We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Macy Muzljakovich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Macy, appreciate you joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
In 2018, I was contacted by a client named Kyle through a work friend. He wanted to schedule a photoshoot for him and his boyfriend, Francis, and I suggested we go to Arbor Hills Nature Preserve out in Plano since it was spring and everything was in bloom. I had never met Kyle, so I asked them to meet me at the front entrance and gave them a short description of me. As they walked up, Francis and I had one of those “I know who you are but I don’t know where from” moments. After about 30 seconds, we realized that we had gone to the same high school (go Bearkats!) and spent approximately 5 minutes laughing about the serendipity.
Fast forward to January 2019. Kyle shoots me a discrete Facebook message and asks if I can photograph his proposal to Francis. After sobbing for an embarrassing amount of time (leave me alone, I’m emotional), I said ‘DUH’ and we set it up. It was cold, raining, and absolutely perfect when Kyle got down on one knee and proposed. Francis, of course, said ‘YES’ and we had a blast running around, stopping traffic, and drinking champagne.
Skip to July 31st, 2020. It’s already been a hectic year, with a lot of ups and downs. Despite everything that was thrown at them, Francis and Kyle allowed me to come full circle with them as they said ‘I Do’ at Hidden Pines Chapel in Highland Village. The day was full of beautiful moments, big – but masked – smiles, and an overwhelming sense of persistent joy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The first time I picked up a camera was during an art class in high school. My teacher, Ms. Green, gave us one assignment: take a photo of something you like.
So I took a photo of a dingy old red wagon that has been through many generations of kids at my grandmother’s house, and with that photo, I ended up winning a state competition. I’ve been in love with photography ever since I took that photo and I still have the same passion for taking pictures as I did at 15.
My work is mainly documentary – I like posed photos too but capturing the spirit of love and joy is what it’s all about for me. Whether that love and joy is for yourself during a boudoir session, or for your partner and family during an engagement or family shoot – that’s what it’s all about for me.
I’m most proud of capturing raw emotion and getting to be a part of special moments. That’s the magic of what I do – I get to witness the incredible moments in everyone’s lives from births, to weddings, self celebration – all of it is meaningful and wonderful in it’s own way.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I have a reputation for not only being fast but for being transparent. I am always upfront with my clients because relationships are so important and I thrive on connection. I would say about 85% of my work is from repeat clients and I take a lot of pride in that because it means that they liked the service enough to return over and over again.
I truly believe being upfront with pricing, explaining why I am priced how I am when asked, and being honest when I think something wont work out has created a space where my clients can feel comfortable expressing what they want so that I can be sure that I’m delivering on their expectations.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
WORD. OF. MOUTH.
A lot of photographers pour a ton of money into The Knot, Google, and other marketing avenues, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But, I can say with full confidence that my biggest marketing tool is making my clients so happy that they rave about me to their friends and family.
Contact Info:
- Website: macyalexphotography.com
- Instagram: @macyalexphoto
- Facebook: Facebook.com/MacyAlexPhotography
Image Credits
(just personal image) – Rachel Barnhart