We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michaela Estrada. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michaela below.
Hi Michaela, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
You know, when I think about what I want to leave behind, it’s not just about the photos. It’s about the stories they tell and the emotions they evoke. I want people to look at my work and feel something deep in their bones, you know? I want to be remembered as that photographer who didn’t just show up and shoot but really got into the thick of it with my clients. I want them to say, “Michaela truly cared.” I aim to capture those candid, unguarded moments that are so easily overlooked but mean the world when you look back.
I imagine, years from now, someone looking at a photo I took and catching a glimpse of their loved ones’ spirit, or even feeling the love that was in the air at that moment. That’s the dream.
I’m all about creating something real and beautiful out of the ordinary moments. It’s those spontaneous, genuine expressions of joy, love, and even sadness that make the story of us so incredibly rich and worth telling.
So, when I’m no longer here, I hope my legacy is one of passion, connection, and a bit of magic caught in every frame. I want to leave a mark not just through my images but through the way I made people feel—seen, understood, and forever part of something beautiful.
That’s the goal, anyway. To create something that lasts, something that’s bigger than me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hey there, I’m Michaela! I’m been a micro wedding and elopement photographer based in California and Tennessee. My journey into photography kicked off about six years ago, a chapter that began in the wake of losing my dad. Losing him hit hard, especially when I realized the photos I had were all I’d ever have. Among those, the ones that stood out the most were from my parents’ wedding day. Watching my mom treasure her wedding album, getting lost in memories, just clicked for me. That’s the magic I wanted to create for others. It’s not just about snapping pictures; it’s about freezing those fleeting, candid moments of joy, love, and genuine emotion that you’ll cherish forever, just like my mom has.
If I’ve learned anything over the years, its that couples need support from their vendors (especially from their photographer!) they might not always ask for it, but they want it. I’m really relational and love supporting my friends and cheering them on, and I’ve tried to bring that into my business, too. I truly feel like my couples become some of my closest friends, which helps a ton when photographing them.
And speaking of photographing couples – I’ve always loved…love. Love stories that make you *feel* something, romance books that leave you squealing into your pillow at 2am, and swoon-worthy rom coms (especially if they’re set in NYC!). Nothing brings me more joy than documenting couples’ stories in an emotive, artistic, & timeless way. This can’t happen unless there’s trust between them and me. I believe it’s incredibly important to build that friendship before a contract is even signed.
It can be really easy to get caught up in wanting to book out your calendar each year, but I’ve found that by taking on less work, I can be really super intentional with my couples. I can spend the extra few days chatting over messenger or text. I can set up a Facetime call or we can grab coffee (or even double date!) seriously, the options are limitless! At the end of the day I want people to walk away feeling seen, valued, and loved.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Listen, when I first started out I had nothing. Zilch. Zero. I spent 5k that I didn’t have on good gear and some quality courses and booked my first wedding within two months. Did I mention I had no experience? Because I hadn’t even done a senior session at that point. My portfolio consisted of pictures of my husband, my friends, and my in-laws French Bulldog. But that first couple saw potential in me and hired me to shoot one of the biggest days of their life. Hello pressure. Looking back on that experience I would definitely do things differently, but I learned a ton from that wedding!
If I could go back in time and lay a better foundation, I would second shoot more I think I was embarrassed because I felt like I needed to be great right off the bat, but that’s so far from true. I actually second shoot for people to this day because there’s always more to learn and I’m not above helping another photographer out. There’s also soooo many free resources you can utilize these days. Some of my favorite podcasts right now are: The Photography Business Podcast by Dani Purington and Mollie Goodspeed, The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher, Passion with Purpose Podcast by Nathan Chanski, and The Unscripted Podcast by Unscripted Photographers.
There are also a ton of apps you can get, like the Unscripted App that is great for everyone regardless of their journey, but I think beginners would benefit A TON from it. Canva and AI has helped streamline a lot of my workflow, too. If you don’t have the budget to drop 1k on educational courses, I would start with the free materials and work you way up to be able to invest in quality education!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I believe we’re all creative to some degree, wether that’s styling your outfit for work, cooking a meal from scratch, or doing an art project with your kids. Creativity doesn’t always look like painting the next Mona Lisa or composing the greatest symphony ever heard. But on the other side of that coin, there are degrees to creativity. There are the child prodigies and the people who can’t even draw stick figures (hi, it’s me.) and within that there are even more levels of creativity.
The point is that explaining my creative journey to a “non creative person” is really hard sometimes. I’ve had conversations with individuals who just don’t get why I’m not working a 9-5 corporate job with a cushy income. We’ve all heard the term “the starving artist”, and we joke around about it, but the truth is that our creative service is one of the pillars of society. Think about it: you just had a crap day at work. You’re walking home and see a mural painted on the side of a building. You smile and think, “that’s cool”. Your bad day at the office hasn’t changed, but that mural brought a little bit of joy to your life.
All art is communication. That’s what we strive for. To communicate whats going on in our heads and hearts to the world, and maybe…just maybe you look at what we created and you get it. You’re now joining the conversation. When we’re told we’re too expensive or what we’re creating isn’t worth what we’re asking you to invest, it’s hard. Because it means you didn’t get it. You didn’t join the conversation, and we weren’t able to communicate with you.
If I could be an encouragement to someone who doesn’t think of themselves as creative, I would say to honestly try to understand the people in your creative sphere. The new photographer, the unknown artist, the indie author, etc… The time is now. No more starving artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: Website under construction
- Instagram: @tangerinelily.photo
Image Credits
Tangerine Lily Photography Michaela Estrada