i bet you'd rather watch than read, right?
Both options below.
My Story
It all started with water.
Images coming to life in the darkroom while Billie Holiday echoed off metal sinks. I fell in love with photography and chased it with abandon.
Italy. Greece. Turkey.
Moments captured, purpose stirring.
Years later, I added sound. Narratives were built and stories came to life.
Instead of parachuting into the news story ‘taking’ what I needed, I stayed longer, giving the microphone to people so they could speak for themselves.
I was hooked - and flying.
California. Colorado. India. Nepal.
No matter the location, language or culture, I could connect. I was able to put people at ease so they could speak their truth.
In fact, success was a direct result of everything that happened before and after the shutter clicked or mic turned on.
I chose photography.
I chose sound.
But video chose me.
When my newsroom embraced the medium, my job depended on it.
Always a lifelong learner, I kept volunteering - and failing. I had to relearn everything.
Instead of reacting, I had to anticipate.
Instead of documenting what was in front of me, I had to read the room and move my body so the camera was in the right place at the right time.
But I also had to quickly build trust.
Video is intimate. It captures someone’s appearance, their voice, but also, their movement - and that’s where the magic lies.
It’s not only what you say, but how you say it - and who you are - that matters because people can smell fake a mile away. (Lots more about this over at Thought Leader Media).
Congo. Rwanda. Haiti.
Every assignment challenged me to sink into the environment, quickly figure out dynamics at play, and understand all that was not being said.
Suddenly, I was right where I wanted to be - simply pointing a camera and empowering people to tell their own story.
Then, I came home to raise three children while documenting the inner workings of higher-ed communities. At Harvard Business School I met faculty, staff at their comfort level, then coached them even higher in Brazil, Israel, Japan to communicate ideas with head and heart.
I helped faculty hone their message. I helped alumni crystalize how their experience propelled them forward.
Every story was an opportunity to connect with prospective students craving to see themselves reflected back. Do I have what it takes? Will I flourish there? Will they choose me?
Now, I'm funneling my passion and creativity into visual voice development for socially-impact driven leaders. Why? Because if we had the right people at the table we'd have already solved intractable problems.
Learn more about my process for personal branding + visual identity at thoughtleadermedia.co.
Or stay here at maryknoxmiller.com for more information about portraits or human dispatches on a wide variety of topics.