May 17, 2017

Meet Taryn Melgoza of Taryn Melgoza Photography in Pearland

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taryn Melgoza.

Taryn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a maternity, newborn and family photographer located in Houston, TX. I am married to my high school sweetheart for 9 years and we have two awesome children who light up our lives and always keep us laughing. I started my photography journey in 2009 when my husband bought me my very first DSLR camera for our one year anniversary. This gift kick-started an obsession for me that would eventually grow into a successful portrait studio a few years later. I am a lover of cupcakes and coffee, my two dogs, college football, and all things maroon (I’m an Aggie, can you tell?). Gig ’em!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think there will always be challenges when you decide to take a risk and start a business. I have definitely experienced bumps in the road during my journey over the past 8 years. My first major hurdle was deciding to quit my teaching job in 2013 and transitioning to do photography full time. I was so scared to take the leap into self-employment and leave my stable income behind, but I am sooooo glad I made that leap of faith as it has proven to be a great move for our family financially. A few years later, I felt it was time to move my home studio from my dining room to a retail studio space in town, but finding the perfect studio space within my budget was a major challenge. It took me a few months to find the right location, but with the help of a great real estate agent/friend I was able to secure a great space and have been extremely happy with my decision to move. Deciding to hire an assistant to help me with my newborn sessions and ordering appointments was another decision I struggled to make. It was difficult for me at first to learn how to delegate tasks to my assistant and give up some control, but having help has been a life-changer for me! Looking back on all of these decisions, I can say with confidence they all allowed my business to achieve more. So, while they were hard decisions at the time, they were all in the right direction for what my business needed to thrive and continue to be successful.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I spent the first few years of business photographing EVERYTHING: weddings, events, pets, products…. really just trying to get a feel for this industry and figure out what I was doing. As most have probably experienced, any type of business is good business when you are just starting out! But over time I started to feel more drawn to newborn photography. I love being able to capture such a fleeting moment in a new baby’s life; they are only that little, that squishy, and that sleepy for the first few weeks after birth. I also love incorporating different textures, muted colors, and layers, to create a beautiful yet timeless memory of each precious miracle. Each session I challenge myself to create something new and original using the props and fabrics that I have in my studio. Once I started to focus more on newborn portraits, maternity photography was the next natural progression as many families choose to document their bumps before their newborn sessions. Pregnancy is such an exciting yet sweet time and I focus on capturing the emotion, connection, and anticipation in the arrival of a new life.

I think what sets me apart from others is my dedication to giving my clients that absolute BEST experience from their portrait sessions. I want them to feel relaxed, welcomed, and comfortable. I want to create the most beautiful artwork possible for their families. And I strive to make a true friendship with each client as I think this creates a life-long relationship of clients who will want to come back to you for portraits year after year.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always out-going, involved in sports and school activities, and took on various leadership roles. I was what some may call a high achiever. But I never did feel very “artistic” or creative growing up. I never took a single art class in all of my school years as I always gravitated towards math and science courses. As I matured and grew into an adult, I think the one thing I had always been missing was a way to express myself creatively. This is where photography came into my life and started to become an obsession that would later turn into a successful portrait business. I still consider myself to be out-going and high achieving, but I love that I get to express myself through my art AND make beautiful memories for my clients. I think the high-achiever part of me is still very prevalent as that is what keeps me striving to be the best possible business owner I can be.

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