Miv Fournier, owner of photography business Miv Photography, and studio Westboro Studio. Photo courtesy of Miv Fournier.
It was the arrival of his newborn daughter in 1996 that motivated Miv Fournier to retreat from bartending and make photography his full-time job. “I was just doing too much and needed to help at home,” Miv said, adding that he didn’t want to miss out on those early moments with his child. “Yeah, doting father.”
While he was still serving up drinks, Miv said he “was making sure that everyone that left my bar knew that I was a photographer,” to get the word out at a time well before the advent of social media marketing.
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The money he made while bartending provided Miv with the capital to build his photography business, such as buying his equipment to get started. Having been trained in journalism and commercial photography, he said he never thought he would be a wedding photographer. Still, Miv said that shooting weddings helped hone his craft as a photographer.
“You are ‘go-go-go’ and you get one chance at it,” he said, explaining that at the time when analog film cameras were ubiquitous, he had to be very deliberate about the camera settings he chose, because he wouldn’t see the final results until he got the photos developed weeks later.
“Everything is different: the lighting, the people, the time of day. You have to think quickly on your feet.”
In a photo from Miv, two men can be seen standing together in conversation. Photo courtesy of Miv Fournier.
As time went on, wedding gigs were also a good launching pad to other work opportunities like commercial projects. Explaining the rationale, Miv said, “Every bride and groom has a job somewhere, right?”
When shooting a subject, Miv said he helps to create an experience for the person being photographed. “I’m very good with people,” he said, quickly specifying that he was not “tooting my own horn.”
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The vast majority of people say they don’t like getting their picture taken, he said.
“It’s my job to get them relaxed, have a conversation and then just create a really good experience so that when they were done, they not only liked the photographs, but they say, ‘Oh, that wasn’t so bad,’ or ‘I didn’t think I would, but actually, I really enjoyed having my picture taken!'”
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About 12 years ago, Miv bought the commercial property that is home to his other business, Westboro Studio, today. For a long time he worked out of the space by himself, but five years ago he started sharing the space with three other professional photographers.
Asked what he loves about running his own business, he said that it is the independence and flexibility. “I love being able to make my own insane hours,” he said laughing. “I’ve always liked being my own boss.”
Now that he is well-established in his career, Miv said he is at a place where he wants to be more selective about what projects he decides to take on, but added that he will always bring his best for all his clients. In the coming years, his hope is to devote more time to his personal projects.
For those interested in learning more and seeing Miv’s photography, you can visit his website, Facebook and Instagram pages!
