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

Hi Melanie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always had a love for photography. When I was younger, I never had a fancy camera. I only used my phone to take photos. When I had my first born, three years ago, I started taking photos of him like crazy. I would dress him up and do cute little photo shoots with him. After the photo shoots, I would be so eager to edit all of his photos and watch them come to life.

Once I started uploading more and more of his photos, I had some friends and family reach out to me about taking their photos. Of course, I was overjoyed about that. I was so excited that people actually wanted me to take photos of them! I did a few sessions just for fun, all on my iPhone!

That’s when I realized that I could actually start to make money from this. I could make money from doing what I loved.

If I’m being honest, I had absolutely no idea where to start. I didn’t go to school for photography, I wasn’t a professional. All these negative thoughts started to burst into my head. It’s easy to get imposter syndrome and feel like you’re not good enough. It’s completely normal to feel that way sometimes. Starting a business is scary and it’s a big step. However, I knew this is what I wanted. I wanted to do something that I was passionate about, something that would bring me happiness and joy. I did so much research before jumping into anything. I looked at hundreds of videos on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. I spent hours and hours educating myself with everything that I could possibly need to know.

As soon as I was able to, I bought my very first camera and I went for it! I’m so happy that I did. It was truly the best decision that have I ever made.

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Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started my business, Melanie Trujillo Photography back in 2021. I wasn’t sure what type of photographer I wanted to be, I just knew I wanted to take photos of people. When I started my business, I didn’t even really know how to take photos with a camera, because I was so accustomed to taking photos with my iPhone. To get some practice, I offered a few free sessions. I remember I would ask everyone and anyone if they wanted to book a free photoshoot with me. When I finally to got familiarized with my camera, I then started doing photo shoots for only $50. I did senior photos, family photos and even maternity. Once I started to build my portfolio and gain experience, more and more clients started to come in.

This process definitely wasn’t easy. As a stay at home mom I had to learn how to juggle running a business while also being a momma. Being a photographer is so much more than just capturing photos. It’s spending hours and hours editing, marketing yourself, replying to emails, etc. However, the best thing about running your own business is that you are your own boss. I am in charge of how my time is spent. Once I figured out a routine for myself and learned how to balance out my work life and personal life, it became much easier.

Throughout the years, I have created many friendships with my clients. When anyone books with me, I try my best to provide a fun, laidback, and comfortable environment. I immediately become their best friend and their hype man. I believe that everyone deserves to feel beautiful and confident while being photographed.

It’s essential to create these fun and memorable experiences with your clients because they help build great relationships. That’s how you get recurring clients and then they will also recommend you to their friends and family. 

Something that I am most proud of is accomplishing the goals that I had set for myself. I remember the biggest goal that I had for myself was to start photographing weddings. I always would see wedding photographers post their wedding photos and I would tell myself, “that’s it, that’s what I want to do.” The romance, the big beautiful dresses, the love, the storytelling, all of it made me excited. I wanted to be apart of that industry. The only thing was, I didn’t have any experience in any weddings and I didn’t think anyone would want to book me (imposter syndrome once again). However, I put myself out there and I booked my very first wedding last October. I now have six weddings booked this year! That’s definitely something that I am proud of!

One of the lessons that I have learned along the way is to never compare yourself to others. It can be easy to compare someone else’s success and skill to yours. I used to do it all the time. I would look at some photographers portfolios and I would instantly compare their work to mine. I would get discouraged that my work wasn’t as good as theirs. I would question how they were getting so many bookings back to back while I was constantly looking for people to book with me. One day, I decided to change my mindset and instead of comparing my work to theirs, I actually reached out to some of them. I complimented their work and asked them how they got to where they are today. I never thought they would respond to me because some of them had 100k followers and I didn’t think they would even see my message. However, believe it or not, some of them did! I realized that people love to hear that you like their work and a lot of them are more than happy to share tips and tricks. A lot of the people that I would compare my work to have actually been in this industry for 10+ years while I have only been in it for barely 3. Moral of the story, never compare yourself to others because everyone has their own starting point and their own path to success. I was comparing my work as a new photographer to experienced photographers who have had way more years of experience than me.

We all have to go through obstacles in life in order to get to where we want to be. Never be too afraid or too prideful to ask for guidance or to compliment others. Always be humble and kind no matter what.

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Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a big foodie so I would start the day off by taking them to Rosie’s Diner in Aurora. It’s one of my favorite spots to eat. It has an old fashioned vibe to it and it plays all the old school music that I love. After grabbing a bite to eat, I would probably take them to some fun antique stores in downtown Denver and after that probably go hiking at Roxborough State Park or someplace in Boulder! Both places are super beautiful!
I would probably end the night parked at look out mountain with some snacks while we all listen to a true crime/conspiracy podcasts or tell scary stories!

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Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to a podcast called “Oh Shoot! With Cassidy Lynne”. Since I started this journey, I have been listening to her podcast. It’s so educational. She has helped me become more confident as a photographer and has also inspired me to become a wedding photographer! So definitely thanks to her for that!

I would also like to give thanks to my wonderful husband Lio. He has been my biggest supporter and my number one fan. He has helped me with so many shoots, he speaks words of wisdom and encouragement to me. He motivates me to go harder and be great. I love him so much, he’s the absolute best.

Last but certainly not least, I would love to give thanks to God. I pray every day whether it be for advice, guidance, etc. I believe he has answered so many of my prayers, so all praise and glory to him.

Website: https://melanietrujillophotography58.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanietrujillophotography?igsh=b2NkMHIyejYwMnZm&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanietrujillophotography?mibextid=LQQJ4d

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