Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Mirabal
Hi Melissa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi, let me introduce myself. My name is Melissa. I’m a mom, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. I am also a boss.
I have a event photographer and photoshoot photographer. When starting my photography business it was one of my best decisions that I’ve ever made. In the beginning it was supposed to be a hobby, yet the more I continued to do it, the more I fell in love with it. The more I continued to do it and fell in love the more it turned from my hobby to my business. With that I have learned about having a business. It can be a struggle in which you face every struggle every single day. Yet those struggles make not only me stronger and keep going, it makes my business stronger and continues on.
You know it’s been said that strangers will support you more than those you personally know. It is crazy to actually know that not everybody supports me or believes in me, when it comes to my business, but it’s okay. I have support where it matters most, so thank each and every one of y’all who have supported me. I have had days that I just want to give up. I think about it and I have to remember that I have a lot of people looking at me hoping for the fall instead of the rise. I will not give them that satisfaction.
I have actually done so many different events; weddings, birthdays, quinceñeras, family photos, etc. Yes,yet as I’ve stated I am open to other types of events.
My dreams with my photography is to travel and help people capture the most beautiful moments in their lives, so they can hold it in their hearts forever. It is true when they say a picture says a thousand words. A picture can never be deleted.
Now when you’re looking for a photographer, I find one with the passion and love for what they do, that makes the difference. I am that photographer and will continue to be.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No has not been a smooth road it’s been a very difficult one challenging for me not having the support of my family my friends not not having people believe in my dreams and my goals and not understanding why I’m doing what I’m doing is really been really hard for me the only support that I have is my daughter and that’s why I named my business after me and her
We’ve been impressed with Melissa@Janelle photography , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So I am a photographer when I started photography I started in 2020 I wanted to do everything I didn’t want to focus on just one type of photography I wanted to do every type of photography that there is out there but then I decided to just focus on three things which is weddings and quinceañera and I also do photo shoots but the photo shoot I do birthday parties engagement maternity graduation any type of lotion that you’re looking for I do there is some other photography that I want to start doing but for right now I just focus on those that I have mentioned
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’ve seen a business going around the world I see my business traveling that was one of my main thing when I started photography and I decided that I wanted to make in my business one of the main things was to travel I love to travel I wish I could travel more to be honest with you I am one of my dreams is to go to Disney world and take my daughter cuz she’s never been I’ve never been and so that’s one of my dreams that I will love love to go with her and experience that because I never experienced it myself as a child but I do see myself traveling around the world and you know hopefully doing other type of photography photography and I just focusing on the I’m just the main thing that I do now
Image Credits
So the picture that you’re seeing right there I did all of them except one and that was the engagement picture actually my friend went with me that day so I do give her credit for that I don’t want to say her name cuz I don’t think she’ll be comfortable with me putting her name out there especially and I haven’t asked her and so I just don’t I just don’t want to cause any problems without asking but yeah most of the pictures is just all of the pictures that I have taken are just me but there’s a few pictures that she’s taking or she’s been there usually when we have an event we mostly use she’s a she does videography so she does go with me the photo shoot like I said it was just one and it was engagement photo shoot
