The Memo

Michelle is a born and raised Texan with an appetite for adventure, music, wellness, and of course, tacos. She launched her freelance photography business part-time while studying at the University of Texas. Memo founder Molly was her sorority 'big sister' and was immediately struck by her eye for a good shot with her personal Instagram alone -- back in the days of the simple and straight-forward 4x4 chronological feed.

After her first job in marketing and later a four-year stint working at Camille Styles as the executive producer and lead photographer, Michelle now manages her photography business full-time, bringing stories to life through photos and videos. She and her husband Billy live in Austin with their dog, Bogey.

My current Kindle downloads on my phone! I tend to hibernate this time of year, and reading is a big part of my effort to embrace a slower winter. Work for me is generally more relaxed in January and February so I like to use this time to rest, get curious, and reawaken my creativity. Not to flex but I just finished Shantaram which is 944 pages long! Highly recommend.

My favorite 35mm film for shooting anything. The natural warmth and silvery greens are such a gift to the eyeballs.

I tend to get really excited about activities and travel and so does my husband. When we were dating we made this note that’s sort of a bucket list and a way for us to channel our enthusiasm without booking plane tickets lol. We’ve slowly been checking things off and adding to it over time. I’m lucky to live in a city where I don’t really have to go far to find adventure!

I’m feeling really drawn to earth tones right now. I’ve always been drawn to the in-between seasons—the way light filters through petals, how shapes blur and blend when you’re not quite looking directly, the way colors change throughout the day. This image is part of my first fine art series I launched recently called Shifting. Selling fine art prints has been a really fun new avenue for me and I’m excited to grow in this area.

This quote spoke to me recently.

I am closing in on my first full year as a full-time freelance photographer and finally feeling like I'm settling into a good groove. It’s taken time, but I can feel a sense of direction crystalizing and I feel more confident about where I want to head with my business.

When my husband and I were newly dating, I had heard him say that he wanted to skydive sometime. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie so fast forward to his birthday and I told him to get dressed for a birthday hike in Whitefish, Montana. He and I ended up at the skydiving headquarters in town and I told him we were booked to go skydive in 30 minutes. I didn’t realize at the time that he actually had a real fear of heights so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go on the way up, but he ended up being so hyped about it afterwards and thankfully we are still together today lol.

I just started a Substack about photography, so I’ve been revisiting some of my favorites. Maybe Baby is up there - I love how Haley can seamlessly blend humor with deep thoughts and wisdom about culture and living.

I’ve been so grateful to have been on some incredible shoots over the last few years with amazing entrepreneurs, models, actresses, chefs, and more. But I think one of the most memorable has to be this shoot with my grandma. I’m slowly working on a series where I interview and photograph folks above the age of 70 about their lives, lessons learned, trouble they’ve gotten into, and other stories. These shoots have been so rewarding, hilarious, and fun. I love exploring the topics of aging, nostalgia, and mortality through words and visuals and I hope to compile these into a coffee table book or something one day!

This is tough! Maybe I’ll pick one personal shot and one professional.

I love this shot of my mom from a trip to Europe back in 2017 - it just takes me back to the most perfect day we had together and when I was first starting to take photography more seriously.

I’ve also had many memorable shoots with Camille Styles, and this dinner party in Joshua Tree with the founders of Wonder Valley is still one of my all-time favorite stories we’ve shot together. The vibes were immaculate, the food was so colorful and delicious, and the light just hits different in southern California.

That I don’t take myself too seriously and allow others to be themselves.

Follow Michelle @michellenash__

See Michelle's work michellenash.com

Read her Substack Side Roads & Stories