i tend to be mostly a homebody + love the comfort of our space - but occasionally will leave my groutfit + bunhead at home to wander target, grab a yummy dinner i don’t have to cook, catch some live music downtown, seek out a trivia night with friends or slink into a corner booth at the meanwhile with a vern ehlers in hand. we travel whenever we can - mostly within our beautiful mitten state [ big northern michigan + u.p. fans over here ] + i am forever planning our next getaway via google sheets.

at home, when i am not editing - i spend much of my time in the kitchen making messes, buried under blankets on our couch reading or watching a show, finding empty spaces on our walls to hang // rearrange artwork + photos, playing a game at the table as a family, or tackling never-quite-planned-out home reorganization projects. i also love hosting gatherings + am always looking for an excuse to feed our friends + family. when it’s nice out - we pull out the grill + fill our big backyard with bocce ball games, cornhole + kids running everywhere. i love ending evenings getting cozy on the porch under string lights, or next to our little bonfire.

a lot of people ask what got me into photography - and the honest answer is - mostly, by accident. i have always been interested in photography + always owned a camera - but never really thought about turning it into a career. i actually dropped out of the photography progam at gvsu one week into the semester + switched degrees completely because the classes were more ‘intense’ than what i was looking for - which makes me laugh a little bit, now. i did end up taking some digital photo classes at CC to just do for fun in the summer - but never really did anything with it beyond taking ‘artsy’ photos of my friends + editing them in picnik, ha. after graduating college + working full-time in marketing for a few years, i decided to take some classes at kendall college in their adult continuing studies program. i wanted to get a refresher on using my camera correctly // to do something outside of work + being a mom that could be all my own. taking those classes really inspired me to shoot more often + i started taking family sessions for $40 - mostly to just keep using the tools i had learned + keep me practicing.

i ended up connecting with a woman that i went to high school with on facebook - who was already established as a wedding // family photographer. i wanted a little advice on building a business, what gear to buy, etc. while i had zero interest in shooting weddings, i was curious about her process. she invited me to second shoot on a wedding + while i was TERRIFIED going into it [ still didn’t think it was right for me, but i’d go along for the fun of it ] - i was surprised at how much i ended up enjoying it. i worked with her on a few more weddings that summer + ended up posting some of my second shooter work on facebook - mostly for fun. once again, still not planning to ‘do weddings.’

well - it didn’t take long for someone from high school to reach out to me after seeing i was capable of taking wedding photos [ not amazingly, i assure you ] but capable. they were young, had a small budget + just wanted to have the day documented in some capacity. i am pretty sure my response back to her message was something along the lines of ‘umm…are you sure ? because i like really, really don’t know what i am doing.’ what a big sell, huh ?

long story short - i didn’t ruin their day, they had decent photos to look back on + everyone was happy. bonus - i actually enjoyed myself, built a little confidence in my abilities + started to have a little itch to do it again.

the next year i booked 4 or 5 weddings + then 16 weddings [ much to my huge surprise ! ] in 2016, the year after. when heading into what would be my first full summer + fall of weddings [ on top of a rapidly growing family session schedule ] - i took a hard look at what it was going to entail + had serious doubts about managing it all. i was still working full-time + had two little girls to care for when i wasn’t in the office. when would i see my kids - if i worked most weekends ? when was i supposed to edit ? what if i have to start missing work for weddings ? it was…a lot. but also, stepping away from the comfy predictability of a full-time job was also…a lot. namely, what if i quit my job + nobody books me next year ? then, what ?

well - thankfully, they did. as well as the year after that + the year after that + the year after that. and now, here we are - seven years, 200 or so weddings, i don’t even know how many family sessions, a hundred lessons learned + a million photos later. here. we. are.

i somehow love this job more + more, every year. i love the relationships it’s allowed me to cultivate + the people i’ve met that i wouldn’t have otherwise. i love the way you can shoot a wedding or session every week + not one will be exactly the same. i love being challenged creatively to see + notice things in a unique way. i love that i get to direct in some moments + be a quiet observer in others. i love the methodical, organized aspects of this business as much as the messy, unpredictable parts of it. i admire the courage + vulnerability it takes for people to welcome me into their homes + lives. i love, love + being able to witness it in all different forms + phases through this work.

falling into photography was the absolute best ‘accident.’ i consider it a gift to be able to capture these memories + will continue to do so as honestly + authentically as i can - for as long as i am able.

if you’ve made it this far - thank you for hearing my story. thank you to all of the people who entrusted me in those early years - and allowed me to get here. thank you to all those who will entrust me that i haven’t even met yet. i could not do any of this, without you all. thank you, thank you.

taylor

taylor j. photography does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental ability, religion, creed or age.