We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marissa Aden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marissa, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

I’m incredibly passionate about showcasing all kinds and colors of love in my photography work. For a long time, the wedding industry has been saturated with portrayals of straight, white couples — there hasn’t been a diverse representation of what love actually looks like. You can go on Pinterest and type in “wedding inspiration,” and the majority of what you’ll see are photos of straight, white couples. My goal is to change this! For me, if just one person/couple can see themselves in my work and feel that they are seen, that’s enough for me.

I also work part-time as a psychiatric nurse. As a psych nurse, a large majority of my clients are minorities and/or a part of the LGBTQ+ community. It is estimated that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth (ages 13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. For me, it comes down to this: People matter. People’s feelings matter. People’s love matters. People’s lives matter. I felt a calling to bring more diversity into the photography community — a community where there isn’t much diversity to be seen on social media and in magazines. I took a risk, because I had no idea how people would respond to me being so vocal about supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Fortunately, I haven’t had much backlash; the majority of it has been met with resounding support.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an Orange County, California-based couples, intimate wedding, and elopement photographer. I photograph couples that are wildly in love and looking for an unforgettable experience with their partner in which they just happen to get beautiful photos of in the end. I love working with my couples to bring their vision to life. Whether we’re just planning a couple’s shoot or their wedding day, I come alongside them and help them with as little or as much of the planning as they’d like. My goal is to capture love in all of it’s raw, goofy, messy, joyful glory. This may result in photos where your hair isn’t absolutely perfect or you smiled a little too big, and that’s perfection to me. Love isn’t flawless, and your photos shouldn’t be either.

My clients call me “the queen of comfort.” I don’t share this to toot my own horn, but to share that creating an inclusive, comfortable environment where my clients feel like they can be at ease and express their love is so important to me. I want the entire photoshoot/process to feel fun, effortless, and to feel like “you.”

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When I can show people how truly beautiful they are and have them see it through my lens and feel that they are stunning and worthy, that is so incredibly rewarding. One client recently told me this after their couple’s shoot: “Truly one of the best experiences of my life, and I have never felt more beautiful after seeing the photos [you] captured of us.” This is what it’s all about for me. I want people to know that they are worthy to be loved and that they deserve to feel beautiful.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I first started photography about 12 years ago, the photography community on social media was just getting started; there wasn’t much of a community there yet. I used to go on forums to connect with other photographers, get constructive feedback, and learn and grow in my craft. Nowadays, there’s such an incredible opportunity to connect with other creatives around the world. Social media can feel so daunting and depressing. It’s so easy to compare ourselves to other artists, especially when we’re not considering where they’re at in their journey. For example, a new photographer that just picked up a camera 5 months ago may see a seasoned photographer’s work and compare themselves and wonder why their work doesn’t look like that. To this day, I still struggle with comparison, but it’s something I’m constantly working on. I just want newer photographers to know that there is a wonderful, supportive community of creatives out there … you just have to find them! I’m so thankful for the community I’ve found and how we support and encourage one another in our businesses and creative endeavors!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marissakay.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marissakayphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissakayphoto/