Have you ever marveled at a photograph that seems to whisper stories of a thousand words? That's the kind of magic Michael Miller, our guest from M2M Pics Photography, crafts with his lens every day. On this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta, Michael transports us on a journey through his life, detailing how a childhood hobby of flipping through family photo albums blossomed into a flourishing career capturing headshots, portraits, and the essence of commercial brands in the vibrant city of Atlanta. He's not just a photographer; he's a storyteller, and his tales reveal that the alchemy behind mesmerizing photographs is less about the equipment and more about the photographer's vision and expertise.
Throughout our chat, he unravels myths surrounding the industry and emphasizes the significance of an artistic eye honed by training with the crème de la crème in fashion and beauty photography. So, pull up a chair and perhaps a notepad, because whether you're an aspiring shutterbug or simply someone who appreciates the finer pixels in life, there are gems to be gleaned from Michael's experience and his perspective on creating images that truly resonate.
Have you ever marveled at a photograph that seems to whisper stories of a thousand words? That's the kind of magic Michael Miller, our guest from M2M Pics Photography, crafts with his lens every day. On this episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta, Michael transports us on a journey through his life, detailing how a childhood hobby of flipping through family photo albums blossomed into a flourishing career capturing headshots, portraits, and the essence of commercial brands in the vibrant city of Atlanta. He's not just a photographer; he's a storyteller, and his tales reveal that the alchemy behind mesmerizing photographs is less about the equipment and more about the photographer's vision and expertise.
Throughout our chat, he unravels myths surrounding the industry and emphasizes the significance of an artistic eye honed by training with the crème de la crème in fashion and beauty photography. So, pull up a chair and perhaps a notepad, because whether you're an aspiring shutterbug or simply someone who appreciates the finer pixels in life, there are gems to be gleaned from Michael's experience and his perspective on creating images that truly resonate.
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Stacey Rizzley.
Speaker 2:
Hello friends and neighbors, Welcome to North Atlanta's Good Neighbor podcast. Today we're here with Michael Miller with M2M Picks Photography. Hi, Michael, how are you? Hi?
Speaker 3:
Stacey, thanks for having me today.
Speaker 2:
So glad to have you on. I'm excited to hear more about your business. I know we have a little bit of shared interest. You are the photographer for several Best Version Media publications around town and I'm the publisher of a couple, so we do have that in common. But aside from that, if you will, please go ahead, michael, and tell our listeners about M2M Picks Photography.
Speaker 3:
Thank you. M2m Picks Photography. We specialize in headshots, portraits and commercial photography, and in the portraits we do not leave out your furry kids. So we also do pet photography and we are based in Alphareas, georgia, but we do service the entire Atlanta metropolitan area.
Speaker 2:
Awesome. Well, I love that you have family as well. Those four family members.
Speaker 1:
They're important.
Speaker 2:
They absolutely are. They definitely are just as important as our real children to some of us Exactly. Well, tell our listeners, if you don't mind, Michael, tell them about your journey into photography. Have you always been a photographer? Tell us your path into starting M2M Picks.
Speaker 3:
Photography. My path actually started when I was a kid. For entertainment, I would always pull out the federal albums for the family and look at those on a regular basis. It could be like a weekly event for me. So I was drawn into seeing portraits of the family doing things. And then eventually, when I was in junior high, my mom and dad gave me a 35 millimeter camera. From there everything started really rolling. So I always kid around. I didn't choose photography, photography chose me.
Speaker 2:
Well, I love that, and I will say that we've had a couple of photographers on the podcast, and both of them it was a passion that they pursued after they had been in corporate America and in a different job. So you have always done this. This has been your total career.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it was one thing I've always loved doing this and I love working with people to showcase their brand and who they are, and it was just family just catching those special moments.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and it's awesome. Yeah, are there any myths or misconceptions about the photography industry that you might want to clear up with our listeners today?
Speaker 3:
The first misconception I hear so many times is oh, you must have a really good camera and all the pictures that you think are iconic from now or whenever they were using equipment that is archaic to right now. So it's not the camera, it is the person who has learned how to use that and get your pictures just perfect and they go to. You can go to a different setting and they can do the same thing. Part of that is actually training. I mean, I go to New York City and train with the top photographers in fashion and beauty and headshots and I put in thousands and thousands of hours of training to be able to do what I do.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, Well, I know that that's the case just with my own personal family our abilities to take pictures very greatly. I kind of have a little hobby of nature photography and love to take nature shots, but when mine are through my iPhone, you know, and you can get some really good pictures. But if I am trying to take a picture of people, I do not have the training and I can never get a good shot. So it's definitely more than just the camera I can. I would agree with that for sure. Well, let's shift gears for just a minute away from your business. And what are you doing for fun when you're not behind the lens of a camera?
Speaker 3:
Well, besides, the one main thing I do is in the season is growing flowers and plants around the house. I've been doing that for years. I'm originally from the Midwest where I used to grow tea roses, and now I'm in the townhome, so I'm in container garden, so I have the green thumb of the family and my wife does not have the green thumb, so I have full charge of anything that grows around the house.
Speaker 2:
That's why because the first time is anything like mine. Anything that she would try to grow with might die. Really guilty about that.
Speaker 3:
I can go to the greenhouse and I can get whatever one as many as I want, so no problems. But while I'm out there I also like to cooking on the grill out there on our deck and also investigating and trying to find the latest little coffee shops around town.
Speaker 2:
Oh well, you have to travel a little bit south, but we've got a couple of new ones in Dunwoody one called Ark Coffee House and one Valor Valor Coffee Right. So yeah, I'm so. I have not yet been to either, I'm ashamed to say, but those are new, new additions to the Dunwoody community. Well, what about a hardship or a challenge? And we ask this of all of our guests and know that it's it's kind of a personal question, but we'd love to help our listeners get to know the person behind the business a little bit more on a personal level. So, is there a hardship or challenge that you have faced in life that you can say that, having been through that experience and come out on the other side, that you are better or stronger for that today?
Speaker 3:
I would have to say. It was probably 20 some years ago. It was when I basically I lost my parents. One year apart is working through. All of that is because I'm an only child, so I'm the one that has to take care of everything and deal with everything. And after coming out of dealing with this, you know everything after liquidating the house and you know going through everything. It was just a matter that I knew if I could survive that and work through that one and you know be behold, then I could handle anything. So after that, nothing I have encountered has really sidetracked me. It might make you stop for a few moments, but I can look at it, I can move forward. It could be something personal or it could be business challenges. It's like I know I can actually get through it and come out to other side just even better than I am now.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'm at the age where it's not too far off from me. You know and that's something I think so many of our listeners will be able to relate to and just a year apart, that that's extremely difficult than adding the only child aspect on there. It makes it even more so. So I'm really glad to know that your family took so many pictures that you have those albums and albums you know, as memorabilia because that is so relevant to you know to this question in particular, but also, you know, to the reason that you do what you do. You know that.
Speaker 3:
I have pictures of family going back to the 1800s oh how fun and some of the pictures are actually printed on tin.
Speaker 2:
Oh wow, I didn't even know they printed pictures on tin. See, I just learned something.
Speaker 3:
And some pictures were actually had. Their negatives were actually on glass.
Speaker 2:
Oh, wow, didn't know that either. Look at that, I'm getting a little photography history lesson lesson. That is so neat that you've got, you know, family pictures dating back to the 1800s. That's that. I mean that that is really super cool. All right, so the next question is usually just what else do you want listeners to know about your business? But I have a couple questions for you that I've thought of along the way. What? Is your favorite kind of photography, like if you had to pick a favorite, what would you say?
Speaker 3:
Favorite. I mean I love doing like headshots and it's not necessarily just in studio is I actually like going out on a location and finding something that actually represents that person's brand. It could be the industry they work in or something is really special to them. It's not saying that we're gonna have it in focus and real high detail, but it shows who you are, not just oh, I'm on a solid color background like you usually would see or so used to for the corporate headshots. I mean I do that with realtors and I tell I have one who wasn't used to that and I said, no, we're gonna go push you in front of a commercial building because that's what you do, he's, and that for me is so much fun and just showing them, even in just an hour, how much we can actually Project their brand and who they really are in just a quick image, because people make a decision About you in such it just maybe a second or less.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's very true. That is true and that's on my to-do list. I have got to get new and new headshots myself and it's one of those things that I keep pushing back and back and I Absolutely have no excuse. I've got to got to do it, definitely need to do it. And then my other question for you was when you are doing the family shoes, since you also do, you're the photographer. Earlier, we touched on that for for several local magazines. What is the biggest family that you have featured like? Have you guys had, have you done a Shoot yet with a lot of you know, like for family and the pets and kids and grandparents, and have you done any big ones like that yet?
Speaker 3:
Not for the magazine, but I did have a call out of the blue. This whole family was coming in for a family reunion. I think like 15 to 20 people in one single shot.
Speaker 2:
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 3:
We also did have a fur baby Involved in that one and it was just something, one of the people. They had been adopted and they were just reconnecting with their original family.
Speaker 2:
Oh wow, what a neat story Ah.
Speaker 3:
It was great and, like that person's Name match to my mother's maiden name, so I was trying to figure out alright, are we cousins? That sounds like a serendipitous.
Speaker 2:
Thing meant to be there. Well, I don't know how in the world you got 15 people to all look and smile at the same time, because my family is actually going to be featured and that in the upcoming issue of Dunwoody neighbors. We just had our photo shoot recently and just the I mean it's just the three of us and we couldn't get. It was like this one's great of her and this one's horrible of me and this one, so it's. I don't know how you got 15 people to be happy with.
Speaker 3:
A lot of times it's usually the kids that we got after the crowd a little bit and I've had the negotiate, I say, okay, let's get some Jout, some Regular pictures, and then I'll do five crazy pics so you can do crazy face pictures there.
Speaker 2:
Oh, that's a great idea. So what? Yeah, once you do this, then you can do is make the crazy faces.
Speaker 3:
They buy into, like I can do crazy face. I said it's all you I?
Speaker 2:
Love it. That's when I was a teacher for 19 years and there was a lot of negotiating like that. That went on. Also, it could have been considered bribery, but I like the word negotiation better, at least in the professional setting. Oh, my goodness, okay. So now I'll ask the last question, michael is there anything else you would like our listeners to know about your business?
Speaker 3:
The one thing about our business is that I am always thinking about the client and making things easy. I mean, from the first time you reach out, you know, send me an email or your phone call that we have a consultation to Booking our sessions to after your time coming into the studio because I've done videos on Instagram and Facebook to show what the studio is like, so they kind of take that anxiety down a little bit. And then also, when you look at your final proofs and making your selection, it's very easy. I don't want it to be a thing that causes you stress these. The easier is from my clients, the more happy they are about it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, well, I think that's. That is the case in most, most of most businesses. But that is wonderful, especially with photography, and I know that I mean, you really do. You want your images to look great. You know, and if you go into that, I know that I was I was anxious and it was, you know, something I've been on in the years I've been doing this. I've been on countless shoots and I but when it was us, it was way different, for sure. So that's nice, that you make it as easy as possible from start to finish. So that is great. Well, michael, if people want to reach out and learn more about M2M picks photography, what's the best way for them to get in touch?
Speaker 3:
You can reach out to me. My phone number is 470897 8903 or you can email me at Mike at m2m picks calm.
Speaker 2:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here, michael. It has been a pleasure.
Speaker 3:
Thank you, appreciate it.
Speaker 2:
Well, that's all for today's episode, atlanta. I'm Stacy Risley with the Good Neighbor podcast. Thanks for listening and for supporting the local businesses and nonprofits of our great community.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast north Atlanta. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP north Atlantacom. That's GNP north Atlantacom, or call 470 946 7007.