Meet Melissa Poloncarz | Freelance Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Poloncarz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, why did you pursue a creative career?
As cliche, as it sounds a creative career, brings new adventures every day. Like many creatives, before pursuing a creative career full time, I had a 9 to 5 office job. While the creative portions of the job were fun, sitting behind a desk and attending meetings all day didn’t bring me the passion I desired. I like to be challenged, meet new people, and hear people’s stories. Choosing a creative career was probably one of the easiest decisions I’ve made. I am constantly challenged to come up with new ideas or concepts for a shoot. I am in a new place each day. I get to connect with talented musicians with stories to tell from the road. I get to work with churches and connect with people who have life advice to offer. I get to connect with kids who tell me funny jokes. I love missionary work and through the creative industry, I get to do that in some way or fashion each and every day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I currently specialize in live music, events, and lifestyle portraits. I absolutely love capturing genuine and raw emotion and I’m often told I have a real eye for this. If I can convey how a person felt when they met “the one” or how a band feels when they step on stage and the crowd goes wild or even the overwhelming emotion of a person falling to their knees in worship, I leave a session feeling so much joy and accomplishment. From testimonies I have received from clients, they all enjoy those candid moments in between when they are laughing or playing with their kid, rather than the posed photos and that’s something I always strive to capture. I also use every session to grow, trying new techniques and unique perspectives to give clients variety. There are a few things I’m really proud of from this last year. At the end of May 2021, I quit my 9 to 5 job to pursue photography full-time. In January of this year, I launched a complete rebrand of my photography business with an entirely new identity working to create the best experience for clients. This has opened a lot of new doors for me and I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of support I have received with such a big change. Since then, I was featured in my first magazine.

I had the opportunity to work with an incredible artist named Paul Whitacre at my dream venue, Eddie’s Attic. I also had the opportunity to do some behind-the-scenes work with Sony Music in Nashville. I accepted an incredible new job as a music and events photographer at a new music and arts studio called Muse Cabin, opening up in Cumming, GA. Currently, I have been booking out months in advance which is something I never thought possible. This December, I will graduate from the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Digital Media. I will spend my last semester directing and producing a short film entitled “Tainted” written by myself. All of these factors combined make me believe this is what I am meant to do.

I’ve always had a passion for music and photography. Starting out as a little girl with the little fake toy cameras progressing to a pocket-sized point and shoot camera to finally saving my money and purchasing my first DSLR in high school. High school is where my passion for music and photography crossed paths. I started attending numerous concerts where I found myself admiring the photographers working almost more than the music itself. I knew then that’s what I wanted to do for a career, and I started bringing my point and shoot camera to shows, shooting photos, and playing with edits. Obviously, the point and shoot was not the same as the DSLR, but it was enough to land me an internship working for a city concert venue. With that internship, I was able to work more with the DSLR and gain real-world experience in concert photography. I had the opportunity to shoot artists like Joan Jett, Trace Adkins, The Commodores, Matt Stell, and the list goes on. Simultaneously, I was able to build up a portfolio that caught the eye of my now good friend and mentor Nicholas McElroy, owner of Southern Exposure. Nicholas took a chance on me, took me under his wing, and introduced me to the Atlanta Concert scene. I started shooting at places like Terminal West, Buckhead Theatre, and aisle 5.

The journey to get where I am today hasn’t always been easy though. As I said, when I made the decision to pursue my passion for photography in 2019, I was also working about five other jobs and attending college full time. It was a struggle to keep everything balanced and I felt a lot of anxiety knowing that I wanted to pursue photography, but I had so much going on at once. However, those moments behind the camera when the lights went down, the crowd would start to scream, and I would capture that moment of pure joy on the kid’s faces attending a concert for the first time or the artists crying tears of joy at fans response, it all invigorated me to keep trying to make it work. I was really taking off with it until March 2020 brought everything to a halt. It was discouraging to see everything I had been working towards just come to a stop by something out of my control.

I have always been a go-getter and I think going through something like that has only encouraged me to keep that up. If you are truly passionate about something you will find a way to make it work. I came out a lot stronger because of these things. As mentioned before, I took it as an opportunity to rebrand myself and my business and flourish.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you’re anything like me and love catching a live show I would highly recommend checking out Terminal West for a super laid-back vibe. And Eddie’s Attic located in Decatur, there is a lot of talent and history that runs through that venue and everyone leaves there like family! I would recommend Ponce City Market. In between photo gigs, I would always hang out there and edit. It’s great for spending time with friends, taking photos, shopping, and grabbing some amazing treats. I think my absolute favorite is Batter Cookie Dough in Ponce, they sell the most amazing edible cookie dough. I’d also recommend hanging at the Battery whether it’s to catch a Braves game, a concert at the Coca Cola Roxy, or some great food and drinks at the Punch Bowl Social.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe many of my successes to people I’ve met along the way, photographers, musicians, and creatives. People who have taken a chance on me and mentored me. Growing up my family was always super supportive of my love for the arts and encouraged me to follow what I was passionate about. When I entered the working world my senior year of high school I was mentored by graphic designer and owner of Orphintage Joel Hoffman. He has been in my corner since the day we met and even today has helped me to design the logo you find on my website now. There is Nicholas owner of Southern Exposure. Nicholas took a chance on me, took me under his wing, and introduced me to the Atlanta Concert scene. My boyfriend Canon Tyler, who happens to be a musician has been incredibly supportive. He lets me follow him around with a camera and try new things. Then there are friends Lindsay, owner of Lindsay Ann Photography, Corey Miller, part-owner of Midtown Motion, and Susan Barton, owner of Muse Cabin, who have simply encouraged me to break out of my shell, try new opportunities, and pursue what I am passionate about.

Website: https://www.mmstudioco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmstudioco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.mmstudioco

Other: Email: contact.mmstudioco@gmail.com

Image Credits
Melissa Poloncarz