Featured Chik: Mira Whiting Photography & Curated Albums

We are excited to welcome Mira Whiting of Mira Whiting Photography and Curated Albums to ChikChat! Mira is a Boston-based photographer who seeks to make her clients feel good in front of the camera. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and read on to learn more about Mira!

Tell us a bit about your company! What do you do? What is your mission? 
Mira Whiting Photography specializes in portrait and event photography. MWP's mission is to help clients feel good in front of the camera and have fantastic images for their family or business. My goal is to capture people's true essence -- the love between family members or what drives a business owner. Each of us is unique, and it's a real privilege to get to document that.

Curated Albums aims to make sure that those essences and important moments can continue to be treasured. Technology changes and digital files can corrupt, or the sheer number of images on a cell phone camera roll can be so overwhelming it's impossible to enjoy them. I go through all the thousands of images and select the very best that tell the important story and create an heirloom album that can be enjoyed for generations.

How did you get started with your business? 
I first caught the portrait photography bug at the age of 12. A good friend and I were trying our hands at photography for the silliest (but oh-so-tween) reason -- her cooler older cousin was into it. As soon as I got the camera in my hand though, I realized that I could KEEP a smile or a look from people I loved if I timed things right and waited for the right moment.

I kept up portrait photography as a serious hobby for years. Over time, more and more of my friends asked if I could take their family photos for holiday cards and one day, one of those friends offered to pay me for the job. A lightbulb went off -- I realized I could help support my family financially while pursuing a longtime passion, and help even more families preserve their own smiles, looks, and important moments. Over time, I added branding photography as well to help other small business owners communicate with their client base what they do and why they do it.

What do you feel is most important for others to know about your business? 
I often have high school seniors tell me they love photography and are thinking of starting a photography business. What I tell them is that a photography business is about 10-15% actually taking photos -- it's important to like the business aspects (marketing and customer communication especially) as well as editing. For every hour family portrait session, I easily spend 6-10 hours behind the scenes making the magic possible.

How would you describe your leadership style? 
I love collaborating with my clients to help their vision shine through.

When you were growing up, what is your ultimate dream job? If it's this, how does it feel to have met your dream?! If it was something different, how did your dream change over time? 
When I was younger, I wanted to have a career in acting, or maybe as a historian. I studied both those subjects in college (I was in a BFA program for acting before transferring and getting my degree in history). I think a common thread is that I've always loved telling stories -- something acting, history, and photography all have in common.

Every business owner faces challenges. How are you empowered to overcome yours? 
Over the seven years I've had my business, I've faced numerous challenges. I overcome them by seeking out help from colleagues and other professionals, and being open to learning.

Tell us (in one word) how you would describe your boss-chik business! 
Empowering

Anything else we should know about you, your business, or just a fun fact?! 
Fun fact: my favorite thing to do in my spare time is knit sweaters!

Where you can find her:
Website | Facebook | Instagram