Selena MNP celebrates ten years in business this year. Ten years of meeting wonderful women, working with them, and taking their photographs. That’s amazing to me. My love of photography started out with a little point-and-shoot film camera, mainly taking photos of nature and our children. That hobby grew into a passion, and that passion led me to wanting to empower women. After getting my degree in photography, my passion became Missy Neely Photography. 

2020 brought many challenges. A few of those challenges made me realize just HOW important photographs are. Whether it’s every day candids of small moments, or milestone events in our life that we couldn’t imagine not documenting, looking back through photos always sends us down memory lane. And in our now digitalized world, with most of our images on our phones and laptops, we don’t realize just how much we need photos until that’s all we have. Those moments and milestones captured to remind us. To heal us. To pass along to family and friends. 

Digital photography has been a blessing - we can take twice as many photos without the wait, store them in a much more efficient way, and share with loved ones at the push of a button. But I do miss dropping off that film and the anticipation of getting the printed images back. I’m not in any way downing digital. But, I do still love flipping through a photo album and physically holding an image. I love getting a print to put in a frame. 

When I look back through images of important events in my life I realize that because I was the one always taking photos there aren’t that many of, well, ME. I have some photos of me modeling at nineteen, and group images with family. But I never celebrated ME. As women, we put everyone else ahead of ourselves. It’s in our nature. But what is wrong with celebrating ourselves? Our lives? Nothing. 

We Ladies are always in the formal portraits that celebrate engagements, weddings, and births.That’s how important photographs are. 

But what about the other milestones; Our birthdays, anniversaries, kids graduating, starting a new career, and the like? There’s even a “Burn the Dress” movement where women take photos of burning their wedding dress. That could certainly be cathartic! But how about celebrating with a session where you’re pampered, empowered, and feeling like a new person? When I look back I wish that I’d celebrated MYSELF more. That I’d gone and done a photo session to celebrate turning 30, turning 40. That I’d celebrated being an empty nester, opening my photography business. What I wouldn’t give to have a photo album to bring back those empowering memories.  

I’ve been very open about the fact that part of why I do what I do stems from knowing what it’s like to be made to feel worthless. I had people in my life that knocked my self-esteem so low that I didn’t think I was important. And I love seeing women walk into my studio unsure, and leave with a new-found confidence that stays with them for years to come. 

Start celebrating your moments and milestones this year with both digital images you can show off and share at the click of that button, but also with heirloom-quality printed images that you can pass down to loved ones or hang in your living room. 

What’s happening in your life this year that you’d like to celebrate and remember? Let’s celebrate the magic that is YOU. 

*MNP is taking every precaution to stay diligent with Covid restrictions.