Meet Meg Loeks | Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meg Loeks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meg, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
One habit that has helped me succeed is that I’m not afraid to make mistakes. I make them all the time. It sounds cliche but my failures have shaped and helped me grow as an artist. When I am creating and styling a portrait, I like to give myself a lot of time to experiment and play. This includes giving myself a lot of time to also fail, make adjustments with my lighting, composition, etc and then try again. I learn a lot through this process.

Another habit that has helped me succeed is understanding that I am solely responsible for my success and no one else. I cannot and should not rely on others. When I run into situations that are outside my scope of understanding, I do the research and learn a new skill. There’s always a solution and way to do things.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The heart of my work focuses on storytelling and building a strong narrative through detail, nuance, light and color. It’s centered around the home and season of life that I’m currently in. I spent years romanticizing my life because I think I needed that at the time. I now love to focus on the messiness, chaos and humor of my current stage of life.

I’ve found that being with my camera is self-care. While my camera is part of me and my identity, I’ve had to work really hard to get to where I’m at today. I’ve put in long hours, waking up at 4am to start work before my children wake up. When I’m passionate about something, I’m all in. I put in the hours because photography has filled a creative void in me.

I think it’s important to be transparent and know that my photography career was never just about luck and having things fall into my lap. It took long hours with plenty of struggles and failures.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love spending time outside and am an avid hiker. If my best friend was visiting, I would first take her to the beach! We live near Lake Superior which has a beautiful shoreline that’s often uninhabited and quiet. We would spend a day hiking along the shore, stopping to look at some of the shipwrecks along the beaches, and visit one of the many lighthouses. My favorite lighthouse, Au Sable, has tons of blueberry patches in the meadow around it. Since we are already in Pictured Rocks National Park, we would also spend some time viewing waterfalls and rock formations.

We would also have to make a stop at Black Rocks on Presque Isle in Marquette. Here we would go rock hunting and watch people jump off the cliff into Lake Superior’s cold waters. Since we are in Marquette, we would stop at Iron Bay which is one of my favorite restaurants. While enjoying our meal, we would have a view of the harbor and massive iron ore dock.

The next place we would need to visit is the Keweenaw Peninsula. We would take a day trip and drive through the peninsula, making a stop at Copper Harbor, Michigan’s northernmost point. Here we would do some hiking and check out the lighthouse. Our next stop would be Eagle Harbor which is closeby. We would stop at the Jam Pot, a little jam store run by monks that sell the most amazing homemade jam made from local berries.

To end the week vacation, we would have dinner at Vierling in Marquette which is a historic brewery. Here we would enjoy some of their famous blueberry beer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be where I am today without the support of several people and organizations. First and foremost my husband. He has always supported and encouraged me from the start.

It’s because of photographer Caroline Jensen that I found my voice as an artist. While my photography style has shifted over the years, some things have remained constant and it’s because of her that I learned more about what I was/am drawn to. She helped shape me into the artist I am today.

Lastly, I am incredibly grateful for SIGMA and Profoto, two companies who have supported me for many years. Not only have they been a constant support, they have inspired me to be a better artist. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for them. These organizations are truly made up of some of the kindest, most incredible people I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

Website: https://www.megloeks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meg_nlo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megloeksphotography