Meet this mom: Mylina Russell

One of the things I love about writing the Meet This Mom series is that I get to interact with the most amazing women the Triangle produces. Smart, funny, inspiring mothers who love their families well and take up space with their important work.

This month’s feature is on one of the kindest (and super talented!) professional photographers in town: Mylina Russell. I hope you enjoy reading about her, her career journey, and the family she’s raising with her husband. If you want to see her in action, she’ll be shooting the next Restored event, and I’m so excited to have snagged her!

What’s your name, and in what part of the Triangle do you spend most of your time?

My name is Mylina Russell, and I live in the north Raleigh area. I work with clients all throughout the Triangle area.

Tell us a little about your family and one activity you enjoy together.

My husband and I have been married for 10 years, and we have 3 daughters (including one set of twins). We love spending time at local parks together.

Tell us about your career journey and how you ended up in your current position.

Since I entered the workforce as a teenager, I’ve been in customer service – from restaurants to call centers, etc. I continued working in customer service jobs when I went to college to earn my Bachelor of Science in Psychology: Early Childhood Development.

In 2010, my boyfriend (who became my husband two years later) bought me my first professional camera for my birthday. I had no interest in becoming a professional photographer, but I knew that I wanted to be able to look back and remember the people and places that were involved in the story of my life. So, I started to practice using the camera on whoever was around me. Eventually, my coworkers started asking me to document their weddings and families.

After I graduated, I started my Master’s degree with the end goal of becoming a marriage and family therapist. Toward the end of the program, I realized that I would rather focus on serving people who are beginning their first chapter of marriage than working with people as a last resort before divorce.

I officially opened Mylina Russell Photography in 2017 after we relocated to Raleigh. I had started a new job after maternity leave the month before, and I continued to juggle both until I quit my job in Quality Assurance in July of 2021. Now, my goal is to offer a full portrait experience focused on helping my clients decorate their homes with images of the people they love. It is also to build community with my clients, as we parent, wade through family life, and manage businesses together.

What’s your favorite activity to do with your family?

Spending time at the park together is our favorite in this season of life. My husband will play with water balloons with my oldest, while I push the twins in the wagon. My husband and I will also shoot hoops or play tennis, while the kids play nearby. Anyone else ready for summer?

What do you love about parenting as a working mother?

If I can be transparent, I’m still finding my rhythm in parenting as a mother of three while being a business owner. That said, I love that parenting as a working mother forces me to stop and set aside time to just have one-on-one time with my kids. My kids serve as a reminder of the whole reason I do this: I believe memories are important. I don’t want their only memories of me to be ones with a phone or laptop in my face.

Tell us about a challenge you’ve overcome as a mother in the workplace.

When I was employed in my last position, we only had 30-minute lunch breaks. Listen, I don’t know if all carpool lines are the same, but growing up, I had NO IDEA how long carpool lines were! Every day was a struggle to time my lunch break perfectly. I needed to make sure it was when the line died down enough to go through as quickly as possible, but it couldn’t be SO late that I would get calls from the principal’s office, wondering if I was still picking my daughter up! Once I communicated the struggle with my supervisor, she was understanding if I was a few minutes late to clock back in.

What are you passionate about outside of work and family?

I’m passionate about community. The truth of the matter is that we were never meant to do life alone. I’ve known what that feels like, and I know what a dark place that can be. I love when I get to meet new people (moms especially in this season of life) who can identify with the same feelings and situations I’ve experienced. There’s so much encouragement from knowing that we’re not alone. Raleigh is full of women who are genuinely interested in connecting with and supporting other women. I love to see it!

What is one book, podcast, article, social media account, blog or other resource you can recommend for moms?

Sometimes in motherhood, I just need to laugh. Grown and Flown (@grownandflown) always comes through, and Simon Holland (@simoncholland) doesn’t miss!

If you have a favorite go-to spot in the Triangle, what is it?

Does Target count? I’m honestly finding new places in the Triangle all the time, so I’ve just been enjoying exploring.