Local Austin Photographer Spotlight: Heather Miller-Camp

Lover of the fantastical and macabre, you never know what kind of photo to expect from Heather Miller-Camp's, but it's certain to have her signature style on it! From fine art portraits to manipulating models to give them a doll-like appearance, Miller-Camp's work is nothing short of extraordinary. 

I corresponded with Miller-Camp via email to learn more about her photographic and editing process. 

You’ve had an interest in photography since your formative middle school years—that’s a life-long passion if I’ve ever heard of one! How did you get started in photography? What was your first camera?

Heather Miller-Camp: When I was young, I wrote a lot of poetry and wanted to take images to go along with the poems. I thought that could be a way to evoke emotions connected with them. I also really, really wanted to be a fashion photographer. I was kind of obsessed with specific models, and seeing them in these photographs with cool outfits, and artsy scenes created for them was very fun and interesting to me.

I took photography in ninth grade, but at that time it was film and developing in the darkroom. I think that sort of overwhelmed me and was hard for me to grasp. I didn’t do much with photography for a while after that. Fast-forward to things being much more digital, I got back into it.

While my kids were little and I was staying home, I started doing family photography here and there. That lasted many years and I still do it from time to time. My first real professional camera was my Canon 5D Mark III, which is what I still use for most of my images.

How has your photography and style changed since then?

HMC: Just a month before the pandemic hit, I decided what I was doing wasn’t creative enough for me. I took the pandemic time to really learn Photoshop like I had always wanted, and started creating. Now I think I incorporate all those early things into what I do today. I’m so glad that I started doing the creative stuff, and I am constantly learning and changing things up.

Your fine art portraits are very cool! A lot of them feature darker, otherworldly elements through photo manipulation. Tell me more about your creative process and planning for these kinds of shoots. What kinds of stories are you trying to tell through these images?

HMC: Thank you so much! While I enjoy lots of different types and styles of photography, I started to notice that I really just gravitate towards the dark stuff. I get a lot of inspiration from artists I like or find a lot of random things at vintage stores, on Etsy or even Facebook Marketplace. These things may just spark an idea in my mind, and I have one main shot I want.

During shoot time, I just put out different items and see what happens as we go along. Sometimes a model shows me an image they like and I just see what kind of idea it gives me. I absolutely love flowers and ribbons, so I often incorporate those things in my images somehow. I also love combinations of masculine and feminine, sweet and sassy or tough, but soft. The majority of the time, I do not even have a story to tell and things just come to me in the moment or once I sit down to edit. I like that my work is open for interpretation and I get to hear what story it tells for someone else.

A more specialized sect of these manipulated photos are your doll portraits. What was the inspiration behind these?

HMC: With my dolls, I do often have an idea in mind. I have always loved big eyed dolls, Blythe dolls, and I have a good-sized collection of Living Dead dolls. The surreal photography of Kelly Robitaille has been something I’ve admired for years, so I took some of her classes. I learned a way to make them my own and was so excited to create them. When I really perfected it in my own way, I wanted to turn everyone into a doll. When clients and models come to my studio, one of the first things I say is, “I will be making you into a doll, is that ok?” I think it weirds some people out! Haha.

What role do you play in styling your models? Do clients usually come to you with an idea or vision in mind?

HMC: When it comes to styling the models, I would say it’s a mix. I often have ideas and lots of clothes, mostly from my own closet, that the models wear. I work with a couple of great makeup artists. Makeup is not my thing, so mostly the HMUA has free rein. We talk about the concept and chat during the process, but mostly hair and makeup is all them. I've found that most clients come to me because they trust that I will do something great. They really like my work and say that it’s unique to them. I’d say it’s about 50/50 on if they have a vision or not but even if they do, they trust me to make it my own. That feels so amazing to me, and I love it, but I also feel the pressure sometimes.

What are your favorite kinds of shoots to do? Why?

HMC: Any of my studio shoots are my favorite kind of shoots. I get to create whatever I want, and that’s the best. I would have to say though that my favorite, favorite is when I get to use fake blood or something creepy. The creepier the better. It's Halloween all year! Of course my doll shoots are my other favorite.

I saw you’re working on a new project; is it called “Trans is Beautiful”? Tell me more about what people can expect and the inspiration behind this upcoming series!

HMC: That image actually comes from a series I did called “Blood Eyes.” In the series, everyone had something over their eyes with blood on them, possibly as tears or something else. These images also did not have a story in the beginning, but some created a story as we were shooting.

One of [the ideas] was raw meat over the eyes of a model that was vegetarian. I had the idea of the meat and there was a specific model I wanted to work with. I contacted him and said, “I have an idea for you finally, but I have a feeling you might be vegetarian.” (He is). He was a trooper though, and that image tells that story.

The “Trans is Beautiful” image is part of that series. I ended up naming that one “Mirror,” and it has its own story. That image is of my best friend. Trans is definitely beautiful, perhaps that should be my next project. I would definitely love to hear personal stories and find a way to create images for those individuals that they would love. I do have a session in the works for my best friend. It was supposed to be her coming out session, but she was ready to be free before we did the pictures. I would love to do this for others.

I saw that some of your work has been featured in Shutterup Magazine and Edith Magazine. Do you submit your work to magazines frequently? Could you share any advice on getting your work featured in print?

HMC: I have been featured in a few magazines. You can find some of them on Facebook, and they are mostly for photographers, by photographers. It feels good to have that validation. There are many other magazines on a place called Kavyar that I have been in. I just keep submitting images I am really proud of, and occasionally I get chosen. I have gotten the back cover once, but I would love to get the front cover. I would also love to be featured in a magazine that is more well-known. I say just keep on keepin’ on and never stop submitting to any and everything. Go for it, and don’t give up.

What are your go-to pieces of equipment and editing software?

HMC: My go to pieces of equipment are 24-70mm Canon lens and my Godox AD200 TTL Pocket Flash. I pretty much do all of my editing in Photoshop. 

You can find more of Miller-Camp's work on her website and Instagram.