Meet Chattanooga photographer Christian, a dedicated mother, wife, and small business owner with five years of experience in the industry.

In May 2024, Christian marks the one-year milestone of transitioning from a part-time job to full-time photography, and what a journey it’s been!

Despite initial fear, Christian’s faith and passion for photography have made her a top portrait and family Chattanooga photographer. 

I first fell in love with photography when I was 8. Portrait photography has always been my favorite genre.

I had always thought of photography as simply a hobby.  I decided to turn my passion into a career after the premature birth and death of my twin boys at the end of 2019.

Along with my faith and support from family and friends, picking up my camera in those first few months of grief helped to begin the healing process.

The loss of my children made me realize that life was too short to waste any more time not pursuing the thing that brought me so much joy amid my pain.

So I did it. I “started a photography business”! I was blessed to get pregnant with my now 4-year-old daughter about a month after deciding to give this whole professional photographer thing a try so the first 2 years of my business ended up being a slow growth period. (That and this little thing called COVID) But in hindsight that was perfect because it allowed me to not suffer through the frustrations many new business owners face, like growing an audience and honing my style.

I still went through that slow process of growth while building the business but the pace was perfect for me as a new mother so I didn’t get discouraged by it as many do.

Keeping my workload light helped me not burn out like many young photographers.  

Haha, I don’t know.  But a fun fact about it is that I got my BA in Theatre. Sometimes photographing can feel a lot like directing a scene to pull out certain emotions or set up a “pose” without it being static and stiff.

Being a photographer gives me a unique perspective and allows me to bring a different approach to sessions that make them more fun and interactive. 

The best way to reach me is through my website, www.christianmichellephotography.com! There are many contact forms and links throughout the site and using those helps me stay organized!

If you want to follow along with my latest work, it usually gets posted on Instagram before it makes it onto the website. I’m always working on something or creating something.   I love working with other creatives!