Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mary Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mary, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

There are a few different things I do to make Frances Design Photography and Studio different from the rest. First and foremost, I make each and every photoshoot fun, relaxed and a true memory. I’m not a fan of fake laughs, awkward poses or false narratives.

I get a good number of individuals at the beginning of a photo session that will say “I hate getting my photo taken, ‘I don’t really want to do this,” or “This is not my thing.” About 98% of the time by the end of their shoot with me, that same individual lets me know it wasn’t as bad as they expected and they had a good time.

My goal is to make a connection with everyone involved within the photoshoot. I want everyone to feel heard, seen and important. That goes for events as well, not just portraits or solo shoots. Everyone I am around gets the same treatment. I read the room, get a feel for the energy and work with it. I’ve never really been one to fear a crowd or fall back from standing out.

These are things that I personally feel make me different from the standard, but I did take the time to also request feedback from friends, family and clientele. These are a few of the responses I was given:

“You’re the sweetest and so incredibly kind and understanding. You care about your clients; we aren’t just another person.” – B. Oliver

“You treat each family as if they were your own.” – B. Goff

“You don’t do anything for anyone without putting your entire heart into it.” – A. Elizabeth

“Your photography shows your personality, your creativity. I have seen your photographs through the years, and you always add your own creative touch to all of them, especially when you are setting up props and backgrounds! Always interesting to look at and always beautiful!” – G. Choinski

“If I could describe our experience with Mary in one word it would definitely be AMAZING! The photos she captured were perfect and her ideas and the way she took the pictures were so unique and thoughtful. She is supremely talented and also very professional. Her assistant Chris was equally as talented and professional. Beyond her professionalism, she was also such a sweet person to work with. She made our day feel so special and we will treasure the pictures she took forever. 10/10 would recommend Frances Design to anyone looking for a photographer for any special occasion! Thank you again Mary! It was an absolute pleasure working with you!!” – L. King

“I used Mary of Frances Design photography for our surprise wedding/baby gender reveal photos, maternity photos, and newborn baby photos and am blown away by all of them! She took my idea and surpassed even my greatest expectations of what they would be! She is not just a photographer, she develops a bond with her clients so that the photo sessions don’t feel staged and stuffy, but a fun time to capture those important moments! She really wants to make it a great experience for you and makes sure you get the best photo keepsakes! She isn’t just a photographer we use when needed, she is our photographer for every moment we want captured! Cannot recommend enough!!” B. Orozco

“I used Mary for my boudoir shoot and honestly she blew me away. I had a few friends do this for a grooms gift for the day of there wedding and I said well I can do that! But inside I was nervous and never been in front of a professional photographer by myself. BUT Mary and her assistant made me feel SO comfortable, I will cherish these photos forever! I can’t wait to use her for my future photo needs!” J. Lynch

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Mary Brown, I am the owner and freelance photographer at Frances Design Photography & Studio. I started this journey with photography being just a hobby and my fascination with it grew more and more. I am completely self-taught so what I have learned, I learned by doing, reading or YouTubing. I have a photography studio located in Largo, FL which is kind of rare seeing as most studios are either in St. Pete or Tampa. My studio room consists of white walls, gray wood flooring, natural lighting via windows and is able to be rented out by the hour by other photographers. I like that my studio is not just close to my home but seems to be very convenient to my clientele and other photographers as well.

My love of all things creative, combined with an artistic eye allow me to think outside of the box with every photoshoot that I do. Being a freelance photographer allows me to not only sharpen my skills and pursue various interests but offers me with the freedom to choose the photography projects that I want to take on. I strive to never stop to learning, growing or expanding.

I offer portraits, promo, headshots, events, quinceañeras, weddings, elopements, boudoir and more. I even do real estate photography! I am in love with it all and treat every single shoot just as important as the next.

When a client is booking their shoot, I make sure to not only ask for my client’s full vision of their shoot via questionnaire, but I also ask to hear if they have limitations, insecurities or if there’s anything they would like me to know that would make this as smooth and fun as possible. I have a rental closet in the studio where clients are able to pick an outfit to rent for their upcoming shoot with me and if they don’t see what they are looking for or need a different size, I have an Amazon List of “Rentable Attire” where the client only would pay 50% of that attires total cost and that would be seen as a rental fee for that particular outfit of choice.

I also help other photographers by hosting photography classes. Both one on one and group classes are available. Class is about 2 hours followed by a photographer shootout to practice what was learned and have open discussions. I also host photographer shootouts without classes. If you don’t know what a photographer shootout is, it’s when a bunch of photographers come together to shoot a scene/model to get professional shots that will boost one’s portfolio.

That popular quote “Find a job you enjoy working, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – by Mark Twain, we all know it, we all continuously hear it. To be honest it was a quote I used to agree with, until I became a photographer.

Now, I would say it’s more like find a job you enjoy working and you can bet you’ll work harder than ever! If you love what you do for a job, you will hustle and push yourself more than before because of your passion for what you are doing. Loving your career doesn’t mean it isn’t work, it just means that work brings you joy, satisfaction and happiness. And you can still be tired, I have fallen asleep many times with my iPad in my lap from working so hard.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Sharing my creativity with the world as cliché as that sounds. I feel like I share it not just by creating what I want, but by creating what my client wants with an elevation to it.

I capture their moment from a different view and with an expanded artistic touch. Taking that client’s desire to the next level that they themselves may not have been able to ever visualize, nor acquire without my artistic ability. I’m not sure there is a true price you can place on that type of gift.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I think with this question, I’ll turn my focus to how HARD the first two years of any business really is. You’re always close to “near death” for the business in the beginning. A lot of people give up within the first two years because of how rocky it can truly be and it’s the ones that chose to hang on by a thread or maybe they get down to rubbing just nickels together, but they kept the faith and kept pushing. Those are the types of people who make their businesses thrive. You can’t have success without hardship and if somehow you do, you won’t ever truly appreciate it without the struggles.

I’ve had times where I get overwhelmed, defeated and stressed. I’ve had the tears with a mixture of anxiety and frustration but never once have I thought, “I need to just give up.” EVEN when people doubted me, which a lot did. Especially when I signed for a studio space. I just knew though, deep in my heart that God planned this and that this was going to work. It’s been hard, but this is what I am meant to do.

Fun Fact! When I was looking for a studio space, I ran across this one on facebook that I was immediately in love with. The layout, the French doors- all of it. It was in a bit of rough condition, but all I saw was the potential it held. At the time, I couldn’t afford it but I still saved it and would look back at it from time to time until one day it was removed as a listing. I remember thinking “Oh well, I couldn’t afford it anyway, but man I loved it.”

A few months later, I started to look at studio spaces in person, still not forgetting about the one I originally fell in love with. The first location that I viewed, I did not like at all and was almost immediately discouraged. The next location I went to, I sat in my car before going inside and just prayed to God to help me find the perfect space for the perfect price. I then got out and walked into this next unit. This one was nice, fresh paint, new floors but was smaller than what was wanted and once I said that out loud, the landlord said “I have another unit that’s bigger, would you like to see it?” … “ Sure, let’s check it out!” Let me say y’all, when God answers prayer you don’t question it. That next unit was the same one I had saved online and was in love with for months. I was FLOORED, excited, maybe over excited because the price wasn’t in budget, but then, the landlord offered an affordable price for it!

Since then, I just have known this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing and exactly where I am meant to be. Those who initially were not in support of this studio move, came around. Many even added in how proud they were of me for just going after something and taking chances. So, for those in the beginning stages of their business, keep going, keep working, keep hustling, keep praying and never doubt yourself – even during the hard times, the unknown and the scary leaps of faith.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.TheFrancesDesign.com
• Instagram: @TheFrancesPhotography
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/TheFrancesDesign
• Youtube: @FrancesDesignPhotography9003
• Other: Threads @TheFrancesPhotography Also listed: Google Business Page TheKnot Wedding Wire

Image Credits
Frances Design Photography & Studio – Owner Mary Brown