Kith & Kin: Meghan Cunningham

Meghan Cunningham has lived in Fulton four four and half years and has operated a downtown photography studio for three months. She said she is happy to be working in her dream job.
Meghan Cunningham has lived in Fulton four four and half years and has operated a downtown photography studio for three months. She said she is happy to be working in her dream job.

This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. The Fulton Sun takes a moment with someone who is not usually featured in the news but is just as instrumental in making the community the strong and beautiful place residents here know and love.

Meghan Cunningham is originally from St. Louis but moved to Fulton four and a half years ago. She lives here with her family - her husband and three dogs - and operates a photography studio called Megh Christine Photography on Court Street in Fulton, which has been open for three months. Her work can be viewed at meghchristinephotography.com.

For 10 years, Cunningham has been taking photographs. She said she feels like she's always had a camera in her hands. To this day, she doesn't really consider it a job even after making it her career after her mother suggested she pursue her passion. She said she is happy to capture moments - mostly involving children and families - around Mid-Missouri.

What was your first job?

My first job was as a sandwich artist at Subway. It was great for a 16 year old. I smelled like onions all the time, but it was good.

Who inspires you the most?

I definitely have to say my mom. She is a single mother and worked really hard to make sure that I had everything I could ever need. She just kind of showed me what being a strong woman looked like.

What have you done that has been most fulfilling?

I definitely have to say being able to go full-time with my business and run a successful business on my own. It's been super-rewarding. It was terrifying quitting my job as I was unsure how I would land. Being able to do that for the past five years now has been really great. I did a lot of retail-type jobs and then I was a nanny for three years. Whenever I was a nanny, I ended up toward the end working basically two full-time jobs between my photography and taking care of the little ones. It got to the point where I couldn't balance both.

What is something you are proud of that you've been recognized for?

In general, being able to have my dream job and have clientele that allow me to do what I love to do. I have the best clients in the world.

If you could do any job in the world, what would it be?

I love my job, but if I could travel more with my photography and work with clients all over the world, that would be probably the next step I would take - being able to photograph people from all over. There's so much beauty in the world, to be able to capture it would be incredible.

What is a job you wouldn't want to do?

I don't know if I would want to go back working in retail. I did that for a while. Actually, in general, I don't think I could work for somebody else again. I make my own schedule and when I want to go on vacation, I can just say, "Yeah I want to go on vacation that week." I don't have to get it approved by anybody.

What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?

I really like the community. I like the feeling of a small town without it being a super-small town. Coming from St. Louis, I like that (Callaway County) is more inviting, and people are so kind. It's a nice place to call home for sure. We just opened a studio on Court Street, and talking to all the other business owners on Court Street, I felt super-welcome which is really nice.