We recently connected with Maggie Carmack and have shared our conversation below.

Maggie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

In 2018, following a late night epiphany fueled by post partum delirium as I held my infant daughter, I realized that it was time to take my long time hobby of photography and turn it into a business. I wanted to be proud of my work and to successfully break into the cutthroat world of wedding photography. I admired the work of the photographers I followed on social media, and I wanted to be considered “one of them.” I was working part time in order to contribute to our household income, but LOATHED every 9-5 I ever had and did not want that to be my life. My dream was to be in charge of my own schedule and to be in charge of my own income. At the time of this realization, I had 2 children under 2 and something about having multiple children, hence, more responsibilities, and an inner longing to be able to stay home with them full time, I had to get over my fears and take a leap of faith.

The first thing I did was hire a local photographer to teach me how to be a better photographer and how to edit. While most of my colleagues relied on youtube videos when they were first starting, I just did not have that kind of attention span, so I went straight to the source and paid someone to teach me in person. While the lessons I learned from this photographer helped me greatly, the instructor was not the most encouraging and made comments that would leave me feeling deflated and discouraged after our sessions. I was told “you’re never going to make any money.” One day, after the end of a session when I told them I was taking practice photos for my friend for free, instead of encouraging me with the skills I had learned so far with them, they said, ”let them know to reach out to me if they want a real photographer.” Nice, right? I decided I would take this negativity and use it to fuel my passion of becoming the best photographer I could possibly be. Not to mention a lesson on how not to treat paying clients.

That same year (2018) I started booking sessions and getting paid work. I shot my first solo wedding that following year, and the next year shot 15 weddings. At the start of 2020 and when COVID hit, I was faced with refunding couples who canceled and also had to reschedule many people into 2021. At the end of 2020, I had shot 18 weddings that year. At that same time, in November of 2020, my third baby was born. Entering 2021 with 32 weddings on the books and a newborn who had colic and never slept was terrifying and proved to be worse than I could have ever imagined. I was suffering from Post Partum Depression and was working multiple weddings most weekends in from spring- winter that year. To say that I was burnt out at the end of 2021 would be an understatement. Part of me never wanted to shoot another wedding again. I decided that in order to sustain this business that I wanted so badly and to have a healthy work- life balance, I needed to change something. I needed to scale, so I increased my prices substantially. At first I wondered if anyone would book me at those prices, and I was shocked when I got my first booking. Then I booked another one, and another one and another one. These were couples who truly connected to my work and made me excited about shooting again. Now, I only need to shoot 10-15 weddings a year, and my income is higher than it ever would have been in one of those miserable 9-5 jobs.

Being a small business owner is not easy, but, it is so worth it. The feeling of creating work that I am so proud of and that bring people so much joy is more fulfilling than I could have imagined. I am so glad I took that leap of faith and didn’t let the gatekeepers of the photography world deter me away from this business. I have built a successful business and I am really proud of that.

Maggie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a wedding and portrait photographer. I started by primarily shooting weddings and more recently have transitioned into newborn/families/maternity. I own a studio in Annapolis where I host my clients and create a space where they feel welcome and at ease. I believe what sets me apart from others is that I treat my clients like friends and tend to be very relaxed and candid with them. I believe that photography, as well as business, are so much about human connection, and therefore I strive to make my clients feel like they are spending time with an old friend.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I worked for $10 an hour as a wedding day assistant. I saved up from that job to hire someone design a website for me that looked high-end and not like the beginner that I was. I only had one camera, one lens, and one flash for a long time. I made it work until I was making money and could save up to buy more equipment. I have always believed in having no business debt, so taking out a loan was never an option for me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The story from the first page where my mentor told me I was not going to be successful and would put me down. I had zero experience at the time but I knew that I needed to keep going and not be disheartened. I now gross $75,000 per year and am projected to keep increasing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maggiecarmackphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/maggiecarmackphoto

Image Credits
The ones where I am included in the photo were both taken by Brittany Dunbar Photography. The other ones are all by me – Maggie Carmack Photography.