We were lucky to catch up with Mellisa Rasor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mellisa, appreciate you joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I was inspired to jump into photography following the birth of my first daughter in 2011. After seeing images on adorable babies in seasonal setups, I thought to myself “I can do that!”. At first I partnered with a local photographer doing set design and marketing. I’d create the mini sets and advertisements to match that he would use to promote and grow his business while gaining free images of what I thought was the cutest baby in Fort Collins. I slowly merged into lighting assistant, session scheduling, customer service, and photo editor. I even designed a streamlined website to help him get more business! I was doing everything EXCEPT taking the actual photo. After a rough divorce, I sought out community in the local punk music scene. I had decided I wanted to continue photography but needed to first learn how to efficiently shoot in manual. Low light photography has been a consistent challenge for me so, it was time to figure it out. I attended many local punk shows with a camera in hand to really nail down this previously challenging lighting condition. Before long, I was giving full galleries of images to local bands and came up with Rasor Sharp Photography! I was able to use my portfolio from the local shows to gain media passes to bigger, more well known music acts like Flogging Molly, L.S. Dunes, In The Whale and so many more. Now I operate a successful portrait business that helps provide supplemental income for my daughters and I, which I hope to launch into a full time career in the near future.

Mellisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello, I’m Mellisa Rasor owner of Rasor Sharp Photography based in Fort Collins, CO.  Rasor Sharp Photography is a photography business that offers senior portraits, concert photography, small business branding and more. As a punk feminist, I tend to focus on the punk music scene and woman owned small businesses but have recently found a lot of joy in capturing senior portraits and volume sports. My business model is unique because of the wide variety of services I offer from concerts to seniors, band portraits to youth sports leagues! I also like to throw in new techniques into the mix whenever possible; light painting, ring of fire, composites, and more. The weirder or more unique the shoot, the better!! Photography somewhat comes naturally to me as far as composition and framing but, each shoot provides a new learning experience. Every single photoshoot I have, I leave realizing something I could have done differently or a technique I had forgotten about. It is an ever growing craft with endless techniques and skills to acquire! That’s what makes it so fun and challenging!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I am constantly fighting imposter syndrome. There are hundreds of incredibly talented photographers in our community. Childhood trauma has poisoned my mind with echoing thoughts of not being good enough or worthy of the title “professional photographer”. I have had to unlearn that message, turn it off of repeat, and teach myself that I AM ENOUGH!! Nobody can gate keep a creative outlet and everyone is welcome in this field!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In April 2023, COVID relief funds ended sending many Americans including myself into a financial panic of coming up short on their budget every month. This motivated me to turn my hobby into a side hustle and really launch  Rasor Sharp Photography as a brand. Things have been going so well that I hope to turn this gig into a full time career one day!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rasorsharpphotos.com
• Instagram: @rasor.blades
• Facebook: @Rasor_Sharp

Image Credits
Mellisa Rasor & Robert Boehm