Meet Melanie Savolainen | Photographer & Business Owner

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

Hi Melanie, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
I love the quote by Dan Brown: “Sometimes a change in perspective is all it takes to see the light.” My reason for choosing the name of my business, Perspectives Photography, was two-fold. I always felt, and have been told by many others, that my photographs seem to come from unique points of view. In fact, I pride myself on being able to find the beauty in almost anything (for instance, a rotting piece of wood) by adjusting my angles and creating some pretty spectacular shots. And secondly, I think perspective has a big influence on how we experience life. Dan Brown’s quote ties that all together for me and even takes it to a deeper level. In photography, as in life, it is sometimes hard to ‘find the light’ in certain situations. You can change the props (or the circumstances), the placement of the subject (or where you live), but sometimes the light – the epiphany – doesn’t become apparent until you change your perspective.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
.Well, first of all, art is in my soul. Creating beauty and emotion has always brought me so much joy, particularly capturing the human experience. Where I’ve found that I really shine is in portraying a more natural view of my clients that illustrates their personalities or highlights their natural chemistry. Some of my favorite photos have come from the moments right after I tell my clients that we are done with a posed shot. That’s when everyone relaxes and starts to interact in a more genuine way. I try to encourage those unfettered interactions as much as possible without ‘staging’ it.

I’ve always loved taking pictures, but I would say I really got my start with photography by taking classes in high school. At that time, I also had the opportunity to study under a professional in the industry and assist in real shoots, giving me plenty of experience to nail down the technical aspects of the craft. By the time I was deciding on a career, however, I felt the need to take the ‘safer’ path with the 4-year degree and dependable paycheck every month.

Fast-forward to a few months before COVID hit: I was an Executive Assistant in the corporate world poised to climb the ladder to an enviable salary. But I was suffering from extreme burnout that was mounting into clinical anxiety and depression, and I went on doctor-ordered medical leave just before the rest of the world went on COVID leave. At that point, I took the extra time to re-evaluate my priorities and decided I needed to do something that invigorates me rather than drains me, so I turned back to art.

Photography was an excellent fit for me because it touches those artistic parts of me, but it is also highly people-oriented. The personalities of the humans in front of the camera are so much of my inspiration and so much of the fun. I would venture to say it is my love and care for people – my own brand of ‘customer service’, if you will – that is central to my success. I never want clients to wonder if they were interacting with ‘the real me,’ and I endeavor that anyone who interacts with me feels they were cared for as a human being – never a means to an end.

This is so important to me, in fact, that promoting my business has been a struggle. I fear that my offer of business services or of networking will come across as me entering the conversation under false pretenses or taking advantage of the relationship. Anxiety also shows up in the form of a persistent fear that I will fail to meet client expectations or in the perfectionistic standard that I apply to my editing process. I’ve found that leaning on trustworthy friends and mentors to help me with things like planning promotion strategies, processing thoughts, and reviewing my proofs has helped me manage the anxiety and keep moving forward.

Overall, starting a business doing an artform that I love has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Rather than ‘pushing through’ in order to earn the life I want, I’m living my best life now, and the life I want looks like being able to sleep in a few times a week, taking long walks with my dog each day, or hiking with my husband and mother-in-law on weekends. Photography has opened my eyes to how many precious moments can so easily be allowed to pass by unnoticed. I sometimes tell myself “Look around in your life like you’re looking through the viewfinder of your camera,” and my perspective is completely changed. I suddenly see the beauty around me and stop more often to soak it in.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
.My husband and I LOVE hosting out of town guests and playing tour guide, so we’ve got this all worked out and have done it many times. Here are some of our staples:

We are big out-doorsy people and know many of the pretty places in SoCal worth seeing, so we’d go on a long drive for a couple of the days. A few of our favorite places to go are Lake Arrowhead Village, Big Bear Lake, Temecula Wine Country, Oak Glen apple orchards, and the Mt. Baldy Ski Lift (did you know there’s a bar-and-restaurant with live music up there??). In Arrowhead, we adore The Waffle House restaurant and in Temecula, you can’t beat Southcoast Winery’s dinner menu. Most of these locations have fantastic wine, beer, or even mead-tasting and some wonderful coffee shops, too.

On the mornings we’re not going anywhere far, we like to do big breakfasts and my husband will throw some meat on the smoker for several hours so we can have some of the most amazing BBQ you’ve ever tasted for dinner. But if we don’t feel like cooking, we take people to Kurry and Kabob, a fantastic Indian food kitchen in Moreno Valley, Kimchichanga, a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant in Riverside, or Greek Street Grill in Riverside.

If it’s the holiday season, we’ll always take our guests to the Mission Inn Festival of Lights in Riverside, where the historic mission building is decked out with 3 million lights and carnival food abounds. If not, we’ll usually try to go on a hike at one of several beautiful hiking locations in the I.E., or at least walk the trails near our house a few times. We’re also big on board games and most of our friends are too, so we usually ‘force’ our guests to join us in at least one epic board game night.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
.My husband, Daniel, definitely deserves a huge Shoutout in my story! He has been a great support to me throughout the process of starting my business, and in everyday life. While I was off on medical leave and in crisis during COVID, he faithfully continued to pull all of his weight at work and cared for me at the same time. He has continued to do so as I still require assistance in managing medical issues. He is the ‘Yin’ to my ‘Yang’ in many respects, helping to create an atmosphere of fun, spontaneity, and laughter in our home. Daniel’s encouragement and understanding have been invaluable to me, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him!

Website: https://melaniesperspectives.mypixieset.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanies.perspectives/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/perspectivesphotography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanies.perspectives

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/perspectives-photography-riverside