Meet Missy Long | Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Missy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My dad has a love of photography. He used to take thousands of pictures of beautiful mountain scenes, flowers, animals and of course, his daughters. I was intrigued by photography but intimidated by the many buttons, so my curiosity never went very far. Years later as a young stay at home mom, I saw so much happening with my children that I never wanted to forget. I contacted a photographer for our very first family portraits and was disappointed when the session fee, let alone the cost of prints, didn’t fit into our single income budget. Instead, I filled up memory cards on my old point and shoot. I was frustrated when I couldn’t make the photos as magical as real life. My husband gifted me a Canon Rebel in 2010 and I was in love. I worked tirelessly to learn both my camera and photo editing settings so my photos could match the magic I saw in my loved ones. Soon, my computer was filled with thousands and thousands of treasured images – teeny tiny baby feet, the curls that draped down my toddler’s shoulder, my husband reading bed time stories. A few years and another child later, I was urged by several of my close friends to offer my services as a professional photographer. And so in 2014, I did. And when I set up my pricing structure, I did so with other young families in mind. I wanted to remain as affordable as possible while also offering a great product. Ten years later, I am proud to say that I have held to that goal.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Denver metro is so full of wonderful photographers. What I believe sets me apart is how invested I become in the families I work with. I genuinely love and care about them. I watch them go through life’s phases and we work together to make images that will live within the fabric of their family’s story. By truly leaning in and getting to know them and truly see them, their final images wholly reflect who they are at this moment in time. Over time, the galleries we create together just get better and better because we know and trust each other. To me, art is vulnerability on both sides.

The toughest part of running a business for me is actually running the business. I am not great with organization or numbers. I’ve been known to forget to file my quarterly taxes. I get overwhelmed when dealing with the back side of things. The biggest lesson I learned is to take yourself seriously at the start. Hire an accountant and a book keeper, seek out business mentors. Creatives typically aren’t great with the business side. Hire the help you need before things get messy!

When you hire me, you’re hiring someone who never forgets how vulnerable it is to be in front of the camera. Someone who values your family just as it is. Someone who respects the financial investment that goes into hiring a photographer and never forgets that each family has endless choices when searching for a photographer. I want to be the photographer who photographs your newborn today and in 18 years, your high school senior.

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?
As a photographer, I’d want my best friend to leave with endless images from their trip! Since I’m such a nature lover, we’d grab coffee at Ziggi’s drive-thru then zip up to Mount Falcon for a sunrise hike. Next up, brunch at Snooze AM for the best gluten free pancakes and mimosas! We’d wander around Cheesman Park for people watching . Next up, a late afternoon photo shoot at RiNo with the beautiful murals as our backdrop. You can’t miss sunset at City Park or Confluence Park! To wrap up the best day, we’d head to Ball Arena for an Avalanche win on home ice! I’m definitely more of a home body, so this day would have me tapped out. But, my bestie would leave with a really great snap shot of what life in the Denver metro is like.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Mike, deserves the biggest shout out. He purchased my first camera for me knowing that I’d never do it for myself. It is still the very best gift I’ve ever received. It’s the cheesiest thing to say but, it wasn’t just the actual camera, it was that I felt he really believed I deserved that camera and would do good things with it.

Website: http://www.mx4lifestylephotographer.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mx4lifestylephotography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mx4photography/

Image Credits
Mx4 Lifestyle Photography