We were lucky to catch up with Lindsay McOien recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Every day I wake up inspired by the amazing people in this world. The people who choose to do good, the people who put their blood, sweat, and tears into something they love. It amazes me the things people have accomplished, and I don’t even just mean the obvious ones or famous people. I’m talking about everyday people, your neighbors, your co-workers, and the people walking on the street. Not only do you have to have the passion to lead your own mission, but you also have to learn the skills and foster the ambition to do so. It’s no easy task but it can definitely be worth it.

As I started pursuing my own career, I began to realize that I had some of these same tendencies but through visual creativity. From there, I learned that when people bring their passions together, amazing things can happen! We are never alone in this world and I believe in the power of human connection. When we come together, collaborate, and share our skills with one another, there’s no telling how far we can go. My mission is to support others in their own journey through artful imagery that not only inspires them but also their dream customers and clients. My vision is for every business, brand, and person I work with to feel empowered through our creative collaboration.

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?

I have been a full-time photographer since 2019. Before that, I worked at an advertising agency and went to college for marketing, so when I’m creating content today, it all comes from a business mindset. I have to be honest though, at first, my intentions were never to be a full-time photographer. I have always loved photography and all things art for that matter, but I thought I would end up as the creative director at an advertising agency someday. Thank goodness that’s not where my path led me. After being let go from a toxic work environment, I found myself lost. No clue what to do or where to go. After taking some time to meet with some truly amazing and inspiring people, I eventually found myself…working for myself. I decided to dust off the camera from college and put it to use.

Still had no clue what I was going to do with it, but I started to feel that authentic passion fill my soul. Over time, the stars started to align. I began to find other business owners that not only needed help with creative imagery but also had these inspirational stories and beautiful personalities. I knew I had found my people. Ever since I have made it my mission to work with these amazing humans and help them tell their stories the way they want them to be told. I have the power to see the world in a different light while also understanding someone else’s vision. When you combine those two, it creates magic!

I produce artistic creative tailored to unique businesses and individuals that sets every brand up for success. I start every project by getting to know the client and their goals. I find that beautiful results start with sharing our passions with each other. Once I understand the driving force(s), I work with the client to find the right creative inspiration for bringing the vision to life.

Along with photography, I also often play the role of producer and director. Before shoot day, I help to bring all of the pieces together. This includes everything from creating a mood board, finding the location, models, props, organizing travel, etc. It’s not as simple as just showing up with a camera. Having this ability makes life a lot easier for my clients. When it’s shoot day, it is so important to me that everyone understands the mission at hand and feels comfortable with it. If people aren’t happy or are confused on set, it’s going to show through in the end result. It’s my job to clearly direct everyone involved and ensure we are capturing the emotions and visuals that we set out for.

After all is said and done, we high-five, enjoy a happy hour, and put the final imagery to good use. My favorite part will always be getting to see the work out in the wild, capturing people’s attention, telling a story, and inspiring people to do good themselves.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest parts of being an entrepreneur is client/customer relations. When you work for yourself, there’s no more account team or customer service reps, it’s up to you to manage those interactions. Based on my previous job experience I actually learned a lot about what NOT to do. So I guess I don’t know if that technically qualifies as “unlearning” haha but I’m going to say it counts. It can be intimidating putting yourself out there, talking directly with clients, waiting for feedback, and dealing with uncomfortable situations, but you have to figure it out. Before, communication with clients felt very limited, one-sided, unemotional, and lacked direction. Now that I am able to have my own communication with clients and am the one in charge of kicking off projects, I have learned how ineffective that is! Now maybe I can go a little overboard with communication, haha but it’s so important to me to be real and authentic with it. I am always doing my best to make sure our goals and the process are clear. Of course, there is always bound to be some level of miscommunication down the line, but I have learned that being quick, honest, and solution-oriented works 99.9% of the time to keep people happy and the project moving.

I am at a point now where so many of my clients are friends and fellow business supporters. I recently did a photoshoot for a woman and then shortly after promoted an event I was hosting for new headshots. My client literally just got new photos but wanted to come and support my event anyways and pay for more photos. My relationship with my clients is probably one of the things I’m most proud of with my business.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In addition to client relationships, ALL of your business relationships are important. Of course, I have the talent and abilities to be doing what I’m doing, but I also don’t think I would be doing as well as I am if it wasn’t for the connections I’ve made and the relationships I’ve built. I strongly believe in supporting one another and that doesn’t just mean your clients. The people you work with, the people you hire, the people that subcontract you, your vendors, your peers, the secretary at the door, your Uber driver, anyone and everyone you meet! They all play a part in what your reputation looks like in your market. For example, I believe that everyone deserves to be paid. I have vouched for models and contractors before to the client when discussing the budget. I have paid people out of pocket because I know “experience” doesn’t always pay the bills. I always try to share the final photos with those involved because they played an important role just as much as I did. I give referrals to people who would technically be considered my competition. Or I’ve hired/purchased from past clients before because I truly believed in what they stood for.

The moral of this story is not that you should just be giving stuff away for free and handing out money left and right. The point is that to build a good reputation, you need to be kind to people and value them not only as a person but also as someone who brings value to YOU. If you are taking advantage of people, not showing your appreciation, or have a cold attitude towards those you interact with, that’s not going to give you a good name around town. You’d be surprised how far a little appreciation can go.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lindsaymcoien.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsay.mcoien/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-mcoien/

Image Credits
Main Photo: Sarah Dovolos Me During a Shoot: Katie Pope The rest are my photos. :)