Megan Hill is a Belfast-based photographer whose stunning work captivates viewers and showcases her unique artistic vision. When we found out she went on to launch her very own studio at only 22 we just had to sit down for an interview and learn more about her journey.
Interview conducted by VoiceBox's Lauren Louisha
Hi Megan, thank you for chatting with us! Shall we start with all things Megan and your photography journey?
My journey hasn’t been the longest but it has been life-changing to my mentality. I studied at Ulster University in Belfast and discovered my love of photography through it. I did a crash course in 2020 during COVID called foundation studies for my first year as I wasn’t to sure what creative avenue I wanted to go down. Through that course, I picked up a camera for the first time and the lens ironically changed my perspective of a lot of things. I was struggling hard mentally with the idea of COVID and being locked up as we couldn’t be about and free chatting with friends and doing what you should for the ‘normal’ university life. I felt my year was being stripped off my until I found my camera.
My camera gave me purpose and it still does to this day. The camera and creating shoots with friends and strangers brought a sense of community with each shoot. Every one of my flatmates cheering for each other. Or a group of girls outside cheering along while I'm taking a portrait of their friend. It was a loving environment where many could be creative! I instantly fell in love with the community I was making and wanted to expand it. I then chose to continue studying in the Photography Course at Ulster University in Belfast for 3 Years.
I was always interested in fashion. It was something that made me happy as people could express themselves through clothes. But I felt the fashion scene in Belfast wasn’t being discovered. That’s where I wanted to make a change. I decided that I would create a community just like the ones in 2020 where creatives could get together and have fun! My work is aimed around fashion as I’m a portrait photographer myself and I wanted to get Belfast fashion showcased wider as I don’t feel it has enough attention. I also love empowering many people, women and men come model for me and I want them to feel confident in their skin! Many models who I have talked about have never really had the opportunity to model in Belfast for the camera and don’t see many opportunities for it. Most people I meet are on the first shoots they’ve ever had.
This is where my studio comes in. I just opened my studio a few weeks ago and It has been amazing! I've opened up the community I have built for the past two years and used it as a way to expand the creative industry. I have it open for events, shoots, meetings and to rent out yourself as a creative space. It’s brought a lot of people together in Belfast who have never seen each other before, creating a welcoming environment in which we can all be creative and have fun! It’s only been open for a bit but I hope it expands into something bigger for Belfast and enlightening fashion and content makers around Belfast and Northern Ireland.
It's incredible that you have your own studio at such a young age! What was the moment you knew that you wanted to own a studio and how have things changed since?
The studio has been an idea in the works for a while. I didn’t expect to have one so quickly but I thought I would make the change when I had the chance to get one! I always wanted my own studio after I discovered the studio space at the University where I studied. I love the use of the studio and the creative freedom you have in it, so having my own meant I could expand and develop my work as a photographer. My practice has developed dramatically since having it and the community I have created through my photography has expanded enormously. I’m hoping the studio can grow and become a creative space for not only myself but others!
You do a mixture of studio-based and on-location shoots, what's the main differences you’ve noticed between them and do you prefer one over the other?
I really enjoy both, but if I had to choose, I would choose studio. In the studio, you have a lot of creative freedom as you can create whatever you want. You can create sets, and use colours and light in many different ways. My favourite would always be the coloured gels, you can’t go wrong with a bit of colour!
The location shoots are fun as most of them are spontaneous and you don’t really know what you are going to capture on the day. It’s the difference between studios as you normally just plan and prepare what you are doing to do in the space. Scouting and coming up with different backgrounds on location has helped develop my creativity and it gets me thinking on my feet.
I love your concept shoots, especially the rose one you did recently! How do you come up with your concept ideas?
Concept shoots are what fill my creative gap when it comes to photography. In a lot of paid shoots as a photographer you already have a concept in mind from the client, so creating your own concept is so much fun! The rose shoot was derived from a search on Pinterest, taking inspiration from some of the poses and the use of red flowers. My concept shoots are really laid back and chilled as we just want to create the environment to let the creative process happen. Then I just shoot away with my camera to see what magic happens! I will always before the shoot talk with the model to see what they would like to get out of the shoot, as well as any ideas they may have!
Much like others, you found yourself struggling with your mental health during the COVID lockdown, but your camera gave you purpose and changed your perspective. Has that perspective changed, or crossed over into other elements of your life?
My perspective on life has definitely changed. I’ve learnt not to take things as seriously and to just go with the flow as they say! I’ve found through the camera that you just get this creative flow that brings real beauty to the world, giving you some appreciation for what we have to see and learn. I’ve gained a crew of friends who have modelled and worked alongside me. Also a supportive base including my boyfriend who loves to see my creative direction! Through doing the shoots you get many perspectives of people’s lives and how their experiences have shaped them into who they are. I definitely think there is a lot more beauty in Belfast and a lot more creativity that hasn’t been seen or heard of before!
I love how you focus on bringing together communities and celebrating the power of it – do you have any upcoming shoots that involve your community?
Yes! I just held an event at the studio called Mega Meetup! This event brought makeup artists, designers, models and photographers along to create some photo shoots together! I was very impressed with the turnout, and we all connected and thrived together for a few hours, creating some magic! I saw old faces and new so it was lovely to have so many people around to create such a creative environment! You can really see the community we have created', and hopefully, it grows even bigger! Also, there will be another one very soon if anyone would love to join! I’m hoping to make it a monthly thing!
So you work a full-time job AND run your own studio – how do you manage your time and do you have self-care tips on avoiding burnout?
The main thing is to have some time to yourself. I usually give myself a day free a week to just chillax and switch off from everything. It is really fun and I am grateful to have photography in my life but we all need a break sometimes. My job isn’t one where I have loads of responsibilities so photography takes the main priority at home. If you do shoots you love and do things you are interested in you will definitely get more motivated and inspired to do more shoots!
Do you have any advice for budding photographers?
Just do it! If there’s a shoot or a creative idea you have in mind, just go out and create! Pick up a camera with no expectations and you’ll be surprised at what you can create! You do not need an expensive kit to create photography! I did my first year of shooting with a 400-pound kit (lens included)! I would also say try and sort out a workflow that works for you as you’ll be able to create photos more efficiently and have more time to create rather than post-process.
Last but not least, do you have any exciting shoots coming up that we NEED to know about?
I have my Mega Meet-up coming back again for the second time! And also I have a very exciting creative shoot with a dancer I’m really excited about. But there are loads of shoots that I’ve created that are coming out, so I can’t wait to show you all!
To see more of Megan's amazing work check out her Instagram here!
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