Magazine spreads, perfect portraits, fantastically flawed... she can do it all and do it beautifully! She is Megan Dendinger and she is our featured artist for April from: Megan Alisa Photography How long have you been in business and how did you get your start? I have been in business a little over a year now. I got my start when my first child was born in 2006. I did her "newborn photos" on my couch with a soft blanket, too cool white balance and some photos not in complete focus. I never thought it would lead me to where I am now though. I didn't learn to use full manual mode until 2012 and since then have never switched to any other mode. Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path? Back when I was very first dabbling in photographing my kids a few years ago with my first dslr, two photographers that I can recall are Shana Rae Rosengarten of Florabella Collections and Annie Manning of Paint The Moon Collections. When I started to really want to do this as a business, a photographer that I was admiring then (and still now) was Jen Carver Photography. She had a lot to do with helping me find myself as a photographer. I consider her a mentor as well as a friend. I took her online workshop class and still continue to be active in that group of fantastic photographers. What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos? I suppose to only trust the guidance of those who get you as an artist. People that don't get your style and the kind of art you make aren't going to lead you where you want to go in your journey. What does photography mean to you? I have always needed some kind of artistic outlet. I have tried different things throughout my life to try and feed that hunger, but none (besides singing) has ever done that like photography. I feel free to create my own world and tell a story to my audience. It is a really satisfying feeling for me. I hope to never stop feeling this way. What is the best part about being a photographer? Being able to freeze a moment in time; an emotion, an interaction, beautiful things, sad things, all things. It is a powerful feeling to be able to do that. When I look back on a photo, I can feel what my subjects are feeling. I can be there in that moment with them. It is truly a gift to be able to do this. If you could shoot with any photographer in the world, who would it be and why? This is maybe the hardest question out of all of the questions here for me to answer. I admire so many photographers. I think it has to be Barb Uil of Jinky Art though. I love the whimsical, magical photos she produces. I aim to create that same kind of feeling and she is always someone I look to for that kind of inspiration when I feel I need a little more magic in my life. If she is ever close enough to California with a workshop, I am doing it! What is your favorite image you have taken to date? If had to pick one image, which is really hard for me to pick by the way, it would have to be my daughter's face when she was having a bit of an unhappy moment with me. It was totally different than my normal pretty photos. It is still beautiful to me but just different and pushed me into a larger realm of emotions that I want to capture. It is the image that I see everyday on my 27" iMac monitor and I still love it. How do you feel about breaking the perceived rules of photography? I view photography as art and I think if you can make something visually attractive,
the rules don't matter that much. If you can create something the pulls viewers in, that makes you as the artist feel satisfied and it isn't something that follows the rules, there is no matter. I have always been a bit of a rebel though. :)
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