Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily McCreight
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like a lot of photographers, I started taking photos in High School of just my friends when we were at gigs for our local School of Rock (trying to look real cute for the gram) or for their senior portraits! Once I got to Belmont I really wanted to focus on being a part of the music business and I paused everything else I thought I wanted to do. 2 years in I joined a band called ‘Juke of June’ playing bass and through that I was able to scratch my visual creative itch, but I always tended to focus on the visuals more than the music. Fast forward 6-ish years later when we’ve all gone our separate ways, and I’m telling my boyfriend (now fiancé) that something is missing in me. I started telling him about how I wish I had minored in photography in college because it was something I was always drawn to and that Christmas he bought me the camera I’m using today. I wouldn’t be here without him supporting me in following my dreams! That was about 2 years ago and within that time I’ve started creating my own little community and learned what I really want to do with my life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it’s been smooth but I also wouldn’t say rocky by any means! It’s a new community to be diving into and one I had never been a part of in Nashville. Throughout college I was more so in the music scene at Belmont, so figuring out who and where to go to learn from was the hardest part. I like to give credit to the Nashville Creatives Club for introducing me to so many different creatives – models, actors, MUA’s, photographers, etc. – and creating a warm welcoming community for people like me to navigate. Through them I’ve been able to participate in so many group shoots and I’ve also met other members outside of their events to collaborate with. The hardest part is building your brand and getting more followers/clients, but the journey is also the BEST part. I love figuring out what makes me Siren Studio and what it represents. It’s been a very refreshing experience and I love all of the amazing people I’ve met and collaborated with so far!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m mostly known by ‘Siren Studio’ and with that comes my photography and some minor videography skills. In the beginning I wanted to specialize in concert photography and boudoir, but after a couple years I’m realizing that I am in love with studio/portrait work. I am most proud of my ability to make do with what I already have and putting a concept together from a bunch of random props and the surroundings just to see what plays out. My taglines are “Amplified Elegance” and “Refined Rebellion”, so I really try to bring some type of boldness or uniqueness into all of my photos! My favorite thing to do is recreations of shoots that have inspired me from my favorite photographers.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I listen to the “Oh Shoot!” podcast by Cassidy Lynne for tips, tricks, and stories from other photogs, but the best advice comes from Reddit or Instagram for me. I use Instagram a lot for inspiration and taking tips from my favorite photogs! A lot of photographers love to educate, I’ve learned, and help others so I’ve taken a lot of advice from people like Marina Williams, Sue “Shutterbug”, Cassidy Lynne, and many more across the country. I also have followed Sammy Hearn for most of the time I’ve been seriously taking photos and she just recently started releasing a newsletter that’s so helpful for people like me. She’s local and is someone I definitely aspire to be like when I’m further along in my career so I take any and all advice I can from her (I would LOVE if she started a podcast)!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sirenstudiotn.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirenstudiotn/
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Grant Sutton
Siren Studio Subjects: Chelsea Gilliand, Jordan Allexei, Sheena Wenz, Alyssa Lazar, Laney Lebovitz, Tobie Dunn
