We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mackenna Dugan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mackenna below.

Mackenna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Growing up, I was always obsessed with cameras. In front of them and behind them, cameras always fascinated me. I loved reliving moments through photos and preserving time in photographs. I’m nostalgic as they come.

Because my parents couldn’t afford to get me a DSLR (professional grade camera) in High School, I adopted the belief system that it was too late for me. A few of my friends had already had professional gear and were experimenting with photoshoots, so I let the passion dim and focused on other things.

10 years later, after becoming a mother and in the throws of postpartum depression… something inside me cracked open. Looking in my son’s eyes, I knew I wanted him to be, do and have whatever he wanted in this world and I knew that I had to be that example. So I called my husband, who was fully supporting us at the time and told him, “Babe… I think I’m going to go spend $5,000 on a camera.” & his response set everything in motion… “I love you, I’m proud of you, go chase your dream.”

So off I went, with my 5 month old son in tow, and put everything on a credit card. I didn’t know or really have expectations to shoot for income. I just knew I wanted to have fun and create. I put myself out there on social media basically begging anybody to let me take photos of them. But after shooting for free quite a bit and building a portfolio. I started to charge for my work. For the first time in my life I felt creatively fulfilled. It kept me up late at night and pulled me out of bed in the morning. That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue my craft professionally.

I shot a wide variety of sessions. Family, Maternity, Branding, but my heart spoke the loudest when I was working with couples. Shooting love stories set me on fire, so I dove head first into trying to get hired for a wedding!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Breaking into the wedding industry, in the wedding capital of the world, was a daunting task. There are SO many skilled professionals and amazing talent in our valley and I was a newbie photographer who had just learned how to work her camera in manual. But nonetheless, I didn’t really care if anyone thought I was qualified.. because I knew I could do it.

Knowing my own vibe led me to decide to chase after being an elopement photographer. Not that I don’t love the big weddings, as I had one myself, but because the intimacy of an elopement leaves room for so many organic moments and close connections with my couples.

I tried to market myself to couples eloping in Las Vegas, offering discounts and basically saying I’d do it for free if someone would just give me a shot. But no opportunities came.. and after a full week (LOL I know, I’m impatient when I know what I want) I decided to fake it.

So I called a girlfriend and asked her and her husband to model for me. I asked a florist friend to make me a bouquet. Bought a $30 dress on amazon and cheap pink heels. Got my friends all dressed up and ran downtown. Let me be frank, I HAD NO CLUE WHERE TO GO OR WHAT TO DO. Even though I grew up in Vegas, I rarely went downtown. I figured the best place to start would be where Fremont St. + Las Vegas Blvd. meet and boy was I right.

I shot them all up and down Fremont St. while my husband was behind me taking “BTS” videos. I had been told countless times to start prioritizing TikTok but I focused most of my energy on Instagram. But this week, I had just committed to posting 3x a day for a whole month to see where it got me. So I knew bringing my husband for some BTS would hold me accountable to that goal.

We had a blast running around and I couldn’t wait to run home and edit the photos.

The very next morning, in January 2023, I posted a video to TikTok with some behind the scenes clips and then 5 of the edited photos at the end. I wrote the text “POV: you elope in Vegas & I’m your photographer”. Within 24 hours.. my video had gone viral. I went from never shooting a wedding before to shooting seven that same week. It’s pretty much been non-stop ever since that moment. My business exploded overnight and now I’ve shot well over 300+ elopements in the last 3 years.

I took on everything, I said yes to everyone. I booked myself rock solid for the entire year. I told myself this is my year to grind it out – build the foundation of my biz and put in the work to create an incredible portfolio. I was still learning how to work my camera, but I did it on the job. I didn’t let fear creep in, I trusted myself to do a great job and I exceeded my own expectations every time. I was on fire, with excitement, creativity and purpose. I knew I was on the right path.

2023 was the most inspiring and insanely hard years of my life. 4 months into my new journey, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our third little blessing. There are no words to properly explain the life and business lessons I was forced to learn so quickly. I had to learn how to run a full time business, switch roles with my husband from stay at home mom to main provider for our family, hire independent contractors to help me with the work load, take sessions multiple times a week, learn more about my camera + how to edit photos, while simultaneously mothering our two boys and growing our baby girl. I was rocked to my core. But I did it.

Here is what I learned… photography is the second best thing that has ever happened to me but being present with my family is the first. When I prioritize rest and self care, my work flourishes. It is never too late to chase your dream. There are always going to be a list of reasons NOT to do it but cling to the one reason why you should. Imposter syndrome will hold you hostage if you don’t get out of your own way. Everything you’re searching for is searching for you too.

I don’t want to get all “woo-woo”, but I think it’s necessary to explain that one day in 2019, I woke up. I saw myself in the mirror as if it was the first time and realized I was a shell of a human. A victim of my circumstances and angry at the world for my own choices. This is when the true work began… when everything was set in motion for me to one day find my passion and make a full time career out of it. It took years of inner work, countless personal development books + 100% ownership of my life to get to where I wanted to go.. and now that I’m here, I can tell you all of it was worth it. I manifested this life HARD CORE, and it has far exceeded any expectations I had ever had for myself.

So my brand is a reflection of all that I hold true from the last 6 years. The messiness, beauty and divine intervention. The raw, the real and the sometimes broken. Believing that you are enough as you are and shining your light on the world regardless of your perceived limitations. Because I really believe it, because I really did it.

I think what ultimately sets me apart in this industry is less about my art and more about the feeling. I love taking photos, but what I love even more is empowering people and helping them feel confident. Building a bond with each client and showing them my truest self. I believe that’s the secret to authentic photos. Because how can they show their truest self in front of the lens if you’re too busy hiding behind it?

So here I am. With all my cards laid out on the table. Encouraging everyone to take the picture, chase the dream + find the courage to live your most authentic life.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

A little bit of luck and a lot of perseverance. I built my audience organically without any paid ads. My best advice is just to show up. Be consistent and show yourself. I can’t tell you how many times clients have told me that they picked me to photograph their wedding because they liked my social media presence and personality. I show a lot of my work, but I also show them who I am. What I’m up to, what I like to do for fun, my family life, etc. I know that part isn’t necessarily for everyone, but its worked well for me and I actually enjoy it!

I think when we are running a small business, your brand is YOU. So showing who YOU are can help people build connection and trust. I may not be for everyone and that’s okay. When I show up authentically, my people find me.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Here’s my hot take. How you do anything is how you do everything. So when it comes to a better business philosophy, I believe that it starts within.

When I’m feeling out of alignment in my business decisions, I know it’s time for me to double down on my personal belief systems and practices. Getting into alignment with yourself and your desires FIRST makes everything else fall into place. You can see clearly what’s working and what’s not. Where you should adjust and what needs to be focused on.

A few of my favorite books are:

You are a Badass -Jen Sincero
You are a Badass at Making Money – Jen Sincero
The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
The Creative Act -Rick Rubin
The Law of Attraction – Esther and Jerry Hicks
The Power of Now -Eckhart Tolle
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself -Dr. Joe Dispenza
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mackennad.com
• Instagram: @mackennadphotography
• Facebook: @mackennadphotography
• Yelp: Mackenna D Photography
• Other: Tik Tok: @mackennadphotography
  Pinterest: @mackennadphotography

Image Credits

Mackenna D Photography