Featured Photographer: Mickie DeVries

mdv Hi! I’m Mickie!  My main photography subjects are my two kiddos Alex & Rylie.  They do not exactly share the same passion as I do with photography, but bribery usually sways them!  We live in West Michigan, where I am a stay at home mom, and my husband operates our blueberry farm.  When I’m not sticking my camera in my children’s faces, I can be found reading, scrapbooking, geocaching, or drinking diet coke!  I know diet coke is horrible, but I do love it . . .

·  When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?

This is hard to answer because I have always loved taking photos from a young age, however my passion for photography developed after the birth of my second child.  I became a stay at home mom, and wanted to study photography so I could better document my family.

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·  When and how did you start out in photography?

Soon after the birth of Rylie, I bought my first DSLR – a Nikon D90, and immersed myself into all things photography related.  For several years, I photographed not only my own immediate family, but extended family and friends also.  Ultimately in 2012, well into developing a business, I decided that my joy with photography really was found in photographing my own family.  On a rare occasion I still photograph family and friends, but my heart lies within documenting my own family.

·  How would you describe your style?

Words that I hope describe my style are soulful, joyful, narrative, dreamy, emotive, and a depiction of childhood. Someone recently described my work as messy beautiful, which I love!

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·  What’s in your gear bag? (If you don’t want to list everything just tell us what brand.)

I shoot with a Nikon d700 and a variety of prime lenses mostly.  My favorite lenses are my Sigma 35mm 1.4 and the Nikon 85mm 1.4.  I also really love my expodisc for challenging white balance situations like overwhelmingly green fields!

·  One lens you can’t live without?

100% my Sigma 35mm 1.4!  And it’s out for repair right now, so I’m dying!

·  How did know when the right time to start charging was? 

Since I decided business is not for me I do not charge.

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We are going to play a game… 

               Name the first person that comes to mind when you think of… Write down the first person, no cheating!!

·           Newborn photographer: Jenni Jones

·           Wedding photographer:  Megan VanKampen

·           Lifestyle photographer:  Vironica Golden

·           Most inspiration person:  Jesus

Name the first thing that comes to mind when you think of: 

– Prop vendor:  Picsie Props they are local to me

– Photography Book:  Creative 52: Weekly Projects to Invigorate Your Photography Portfolio

– Photography Blog: http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/  I participate often in the CM daily project, but what I love most about it is that it represents so many talented artists!

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·       Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught? If self-taught, what helped you the most?

I am self-taught.  The single most beneficial thing I did for myself in regards to photography was joining Clickin Moms.  There is such a wealth of information and photographers from all over the world freely share their knowledge.  I’m so happy to be part of Clickin Moms, and love to give back by helping out when I can, like so many others have helped me.

·       Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out?.

Some tips I can think of off the top of my head are:

Learn the technical aspects of photography such as exposure, white balance, focusing, etc. before trying to learn editing.  A good sooc shot will help immensely in editing.  When I look back at my earlier work my sooc shots are almost always better than my crazy editing periods I went through!  Also put yourself out there for critique!  Critique can sting a bit, but I have always learned through critique even when it was brutal.  Critique helps take the emotional tie that we have to our own photographs out of the picture, and allows us to see a photo as others see it.  This doesn’t mean you need to take all the suggestions, but at least it makes you think of alternative choices that you could have made.

·       If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be?

If I had the dedication to lots of education (which I don’t, lol) I would be an epidemiologist.  I’m fascinated by the spread of disease, and often read books about it.  I know this is a 180 degree turn from photography, but it has always interested me!

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·      What’s the best lesson in photography (business or shooting) that you’ve learned so far?

Start with the basics!  I like many others got my camera, and couldn’t wait to apply fun actions in Photoshop or other editing programs.  I wasted a lot of time playing around when I should have been learning the basics of photography first.

·      What are your thoughts on flash?

I definitely prefer natural light over flash, but I am so glad that I know how to properly use my flash so that I can capture images that I could not capture with only natural light!  I have owned an off camera flash for almost as long as I had my first DSLR, but it’s only in the last 18 months that I actually learned how to use it.

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Find Mickie on the Web:

Website | Facebook

I am selling a breakout session in the Clickin Moms store called Snapshots to Art: Transforming the Everyday. For more information click here.