Meg Tyo, LCSW | Sweet Home Photography

​Looking at life with the eye of a photographer and the heart of a social worker.

Meet Meg Tyo, LCSW and owner of Sweet Home Photography - one of our most unique and heartfelt Small Business Connections!

Meg combines the compassion of social work with the personal expression of photography to give older adults a platform to truly be themselves. Whether it is words of wisdom, candid silly moments, or posing with a meaningful object, Meg captures genuine emotion and beautiful stories - not just a posed photo. Kara's takeaway: Meg's passion for this work is palpable, and her pride in the gift she gives her clients is inspiring. She brings two rare skills together in a way that is entirely her own - and the result is something truly special for the people she photographs.

If you have an older adult in your life who deserves to be celebrated and truly seen, Sweet Home Photography is the place. We loved every minute of this conversation with Meg.

When was your business founded and what inspired its development?
Sweet Home Photography was started in 2019, and was inspired by my own personal experiences.  My grandfather passed away in 2009, and I coped with selling his house by photographing all of the unique details of the home, and creating a photo book for my family.  When my husband’s grandparents had to move from the house they built in the 1940’s, I used photography to capture the legacy of their home, rather than focusing on the loss of the home.  These experiences combined with my work as a social worker, inspired me to use photography to help older adults tell their stories. 

How does your business support mental health and wellness in our local community?
Sweet Home Photography supports mental health on many levels.  On the individual level, portrait sessions help promote self-acceptance and pride by making space for people to feel seen and valued–without editing age-related features.  I offer sessions where people bring meaningful objects or photos of loved ones to be photographed with, which creates space for grief processing and legacy sharing.  Another type of session I facilitate starts with a discussion group, during which participants share their thoughts about aging and sense of self, and then are photographed holding hand-written signs featuring their thoughts. This has been transformative.  On a wider community level, candid event photography at senior communities captures evidence that aging is not all negative, and allows family members and community members to see older adults thriving and living authentically happy and connected lives.

What makes your business different from others that may offer similar service?
I provide all edited images to clients as part of the session fee- who am I to determine which photos best capture their true self?  My primary focus is older adults, which is also unique in this area.  I do not edit age-related features like wrinkles, and instead engage in discussion during sessions about the value of finding pride in authentic self expression.  I approach photography like social work, where it’s about human connection and emotional content over technical perfection.  I use the camera as a tool for healing and advocacy, focusing on emotion first, and aesthetics second.

How does your own journey or life experience shape how you show up in your work?
My family experiences with aging and end of life provided valuable insight into what it’s like to struggle with challenges that can arise during the aging process..  More recently, I was faced with needing to make a quick professional decision to resign from a job, and while disruptive, this grounded me in my values and empowered me to be myself.  This only fueled my passion to create safe spaces for others to be themselves as well.

Business ownership can be stressful - how do you take care of your own mental health and wellness?
Self-care is a work in progress.  I see my own therapist, who is very helpful.  Networking with other business owners that understand the unique challenges of what it’s like to own a small business has been so important–finding other humans who get it has been very validating.  A colleague and friend once told me that business should serve my life, and not the other way around, and this helps me remember to keep a balance between work and my personal life, which can be hard when I get so excited about what I do!

If people were to take away a feeling or message after experiencing your business, what would you want that to be?
I want people to feel appreciated and seen for who they are.  I want clients to feel connected and comfortable with me as a person, not just a photographer.  I want people to feel empowered to tell their stories and take up space as themselves.  The same principles apply in my therapy practice - showing up, making space, and letting people feel seen, heard, appreciated, and proud.  

Check out Megan's website & socials here:
http://www.sweethomephotoroc.com
Instagram @sweethomephotoroc
Facebook @sweethomephotorochester

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