful menu great for lunch or dinner.
Columbine Bar & Grill serves scrumptious burgers and fries, salads, and sandwiches and is a great place for lunch or dinner.

Head on over to the Durango Recreation Center for some swimming, including a huge water play area for the kids, or do some indoor rock climbing, Then stop by Sage for a healthy, flavorful lunch. Take a walk around downtown Durango and wander in and out of the variety of shops and soak up the local culture. Stop into Steamworks for a delicious dinner at a great price.

Breakfast at the Lone Spur Cafe and a hike up Junction Creek is a great way to spend a day. Grab a salad at Nature’s Oasis for a quick, healthy lunch afterward.
Head over to the Durango Fish Hatchery with a pocketful of quarters to feed the trout – they raise them and set them free in the local rivers and bodies of water.
Head over to the 11st Street Station for a variety of food trucks, there’s something for everyone.

Take a ride up to Silverton on the Durango Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad and while you’re in town, stop by the Golden Block Brewery for the best wood-fired pizza, especially the Mountain Climber pizza. Check out the train station museum in Durango as well for some history. Grab a burrito, tacos, or salad bowl at Zia Taqueria for a quick dinner.

Take the kids to the Powerhouse Science Center for some fun hands-on activities and pet Priscilla the milk snake while you’re there (don’t worry she’s not venomous).
Do some roller skating or ice skating at Chapman Hill, followed by East by Southwest for some delicious sushi and Japanese food and great atmosphere.

Head over to Phil’s World for some mountain biking with incredible views. Stop by Zuma Natural Foods and pickup some picnic items to take up to Jackson Lake Reservoir for some hiking, paddleboarding, or cross-country skiing. The lake is also a great place to do some fishing and is an incredible spot to watch the sun go down over the water.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family are the ones I owe this to. My husband has unwaveringly supported my decision to start my own business, to share my creativity with the world, to stay home and raise our daughters and to pursue what I wanted to do with my life, He has been there for my every step of the way, encouraging me to pursue my dreams. He bought me my first camera for Christmas after I’d been talking about how I’d like to get into photography and start my own business one day, and from there I took classes and honed my skills and launched my business. And my daughters inspire me everyday, to be creative, to look at the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity, to enjoy the little moments and to live life in the present. They inspire me to be the best version of myself every day and to show them that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up.

Website: https://marielmummphotography.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariel_mumm_photography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mariel-Mumm-Photography/100064953672863/

Image Credits
All photographs are my own.