I am so excited about this interview! If you have followed my blog then you know that Megan Cieloha was the one who taught me how to shoot in manual mode. She is a dear friend of mine and we met when we were stationed together prior to us moving to Japan. I remember seeing her images and begging her to teach me everything she knew about the exposure triangle. She is a constant inspiration for me and many others especially since she is now the Director of CMUniveristy at Clickin’ Moms.

1. How did you get started in photography?
I had been wanting a DSLR for a few years, but around the time my oldest son was 1 and a half, in late Spring of 2009, my good friend Courtney had her second baby and through a unique set of circumstances ended up with her first DSLR. It took me a few more months, but I soon followed her lead and purchased my D90. I joined Clickin’ Moms several months before I bought the D90 and spent hours reading and studying, ingraining the exposure triangle in my head and learning about white balance, depth of field, basic composition and numerous other topics.

2. How do you make time for photography being a mother?
I keep my camera out on the counter all the time. I have a small Clik Elite Capsule that holds my camera body, attached lens and one additional lens, that I keep on the kitchen counter- pushed far enough back that it is out of reach of inquisitive hands. When the kids do something I’d like to photograph, or inspiration strikes, I just grab the camera and get to work. I also often utilize nap time or right after kiddo bed-time for self portrait work.

3. What do you love to shoot?
Children, women, macro work, beautiful light. Actually, I am happy to photograph almost anything in interesting or beautiful light. Watching the way that light and shadow play across a subject inspires me and draws me in.

4. How do you continue to challenge yourself creatively?
I participate, loosely, in the CMPro Daily Project. Prior to that, I did two years of Project 365 on my personal blog. I have found that committing to shooting daily pushes my creativity, as I continually have to think of unique ideas for photographs.

5. When it comes to photography, how have you educated yourself?
The majority of my education has been obtained at Clickin’ Moms. I have spent a huge amount of time reading the forum, soaking up advice, training my eye by reading critiques in the Serious Critique section, finding inspiration in pictures shares… But I have really found the most value in the personalized attention I received through the workshops I have taken at CM. The instructors really care that you’ve gotten the most possible out of any workshop you sign up for and the quality of material is second to none. I am thrilled to say that I recently moved into the position of Director of Clickinmoms University (CMU) and am excited to continue the excellence of the programs. We have lots of exciting offerings coming up, so make sure to keep an eye out for updates! (The best way to keep updated is to sign up for the CM newsletter, which you can do at the bottom of the CMU page.)

6. What is your favorite photo and why?
I can’t pick just one!! I require it of students in the workshop I teach, Lighting 201: Mastering Natural Light Indoors, so I’ll make an effort to choose. Out of the past few months, here is a favorite image of a person and a favorite non-person image.

7. Tell us a little more about CMU and the Break Out sessions.
At Clickin’ Moms we offer a wide selection of photography workshops. All the way from Shooting 101: The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever to advanced classes on composition and style. Each workshop is 4-5 weeks long and you receive one lesson per week, with an assignment to turn in for critique by the instructor and one teaching assistant. The personalized feedback is invaluable and the growth I have seen students achieve during a single 4 week period is phenomenal.

We also offer Breakout Sessions. These are 1 to 2 week long “mini-classes” in which a presenter prepares material that participants have access to download and study at their leisure. There is also a private dropbox for questions, which the presenter will answer during a recorded Q&A session. The Q&A videos are posted in the Breakout Session forum for participants to download as well. Breakout sessions are a great way to learn from a variety of instructors at an extremely reasonable price point. The best way to stay informed about Breakout Sessions is to subscribe to the CM Newsletter on the bottom of the CMU homepage.

8. Pick 3 words you would like people to use when describing your work.
Natural, emotive, honest

9. If you had $5,000 to spend on photography gear, what would you buy?
Well, I’m currently dying to buy a desktop Mac, so I would start with a 27” iMac (I work on a 17” MBP, but would love the extra screen space, storage space, etc on a desktop), then hope that what was leftover would fund a Nikon 45mm f/2.8D Tilt Shift. I think I could make them both fit into that budget!

10. How would your friends and family describe you?
Determined, introverted, honest, loyal and quite possibly those who know me best would throw stubborn in there as well.

11. What is something not many people know about you?
When I’m really upset, and feel like I don’t have any control over a situation, I clean. Somehow, cleaning calms me down and gives me that little bit of control that I feel I need. No matter what else is going on in my life… I can always take 10 minutes and clean a bathroom, or pick up all the toys in one room and feel a little better. At least it’s a more productive stress reliever than eating chocolate!

12. What is one photography goals?
Someday, I would like to enter work into a juried show and/or exhibit in a gallery. I think that the process of culling my portfolio, then selecting the very best images and preparing them to be exhibited would be really educational for me.

13. Fill in the blank: I love photography because __
I will never know it all.

There is always a new technique to try or a new way to look at a subject. As I grow and change, so does my photography. I love that I can look back at my body of work and see my life, my family’s lives, as they unfolded before my camera. Photography is a gift that I give to myself, and also have the privilege to share with others.

Thanks again, Megan for the fantastic interview! You constantly inspire and challenge me!!

*Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. Basically, if you decide to purchase something through these links Click it Up a Notch will receive a small fee from the company at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting Click it Up a Notch.