Megan Dougherty : Photography Blog

Sneak Peek // Kerys

2012-01-10T00:50:00.005-05:00

Here's a sneak peek from a great shoot with Kerys last week (we did 2 very different looks, I promise it's the same person). This was just a fun shoot that I had wanted to do. I love to explore my creativity, and work with a team and see what we come up with. This is what I love and live to do, CREATE! I love to make that fantasy world that I see through the viewfinder.

I love both of these looks, I really can't decide which one I like more, because I like them for such different reasons. I'll have the full post up later this week, it was a fun way to start 2012!

Model: Kerys
Make-Up / Styling: Gwynnis Mosby
Photographer / Styling: Megan Dougherty

2012

2012-01-05T18:41:00.005-05:00

Wishing you a great, happy & successful 2012! Here's a cute one from a creative shoot earlier this week (and also the new main image on my site). All of this was done in camera except the border and slight texture.

Last year was a great year for my business and creativity, but personally it was one of the worst that I can remember. This year I really hope to get published, get out there more, and push my limits and boundaries creatively. What are your goals for this year?

Anne Harper // Musician

2011-09-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

When Anne contacted me and wanted a headshot and some promotional shots for her music, I was really excited, then I was even more excited when she sent me examples of photos she liked. She wanted some shots to sign at shows and for promotions. I love it when my clients are prepared and know what they are looking for. As usual, Anne is a more quiet woman and very nice and soft spoken, but once I listened to her album I was so blown away! She has such a beautiful voice and the melodies in her songs are just stunning, I can truly say I love her album (which is available on Itunes)! It's always the quiet ones you need to keep an eye on, I have seen clients in their plays and commercials and it amazes me how they come out of their shell and just own what they are doing (but I am the same with my photography).

Once we got the headshots out of the way, we went onto the promotional photos. We were on a bit of a tighter time schedule, but we managed to get everything covered. The first set was shot in studio with a cool background I set up, and the ivy setting is literally about 20 feet in the backyard of the studio. You don't always need a lot of space to create the images you want. I just had her standing next to a tree and shot from different angles that made it look much more lush and tropical than it really is, and so that the green was always behind her. The chair was a last minute addition, and I only shot about 6 images with it, but I am so glad I did. I love how the black and white really pop against the green. Because we were shooting a little later than I usually do, we had some gorgeous sunlight coming through - another testament to how things always work out for the best.

Courtney // Swimwear

2011-08-25T17:19:00.004-04:00

Here's a sneak peek at today's shoot with Courtney! I just wanted to try to shoot some different shots, experiment & I knew I wanted to shoot around water. She's such a great girl to work with and we had so much fun! We started with a very natural look and then pumped it up, which I loved because she has amazing eyes!

Anne // Music Promos

2011-08-24T15:15:00.001-04:00

Check out a sneak peek of some shots I did of musician Anne Harper a couple of days ago. She has such a great voice and very smooth a la Norah Jones. She wanted some bright, pretty images to sign after gigs and to promote herself, which I definitely think we captured! Check out her album on Itunes, called "Smooth Out The Lines"!

Headshot Round Up

2011-08-22T23:59:00.001-04:00

I was looking over my blog and realized I hadn't posted any of what I do day to day, which is headshots! So here's a few of my favorites recently. If you need some great new shots, whether you're just getting started or need to update, let me know!

These images for Bea were promotional shots for her stand-up shows, just something very fun and pretty!

Travel Thursday // Cape May, New Jersey

2011-08-18T19:00:00.007-04:00

Since summer is winding down, I thought I would post some happy beach photos! As I was growing up I had always heard about New York, it was where the high fashion, good food and awesome people live! But, I never heard much about New Jersey. So when my friend invited us up to NYC and then to Cape May, NJ for a weekend to celebrate her birthday, I had no idea what to expect. It was definitely an experience, as my husband and I learned about NY / NJ traffic jams (what was supposed to take 3 hours took 7), and that you can't pump your own gas in your car either - every gas station had an attendant outside that would pump the gas for you.

When we arrived at the house we had rented, it was well past midnight and we felt like we had been traveling forever (on a plane from ATL > NYC, then NYC to NJ in a car)! So the next morning when we woke up and saw where we were, we were a little taken back. It was so pretty and had such green, green grass and plants. It was an old Victorian home (first image below) and had a beautiful yard and view to a little eatery across the street. Our home was good sized, but once we walked towards the beach we saw the mansions, which were stunning (see my photo with my favorite house, ever, below). We visited Memorial Day of 2010, so it was hot, but nothing like Atlanta because they don't have as much as humidity. We spent 3 days at the Jersey Shore and I loved walking around and seeing the different architecture and the small town feel. I also found out it is the base of the U.S. Coast Guard, which was really interesting to read and see information on. We played on the beach, flew kites, went on a dolphin cruise, rode bikes to the lighthouse, went to the boardwalk and just hung out and played games. It was one of my favorite trips because I was able to spend it with 2 of my best friends who have known me since I was teenager (my husband and my dear friend who's b'day we celebrated). I would definitely love to go back!

Flashback Fridays // Stephanie

2011-08-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

These shots of Stephanie are from June 2010, so they are not too old of a flashback. I first met Stephanie when I shot her headshots in May, and then invited her back for a "fun" shoot in June. I had an idea ot do a shoot in a pool, and luckily my friend had a pool we could use. We started shooting about 7pm, right near sunset. I love the first image, as it is very clean and classic, very much my aesthetic. I wouldn't change anything at all about it. The second image however, I have never really been pleased with. I have tried to rework it, and re edit and do all kinds of things but it never turns out to where I am happy with it. I enjoyed shooting with the sun flare off the water, but I got too excited and forgot to put a reflector under her eyes. Although she was very close to the natural reflector of concrete, it wasn't enough to light up her eyes as I usually do. I shot a whole bunch of shots with the flare and had her walking towards me, and spinning, but the perspective didn't do anything for her body (which was great), and looking back on it I would've probably gotten more in the water myself, instead of just shooting from the concrete sides and a ladder (in the last shot). Because I was up so high, it really distorted the perspective on the full body shots. But I had a fun time, and anytime I get to shoot something different and experiment I am happy!

Travel Thursdays // Times Square, NYC

2011-08-11T09:05:00.006-04:00

I know my friends that actually live in NY hate Times Square. But I have always wanted to visit and I am glad I've had the chance 3 times! The first time was in 2004, on my first trip to NY, and in Christmas time. It was such a magical feeling of being in the place I had seen on TV where the New Year's Eve countdown takes place! The second time I visited was in 2007 on vacation for my 25th birthday - and when these images were taken. I will admit, back then I didn't know too much about my camera and am not quite sure how I even captured these images, but I'm glad I did! These are some of my favorites I've ever taken in NYC and I just love the colors and the energy I can remember and almost feel when I look at them.

2007 was my husband's first time there & I don't think he quite knew what to make of all the people running around and going totally different ways around him, but to me, I just loved the energy and busy-ness of it all. There are so many sights, and people, and bright.big.bold.lights! I especially love seeing the cabs weave all around, and how they manage to always dodge the pedestrians. In 2010, I had to walk through Times Square to get to a shoot, and actually was not too enthused about it. In the daylight it doesn't seem near as exciting, but rather very dull and gray. Of course, I know it's a tourist trap (and realize it more and more every time I go), but I am glad I have been able to see it for myself.

Get Connected Atlanta // Interview

2011-08-10T21:59:00.006-04:00

As you know, Atlanta is a big player in the acting scene. There are tons of actors, models, producers, execs and etc all coming to Atlanta to shoot the latest TV series and even movies. A few months ago I found out about unbelievable get together called Get Connected. It is for anyone in the entertainment industry and is just bursting with creativity and energy! I loved it, and felt like it was so me, and I am sooo happy there is something like this here! I really am thankful for the opportunities it provides for everyone to "connect"!

Last month (July 28) I was a featured vendor and was interviewed for their TV show that will be shown on their website and Facebook pages to a few thousand (yes...thousand!) people. Talk about nerves building up! I was one of the last interviews and it was close to midnight, but I think it turned out pretty well. I was supposed to be interviewed by myself, but I spotted my dear friend and make-up artist Gwynnis Mosby and chatted with her and then asked if she would like to go on with me. I think it turned out much better than if it was just me, it really proves what a great combination make-up and photography are, and how it really can give you the best finished product.

I'll admit, it is a weird emotion and feeling seeing yourself on film. At first I could not believe how thick my accent is, how my lipstick had faded, oh, did I really just say that? and of course I can could go and on...You know, everyone is their own worst critic, so I am working really hard to just enjoy these opportunities I have been given to meet people, and to get my business out there to such a wide audience! After 4 years, I feel like I am so in control, and am so happy to be where I am today. Not a day goes by that I am not so incredibly thankful to my family, friends and clients who allow me the opportunities and the support to do what I love! Thanks for watching (and please excuse the mis-spelling of our names)!

Travel Thursdays // Florida Sunrise

2011-08-04T19:19:00.010-04:00

I thought it would be fun to start something new where I can share some of my images I have taken while traveling. I haven't been to many exciting places, but I always take tons of photos wherever I go! Since I have been going through lots of my archived images, I thought it would be nice for me to highlight my favorites in a blog post.

This set is from Ponce Inlet, Florida. It was more of a family vacation, and I remember when I got there my uncle telling me to get some rest because we were going to see the sunrises each morning. I grumbled, and didn't think he was serious and was thinking why should we get up and see the sunrises, they aren't spectacular in Atlanta, why would they be different in Florida?

Well, every morning I was up and went down to the beach to see the sunrises. They were all beautiful and each morning was so different from the one before. But the morning before our last, was my favorite of them all. It was still really dark, and I checked my watch to make sure the time was right.. When I looked back up there was a small sliver showing some orange, and I realized there was a huge cloud over what seemed like the entire sky. I'd never seen anything like it, and still haven't since that morning. Over the course of 45 minutes to an hour, the cloud broke up and the sky was just beautiful. Everywhere I looked was stunning pinks, oranges, reds, and it seemed never ending! These photos were all taken 15 minutes apart. I love how you can still see the shape of the original dark cloud in the later photos, it is all just amazing to me.

I do sell prints of some of my travel / fine art photos, so email me if you are interested in having a print of something you see!

Little Feet

2011-08-03T19:18:00.003-04:00

I love little babie's feet. They are so cute, soft and tiny! When my niece was a newborn, I photographed her hands and feet at all different angles every month and was amazed at fast they grew and changed! Now, she is 3 years old and has a new cousin who just turned a month old. Today I took some photos of them together at their grandma's house, I loved that when they were laying together and their feet were next to each other. My niece is so gentle and concerned about her little cousin's every need, it's adorable to see.

Flashback Fridays // Tanya

2011-07-29T15:15:00.029-04:00

Can you believe it's Friday again?! This week has flown by! Anyway, here is this week's Flashback Friday. This is from August 2007, one of my first studio shoots....ever. Me, Tanya and another friend were all working at the GA Aquarium over the summer. It's funny because we were all interested in photography, but none of us were actively pursuing it at the time. My other friend who was shooting with me had an idea of using tons of beads as the main concept, and Tanya rocked it! We had a great time, and I look back on these images with such great memories. We stayed in the studio until about 1or 2 am, we were all in our early twenties and very green about everything. Since this shoot, Tanya has gone on to pursue a modeling career, working all over Europe and Asia doing fashion, print and runway! I am a photographer of course, and my friend Rosie is a product photographer.

Flashback Fridays // Kamila

2011-07-22T08:41:00.015-04:00

I've decided to start something new here, where I can share some of my images from my archives. This first one is of my fried Kamila, from 2009. She had a different hair cut and I wanted to just play and have a fun shoot. I did the styling, make-up and photography. I really love this shot of her, as I think it shows off her personality very well, she is one of the nicest and sweetest people you'll ever meet, but she looooooves to keep herself a mystery as well. Looking back, I wouldn't do anything differently, I love her expression and her pose and how she looks relaxed.

New Promos Are Here

2011-05-23T18:30:00.013-04:00

I am so proud and happy to reveal my latest summer 2011 promos! These are sent to the agencies, acting schools and coaches I work with and shoot headshots for. Look for these all around Atlanta! I am so thankful to all my wonderful clients I have worked with and who continue to let me do what I love and am passionate about!

Black Diamonds

2011-04-27T16:18:00.001-04:00

Model: Stephanie G.

Make-Up & Styling: Gwynnis Mosby

Photography / Styling: Megan Dougherty

This was a fun and creative fashion shoot between my make-up artist and I. We made the hat / veil type thing, and wanted something very monotone but blinged out at the same time. Our model, Stephanie has such beautiful cheekbones and really photographed beautifully. The whole shoot was about 4.5 hours, and I only shot 30 minutes of that, as the rest was all wardrobe and make-up! I'm very proud of this series though, where last year I was all about bright colors and just being creative, this year's shoots have been way better planned, styled and executed. This is definitely some of my favorite work that I've ever done!

Stephanie

2011-04-20T18:39:00.001-04:00

The goal was bright and spring-like images with a little vintage flair. We started out shooting some updated film headshots, and then moved onto the fun stuff. Thanks so much to Stephanie and Barrie for coming down from Greenville, SC to work with me again! We had such a great time, and it ended up being a beautiful day! I knew Stephanie would be perfect for this idea I had, as I had shot her headshots last year and we had a blast. I really enjoyed shooting this series, and working with a new make-up artist that it was a test for. It's fun to just push yourself and not do what you "normally" would shoot, and to just shoot for yourself.

Southern Snow 2011

2011-01-14T10:42:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard, Atlanta got a major snow / ice storm the beginning of this week. I'll have to admit, when I kept hearing it fore-casted on the news, I didn't really think it was going to be this much snow and ice! Mostly though, I was just hoping that the ice wouldn't land on power lines and re freeze, because that what causes the outages. In 1999 or 2000 I had that happen at my parent's house and we had no heat or electricity for 4 days! However on Monday morning when I got up and saw the amount of snow, I was shocked, we had 5.5 inches which is more than I can remember seeing in a very long time! Not only was it a lot of snow, but it had hardened and become ice, everywhere. On the roads, on the driveways, on the stairs. It basically paralyzed the city and everyone was warned to stay in and not drive.

The first couple of days it was nice being at home with my husband and just eating hot bowls of soup, watching TV, napping (I had a cold so I was trying to get better ASAP), playing wii and catching up on some things here and there. But on the third day, we were both ready to get out! Wednesday we made our way over to my parents and the studio to check on things. It was a little weird being one of a few cars on a major highway, and we definitely hit many, many icy patches that I could have done without, but overall we arrived safely and with no damage.

All of our dogs enjoy the snow, and one of my favorite things to do is play with them and take photos of them in it. Here's the usual suspects, Lily (little one), and Lexi (big, german shepherd) out playing in the snow and sliding around, and a new little dog, Barney who we are watching for my aunt while she is out of town. All of them react so differently to the snow and ice, which is just amazing and fun to me!

Today, the high is supposed to be 40 degrees, and most of the roadways are clear, but the ice and snow are STILL here. I don't ever remember it hanging around for so long! Be safe out there if you have to get out, and stay warm!

Favorite Photos of 2010

2010-12-30T01:26:00.002-05:00

Happy holidays to you! I hope all of my friends are looking optimistic about a new start, and the new year. Here we are again, at the end of another year. Can you believe how fast that went by? I've started a tradition of picking my favorite 20 photos from the year, and this time as I was shooting I could already tell which ones would make that list.

These are just MY personal favorites, the photos that I think express my photography style the best and the ones that stood out to me during the year. The photos that I find myself going back to and finding the most satisfaction in. 2010 was my busiest year yet, and I have all of you to thank! I truly love what I do and the clients I get to meet!

This year, headshots were still my main focus, but I also experimented more and did different types of shoots and really wanted to push myself to shoot images that I love. I can definitely see how my images have become edgier, sexier and more grown up. I love capturing relationships as well. Not your average posed portraits, but the small moments that are special to each individual. Knowing that the image I captured will be around for years, is something that still kind of astounds me.

So here we go, my favorite 20 images of 2010. This year though, I also included 5 extra images that I LOVE. It was so, so, hard for me to just choose 20, so in the end I had to include these! In no particular order, here they are!

FAVORITE HEADSHOTS

FAVORITE FASHION / BEAUTY

FAVORITE PORTRAITS

5 THAT I LOVE

Headshot Round-Up

2010-11-26T23:07:00.004-05:00

Although I LOVE to shoot fashion and more editorial types of photos, Atlanta is not a very fashion forward town (we are much more film oriented). My dad (Brian Dougherty) was the king of headshots in Atlanta, and when I took over his business in 2007 I started shooting them as well. It is my primary focus with my business, although I do enjoy shooting portraits and some personal fashion projects when I have time. I'll admit I wasn't excited about the prospect of headshots when I first thought about it, but now I really enjoy them. I work closely with many top Atlanta agencies to give them the shots that they are looking for, and also shots that the client loves! There are so many amazing and different people in the world, and I feel so fortunate to be able to have met all the people I have.

Since today was kind of rainy and gloomy, and I needed a blog post (didn't really think that far ahead today!) - I decided to post a few of my favorite clients from the past few weeks. We always do a commercial (natural, happy, friendly) and a more film (serious, sexier) look in both of my headshot packages I offer to actors and I tried to include those in the composites.

Portraits // Mandi

2010-11-10T15:29:00.002-05:00

When I took Mandi's headshots over the summer, I had so much fun that I knew we would have fun shooting one of my projects! She is so funny and lively and I just enjoy being around her. Since fall is my favorite time of year, I took her out to backwoods of Stone Mountain Park for our shoot.

Mandi is always up for anything, but I just really wanted to capture her, how I see her. It was a lot of fun and we definitely got images that we were both happy with. I wanted something very natural, and happy almost like from an ad showing the latest fall looks. After we shot outdoors, we came back to the studio and did a few beauty shots. I'm so happy we did those, she looks stunning, I so wish I had her cheekbones!

Fashion // Kamila

2010-10-26T12:13:00.002-04:00

She's the one friend who loves all the same songs I do, and will sing them with me. She is so much fun, and such a funny person and really helps me to remember to enjoy life and the little moments. Did I mention she can also put away a gallon of ice cream, for dinner?! It's not fair that she can do that and always look like she did when I met her! On this shoot, as we wrapped her in plastic wrap she just kept laughing and smiling telling us "it's okay, I'm fine" with a smile, which is how she is. Always smiling, and nothing really gets to her.

I've known Kamila for about 3 years now. I think it was really fate that we met, as we were working together for only a short time and she was an exchange student from Ukraine. Eventually we both went on different paths but thanks to Facebook we were able to keep in touch and see what was going on with each other. She's always known my dreams of becoming a photographer, and she's always been so willing to let me shoot her and practice or do any crazy ideas I wanted to shoot.

I've shot her a few times but a couple of weeks ago, our shoot was definitely the most elaborate. My make-up artist that I work with helped us out and we also bought some wigs to just really make things interesting (she has short blond hair). It's so amazing to see how someone can transform with some make-up and different hair styles. Through my different shoots with her, I can definitely see how I have improved and changed as a photographer and person, and she has pretty much grown up in front of my lens. We were both "kids" and just playing around, and now we are women living our life.

Model - Kamila
Make Up Artist - Gwynnis Mosby
Styling - Megan Dougherty & Gwynnis Mosby
Location - My Studio

Maternity // LC

2010-07-29T14:03:00.011-04:00

I am the type of person who gets excited. I'm always happy for my friends, and love it when they are happy. When I found out one of my closest friends was pregnant at the beginning of this year, of course I wanted to document it for her. We've been friends for about 11 years, and she knew me before I even knew what career path I wanted or where my life was going to take me. I truly enjoy documenting my friend's milestones and am happy that I'm able to give them something that will last and bring back fond memories.

We shot LC's maternity sessions every 4-8 weeks starting at week 18. I tried to pick just 2 images from each of our sessions to showcase here. It was difficult because there were so many I liked from each session, but I was able to do it!

I do offer packages like this for expecting mother's, please email me for details!

A couple of weeks after our last session, baby N made his way into the world! After they came home form the hospital I took some newborn photographs of him. He's adorable and I can't wait to watch him grow and be a part of his life!