09/08/2026
A little reminder about the person behind Erin Mears Photography.
If you've ever been one of my clients, you probably already know that I give everything I have to the people who trust me with their memories. I've stayed longer than I was supposed to, delivered more than I promised, worked around circumstances, stressed over galleries like they were my own family photos, and gone out of my way more times than I could ever count. That's just who l am.
But something else about me is that I have never been very good at staying quiet when I believe people are being treated unfairly.
There's been a lot of conversation in our little town lately about appearance, tattoos, piercings, "character," professionalism, religion, and what kind of person someone is based on how they look. And since my photography page is also a business page, l figured this was as good a time as any to make something very clear about my business: YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
Tattooed. Pierced. Religious. Not religious.
Conservative-looking. Alternative-looking.
Dressed to the nines or showing up stressed with three kids and one shoe missing. 🤣🤣I truly do not care. WE WILL MAKE IT WORK. I care about how you treat people.
I will never look at your tattoos, your clothes, your hair, your income, your beliefs, or whether you fit somebody else's idea of "professional" and decide that tells me your character. Some of the kindest people I have ever met look nothing like what certain people would consider ”traditional," and some of the most judgmental people can look perfectly polished on the outside.
Character is how you treat people when you have absolutely nothing to gain from them. I believe businesses are allowed to have policies. I also believe people are allowed to disagree with those policies and speak about the attitudes behind them. And when you own a business-myself included—the way you speak to and about people matters. Accountability doesn't suddenly become disrespect just because it makes us uncomfortable.
I'm not perfect. I'm opinionated. I'm probably a little mouthy when something gets under my skin.
🤣🤣And apparently, according to recent events, I may even be a character. BUT I would rather be known as a character who stood up for people than someone who made another human being feel small because they didn't look, believe, live, or act exactly the way I thought they should. So if you ever wondered what kind of people are welcome in front of my camera:
ALL OF THEM. Everyone.
Thank you for reading if you made it this far and keep a watch out for my fall dates. Busy season is approaching and I hope to see you in front of my camera.
Come as you are.
- Erin Mears Photography 🖤
