Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanna “Meleah” Teig.
Hanna “Meleah”, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was 3 years old, my parents gifted me with a Barbie Polaroid camera. I took pictures of every moment with my grand parents, adventures with my parents, pets, stuffed animals and all of my favorite things! This started my love of capturing moments to keep. I was obsessed with looking at old family photos and grew up with a dad who loved to take photos and videos so I had a lot of inspiration and encouragement. Later, I was able to buy my own point and shoot digital camera at 8 years old. This is when my creativity began to flourish. In the summer of 3rd grade, I joined a summer school class at the local community college and learned about f-stop, angles, focus, zoom, shutter, ISO, composition and rule of thirds. I was notoriously known by my friends as the photographer who documented everything and sometimes they didn’t always understand why. However, the purpose was to be able to capture these moments to look back in time at the emotions, activities and events that were happening in not only my life but others as well. In middle school, I found my niche in architectural and lo-fi nostalgic photography. Editing became a way to relax and express my own creativity through the photos. When I turned 18, I had saved up enough money to get my first DSLR camera. With the help of my grandpa (Bokes) I was able to start my own business, Meleah Teig Photography. This took a learning curve as I learned to shoot in RAW and manual. I took lots of online courses, researched and found the best and affordable editing platforms. I put a lot of self taught instruction into where I have gotten today!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were some struggles along the way with building my own courage to pose people and get through the awkwardness in this learning curve. However, I have made it my goal to make it a candid session where people are expressing themselves without much posing besides little alterations. I ask questions about the families, people, couples, etc. that I am working with and try to spark natural conversation between me and also between the subjects so it flows naturally.
I also learned not to completely trust micro-SD cards as they can be more likely to corrupt at some point. So now, after every session I immediately back up the photos with a transportable SD card reader.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My friends have always told me that I have the knack of seeing the beautiful in the mundane. I love taking photos of old architecture, oddities, candid moments of people interacting, as well as nature and animals! I see the art in the every day and find angles that capture depth of an area to create a new visual that may not always be noticeable to others. I am known for creating fun photoshoots where people have fun together, talk about memories while creating a new one. I am passionate about sharing pieces of my city, Kansas City and bringing attention to small businesses and places that are not on the typical list of places to see in KC.
What matters most to you?
When it comes to photography, having fun and keeping it as a creative outlet is most important to me. I never want photography to become a burden of more work on top of my other jobs. So, I keep my schedule open for photoshoots that invigorate my creativity as well as adventuring around the city to find hidden treasures!
Quality and composition are important when creating and editing my images as well.
Pricing:
- Couples Photoshoot: $250
- Solo Photoshoot: $175 Senior Photo: $275
- Event Photoshoot: $400 for 3 hours
- Maternity/Engagement: $300
- Prints: $25-$200
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meleahteig.photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meleahteigphotography/
