We were lucky to catch up with Madison Kachelmeier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Madison, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

01. Courage –
Starting a new journey in life whether it be a new job, school or business venture is certainly exciting but let’s be honest, it’s also daunting. Unsure if you’ll succeed or fail, nervous to go down an unfamiliar path, or hesitant to change the status quo of your life, all of this takes courage. It takes courage to look at a new path, knowing that there will be unforeseen bumps along the way and still choose to proceed toward your goals. It takes courage to KEEP choosing this path when you’re in the middle of challenges and adversity. In life there will always be people who don’t agree with what you’re doing, there will be financial setbacks, closed doors and missed opportunities. Courage says YES to your dream when you want to say no.

I dropped out of school to pursue my business being a family photographer. That took courage. Did I know if a single person would pay me to take pictures of their family? Nope. But the hope that someone would… it far outweighed my fear that they wouldn’t.

02. Ambition –
Ambition is knowing that whatever success is at the end of your journey is worth all of the challenges along the way. Maybe even being eager to get started despite it all. Ambition is the passion behind your work and the drive behind every action and decision. Ambition is the bigger dream and the brighter future.

03. Resilience + Hope –
There will be points in your journey where you will fail. When you know that you have not delivered the best product or client experience, or when you’ve taken on too much and simply dropped the ball. There have been times where I’ve wanted to throw in the towel. There have been times where I’ve thought someone else could take and edit pictures way better than me. BUT! What keeps me going through it all is the knowledge that no matter how badly I’ve failed today, there will always be tomorrow. Tomorrow comes with new hope, a new opportunity, and another chance for me to prove myself and do better.

04. Creativity + Leadership –
It’s simple. To be successful in any industry you have to stand out and to stand out, you have to be creative. You have to try something new. Go against the grain, change a norm in your industry. I think that a lot of people think an easy way to succeed is to copy someone successful. And in a way it’s ok to be inspired by someone who’s been successful but still find a way to make your success your own.

You may think that everything’s been done before, and it has, but not by you. Not in the way that you’re doing it. Just because something has already been done before doesn’t mean you can’t make it unique. Family photography has been done before, but I have an opportunity to do it differently, to give it my own spin, to come up with my own personal posing style, shooting style and editing style.

Something that I do differently is that I encourage all of my sessions to be child-led. My sessions aren’t so much about the parents, posing perfectly and smiling at the camera. But instead, they’re about the kids, letting them explore and make the session whatever they want it to be, documenting it along the way and genuinely creating lasting memories.

05. Curiosity + Persistance –
Success takes a willingness to learn new things. There have been so many times in my business where I’ve needed to learn something new. At the beginning it was almost every day. How to use a camera, how to invoice clients, how to set up an LLC, how to use Lightroom. Every time I’ve needed to learn something new has been a chance for me to say yes or no to my goals. An opportunity to persist or to give up. Lightroom in particular was really tricky for me to learn and there have been so many times where I’ve thought “This it too HARD!” But I’ve stayed curious, I’ve problem solved. In the beginning I looked up YouTube videos, I took editing courses and spent hours in Lightroom playing around with different pictures and settings. Now Lightroom is something I use almost everyday without a second thought. But I’m still learning things!! Social Media is a big one for me now but I know that with some persistence and curiosity, I’ll get better and better every day.

06. Support + Rest –
I have not done any of this on my own, I have a husband who cheers me on and watches every single reel that I make even if it’s a little cringy. I have parents who listen to my complaints about imposter syndrome and encourage me. I have friends who let me practice taking pictures of them and meet me for coffee and editing.

I ask for help. I rely on the people around me. Sometimes I wish I could do it on my own but I’m grateful that I don’t have to. All of the traits I’ve mentioned, courage, ambition, persistence, etc. have not all come naturally from inside of me. Some have been given to me, taught to me by the people around me. Surround yourself with people who make you feel like you can be courageous, who encourage you to be curious and ask questions, who are hopeful for the future.

Finally, make sure to rest. Burnout is real. Take your time, you have it. You’re not running late, you’re not behind. Your time to succeed will come so enjoy the journey and rest along the way. Spend time with the people you love, nurture your personal life, and don’t miss a second of this beautiful life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Madison, but my family calls me Madi, my husband calls me Moops, and of course Maddog works as well.

I’m 21 and married to a sweet, mountain-loving boy from New Mexico… and yes, I know the “married young” thing isn’t for everyone, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Thrifting is a hobby, traveling is a passion. Being cozy is my love language so I’ll probably be editing your session in pajamas… sorry, not sorry.

I don’t have babies of my own yet, but trust me… kids are totally my jam.

I’m a Family Photographer based in New Braunfels, Texas. I get to work with newborns, kids, pregnant moms, tired moms, moms who just want to hit pause because their babies are growing up too fast. I work with families who are adding a new member to their crew as well as families who want to remember their crew just as it is.

My photography is for those who want to remember the imperfect and the ordinary, for the laid back family who seeks human connection rather than perfection. For the energetic little ones who live to jump on the bed and play in the yard. For the nostalgic mom and dad who still remember what it was like to be young and wild. Cookouts on the patio, lazy Saturday mornings, or settling in after bringing a new crew member home from the hospital… let’s remember it all.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m a natural born photographer, I did not come out of the womb with a camera in my hand. BUT I’ve always been creative and I’ve always loved people, kids and family AND I absolutely cannot wait to have a family of my own. From all of this came my passion for family photography, the passion to capture all the perfectly imperfect moments that no one wants to miss.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes! When I first started out, the only resource that I knew of was Youtube. I would look up “How to use Lightroom” and watch a very generic video of someone editing a photo of a landscape. I had absolutely no idea that there were courses made my photographers in my niche showing me exactly how to edit in-home family photos and newborn photos, etc.

Some of my favorite resources for Photographers

Online Courses – Unraveled Academy has a huge selection of editing tutorials by hundreds of photographers as well as other resources like free workshops, etc. Basecamp by Dawn Photo has so many courses on blogging, SEO, location scouting, and so much more.

Podcasts – All Angles by Claire Hunt, Passion with a Purpose by Nathan Chanski, The Unscripted Podcast by Unscripted Photographers. Podcasts are so so great for beginners because they’re absolutely free and a great way to get familiar with the industry.

Business Books – Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, Social Media for Small Businesses by Franziska Iseli, Start with Why by Simon Sinek, Never Lose a Customer Again by Joey Coleman.

Mentorships – Find a photographer who’s work inspires you and see if they offer mentorships or courses. A lot of photographers are willing to coach and teach you. Nathan Chanski has a great program for photographers as well as Claire Hunt and Maggie Rechkemmer.

Styled Shoots + Content Retreats – These are perfect for portfolio building as well as networking with other photographers. Styled shoots hosted by other photographers are one of the best way to shoot sessions that you might not always get to shoot or are out of your comfort zone. You also get the chance to meet and become friends with so many other photographers in your niche.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Realizing that my business model should be human to human, not business to customer or business to business. I am always selling to real people, talking to real people, and interacting with real people who have real emotions and real stressors.

I think that I’ve built my reputation by being kind, relatable, and by being flexible with other people and their crazy unpredictable lives.

For example I don’t put time limits on my sessions. I know that kids can take time to warm up to me, they can be stubborn, and sometimes that means a session might take longer than an hour. That’s ok! I get it. I can relate to my clients and by me being flexible, it takes the stress off of their shoulders. I don’t charge for overtime, I don’t rush them to wrap it up, I just say “you’ve got me for as long as you need me.”

Sometimes I’ll have a client message me and say “I know that it takes 3 weeks to get our pictures back, but we are having our baby shower in 2 weeks and I’d really like to print out some of our maternity pictures. Is there anyway we can get a few pictures back sooner?” Sometimes I don’t have time to send out a gallery before it’s due but, if I can re-arrange my editing queue and edit they’re pictures sooner, I will. Because I’m human and I understand what it’s like to be human and have plans change and have things come up.

It’s not about being so accommodating that I’m compromising my own business and life but about being flexible and understanding where I can be. I think this has given me a level of relatability and trust with my clients where they go and tell they’re friends, “Madison is the BEST! I couldn’t believe it, she let us move up our session when the baby came early and then even worked with us for an extra 30 minutes during our session when our baby was crying and the pictures turned out so beautiful!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.madisonkachelmeierphotography.com
• Instagram: madisonkachphotography