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GRANVILLE – Her focus is spreading pleasure.
“I was a shy kid, always following the rules and wanting to do everything perfectly,” Michelle Staley stated. “I dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast or ice skater as a little kid. And from an early age, I loved taking photos. My aunts and uncles tell stories of me as a 10-year-old, popping up out of nowhere, snapping photos with a disposable camera.”
Today, Staley is a photographer along with her Michelle Joy Photography.
“My title is owner, and I do absolutely everything,” she stated. “I do the photography, editing, emailing, bookkeeping, gear maintenance, social media, everything. But I honestly love it all. I thrive on organization and love the office work almost as much as the photography itself.”
The name Michelle Joy Photography, by the way, came about because Staley’s middle name is Joy.
“If I’m being completely honest, the trendy thing to do 10 years ago was use your first and middle name, so it was an easy choice,” she stated. “However, as my business has evolved and I’ve grown in my craft, I really think the ‘Joy’ is a perfect fit. Life is difficult and time moves so quickly. If I can freeze a moment of joy for a person to look back on and smile, I’ve done my job.”
Staley grew up in Virginia, graduated from highschool in Richmond in 2009, then moved to Ohio to attend Cedarville University, the place she graduated with a level in biology in 2013.
“I started Michelle Joy Photography in 2015, when my plans for graduate school fell apart,” she stated. “I knew I wanted a career I loved, and photography was obviously something I loved. Our friends were getting married, and I knew the person taking the photos, and asked if I could tag along. From there, I was hooked.
“I do it because I really and truly love people,” she stated. “If I didn’t, I’d just photograph my own family and call it a day. But I feel called to use my ability to capture memories to bring joy to others as well. For me, lighting, posing and composition are all tools that help me best highlight what really matters — the people.”
To add to that, Staley is also a worship leader at Spring Hills Baptist Church in Granville.
“Leading worship is something I’ve done since high school,” she said. “I’ve always loved it. It brings me life in a way that nothing else really does. Spring Hills hired me (alongside my husband Josh) in 2019 to lead worship for one of their three weekend services. The following year, the pandemic hit. Photography obviously slowed down because of the quarantine restrictions, but the worship leading continued — even through the bizarre experience of playing a worship set to an empty room to be livestreamed later that weekend. Over the past five years, my role has shifted and expanded a bit, and I’m grateful to be one of the core weekend worship leaders on the Spring Hills team.”
Tom Pound is senior pastor at Spring Hills Baptist Church.
“Michelle consistently inspires those around her,” Pound said. “She is thoughtful, hardworking and very kind. She serves God, her family and our church with grace and excellence. Michelle is also an excellent photographer with a true artistic eye. On more than one occasion I’ve been completely overtaken by the beauty and artistry of her photos.”
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at [email protected].
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