Meredith Leigh Lowe

In my photography business, I attribute my success to a strong work ethic rooted in consistency, craftsmanship, and genuine care for the people I serve. I show up prepared, follow through on every detail, and keep raising my standards—because my clients are trusting me with their family’s legacy. That commitment to an elevated experience and timeless, high-quality artwork is what has built my reputation and results.

In my somatics business, I attribute my success to creating a space where people can slow down enough to actually feel what’s happening in their bodies—without pressure, performance, or having to “talk it out” perfectly. I’m consistent about staying grounded, practical, and nervous-system-led: we focus on building safety first, then gently practicing new patterns that clients can take into real life. I also think my own lived experience with chronic stress and shutdown helps me meet people with a lot of humility and clarity—I’m not here to fix anyone, I’m here to guide a process that helps them reconnect to themselves, one steady step at a time.

The best career advice I received was always from my father (some of which he learned from his father). As an exceptional businessman and entrepreneur, he instilled me the work ethic I have. Some of my favorites are:

1. Never do anything you don't want to read about the next morning in the newspaper.
2. Pick good advisors and always listen to them.
3. Manage with an undying sense of urgency and a healthy dose of paranoia.

In Family portrait photography, it is as much about leadership and client experience as it is about taking beautiful photos: you’re guiding a room, setting a calm tone, and creating space for real connection over perfection. Build a clear process (consultation, wardrobe help, session flow, reveal/ordering, delivery), price in a way that’s profitable, and sell a finished outcome like prints and albums so families actually enjoy their memories. Put boundaries and policies in writing, plan for tricky family dynamics, and create a supportive experience that makes families feel cared for. Keep building your portfolio intentionally around the clients you want, and remember you are serving people.

With somatics, I would get really honest about why you want to do this work, and let that “why” shape your training, your boundaries, and the kind of clients you say yes to. Prioritize learning how to stay regulated in your own body—because your presence is the intervention as much as any technique—and don’t rush into holding people’s pain before you have solid support, supervision/mentorship, and clear scope (especially around what is coaching vs. therapy). Start slower than you think you need to: practice with structure, keep great notes, refine your intake and screening, and choose integrity over urgency when money or validation feels tight. And build a business that protects you—clear policies, fair pricing, and a pace you can sustain—so you can keep showing up with steadiness, not burnout.

The biggest challenge in family portrait photography right now is that everyone’s swimming in images—your phone is full, your camera roll is a black hole, and “just send the digitals” has become the default—so it can be harder to help families understand why custom portraiture is worth it. But that’s also the opportunity: people still want to feel something when they walk past their walls, not just scroll past it at midnight. Photographers who can make the process easy and calm (planning, wardrobe help, gentle direction, zero awkwardness), capture real connection, and guide clients into finished artwork—prints, albums, and wall pieces that actually live in their home—stand out fast, because we’re not selling photos… we’re rescuing memories from the camera roll.

Right now, somatic coaching is having a moment—in a good way: more people are realizing their “I'm good” mindset isn’t very helpful when their nervous system is basically running a 24/7 fire drill, so demand for body-based support is growing fast. The opportunity is that it’s easier than ever to stand out by being clear, grounded, and specific about what this work actually looks like (and what it doesn’t), especially in a world where “somatic” sometimes gets used like glitter—sprinkled on everything whether it belongs there or not. The challenge is building trust in a buzzy, unregulated space, keeping coaching vs. therapy boundaries clean, and attracting clients who are ready to go slow enough to go deep—because regulation isn’t a life hack, it’s more like learning to cook: simple, doable, and occasionally messy, but wildly worth it.

The values that guide me—both in my photography work and in real life—are craftsmanship, integrity, and genuine care (because “close enough” is not an outcome). I’m big on making people feel comfortable and seen, creating artwork that actually belongs on your walls, and being clear and honest about what to expect from start to finish. I’m committed to showing up with presence, warmth, and follow-through—then delivering something you’re proud to live with every day. And through it all, I’m focused on keeping things calm and simple… like an easy button.

With my somatics business, the values that matter most to me are safety, integrity, and steadiness. I care about creating spaces where people feel respected and not pressured, where we move at a pace the nervous system can actually absorb, and where honesty is non‑negotiable (about what I can offer, what I can’t, and what real change requires from both me as a leader and them as the client). I value humility and responsibility—doing my part, owning my impact, and staying teachable. And I’m guided by practical compassion: warmth with clear boundaries, kindness that doesn’t rescue, and support that helps people build real capacity to break through their limits, not dependence on me.