We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Micaela Malmi Lowery . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Micaela below.

Alright, Micaela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Most importantly, I think you have to ask yourself what successful means to you. Is it giving to others, prosperity, creativity, making this world a better place?

I never went to college but instead chose to travel the world and found my passion as a photographer along the way. I took classes here and there, however the most I ever learned was as an apprentice of an incredible photographer i Lake Tahoe, CA. I never had a 9-5 job as it simply doesn’t fit my personality but chose to work for myself for most of my life as that brought me much more joy, creativity and freedom.

I believe there are a million ways to be successful, you just have to define what that is for you and find out what is the best way for you to get there. You have to be willing to take risks and chances as well as listen to your gut and make the decisions that are right for you.

In my opinion, if you do what you love to do- that is the ultimate sign success!

Micaela , 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?

Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden with years of dancing and acting under my belt, I had dreams of making it onto the silver screen. However, a trip to Mexico and a 35mm camera changed the course of my life. This was in 2000 and I never looked back.

I started out with shooting events and my outgoing personality suited itself very well to meeting new people and exploring venues as well as new locations. A photographer saw my work and I started as her apprentice in Lake Tahoe, CA.

A move to Encinitas, CA and a few years of shooting weddings, events and portraits later, I decided that I was ready for a new chapter in my creative career and am now focusing on branding and lifestyle photography for professionals. I absolutely love to work together with my clients to create a shoot that is specifically tailored for them. There is a lot of planning behind a successful shoot; we discuss goals for the shoot, ideas for websites and social media etc to produce images that they love. I also encourage my clients create a mood board with images that the love the look and feel off so I can get a better idea of their vision.

I have worked with large companies such as Lululemon, Yoga Six and Nuttzo as well as incredible entrepreneurs and feel very fortunate to do what I LOVE to do!

Have you ever had to pivot?

As much as I love having my own business, it definitely can be very challenging as you are in charge and there is ALWAYS more to do. It can be hard to say no and I would work insane schedules like flying back from a shoot in India which is a 20+hour flight and go straight from the airport to a shoot in the US. Or shoot a wedding in CA, edit 600+ images and head to another shoot in Nairobi 48hours later.

I didn’t listen to any signals and finally my body gave out. It was in the middle of a shoot for Africa Yoga Project in Kenya and I was standing on the top of a set of stairs. Next thing I know, I am on the floor at the bottom of the stairs surrounded by all my camera gear. I had completely hit the wall and suffered from severe burnout.

My initial recovery was 3 months in bed. And years until I was 100% back on track. During this time I looked at what was most important in life; my health. I had to learn how to set boundaries, in both my personal and professional life. Looking back I think of it as an awakening of sorts when I had to start making choices that would support my overall health. A hard lesson in the art of knowing when to say no.

Although I absolutely love my job, I now always prioritize my health and personal life.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to help those who are uncomfortable in front of the camera to get great photos in which they feel confident and beautiful!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://micaelamalmi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micaelamalmi_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micaelamalmiphotography/

Image Credits
My portrait was taken by Sharisse Coulter all the other images are taken by myself