We were lucky to catch up with Maggie Yurachek recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maggie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Following my graduation from photography school I accepted a job taking yearbook portraits for high school and college seniors at various schools throughout New England. While this first job was relatively low paying, it was important to me to work in my chosen field of photography. This position gave me the confidence and ability to quickly put people at ease. Additionally, I also honed my lighting and posing skills.

After about a year and a half I began to get requests from friends and referrals from friends and family for weddings, events, and portraits. I traveled back and forth from MA to my hometown in NJ until I had enough work to justify the move back to NJ. It was then that I officially started Maggie Yurachek Photography in 2011. Since that point, my company and client base has grown each year. I work primarily through word of mouth, which has yielded great results (not to mention clients that are a very good fit) and required minimal marketing on my part.

During the early years, as I grew my company, I worked photographing for several prominent NJ photographers that acted as mentors. This experience was very beneficial to my growth as a photographer and businesswoman.

I think patience and focus on client relations and emphasis on a beautiful and consistent product served me well. I knew photography brought me joy and I received very positive feedback. Though it didn’t happen overnight, as long as I saw growth each year I knew that I could make a lucrative and fulfilling career in photography.

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’m Maggie, owner of Maggie Yurachek Photography. I was a creative and curious child and interested in art and art history. I started taking photos on the trips my mother took us on annually. I loved the act of taking the photos and couldn’t wait to get the film back.

In high school I started taking photography classes and learning to develop and print in the dark room. I minored in photography in college and then went on to get a degree in photography which focused more on digital photography and the skills required for specific types of photography businesses.

I photograph portraits, weddings, events, headshots-basically anything involving people. In my spare time I do some travel photography and the occasional personal project to challenge myself.

Most importantly and what I hear most frequently is people feel calm and comfortable around me quickly. I connect with them almost immediately and we have fun together. Many clients eventually become friends. I enjoy what I do and I really care that the client gets what they want and more.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As mentioned earlier, I used to work for other photography studios to supplement my income as I started my business. I enjoyed this and it was comfortable, but eventually it was taking me away from my own work. I found myself turning potential work away because I had already signed contracts with another photography studio.

I knew at first I would be looking at a dip in income, but I was hopeful that focusing exclusively on my own business would open me up to new possibilities. This proved to be true and eventually I could accept new clients and now have a better work/life balance and a higher earning potential. It’s important to know your value and this leap of faith gave me that confidence.

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

In 2018 I had a ski injury that made it impossible for me to walk/work for a couple months. Fortunately, it was my slower season and I didn’t miss anything that couldn’t easily be rescheduled. For example, I didn’t have to send anyone in my place to photograph a wedding because I didn’t have any booked during that time. Almost to the day that I was cleared to work again I had a bar mitzvah. I was still in a full leg brace, scared of being bumped, falling, and re-injury.

I healed, did massive amounts of physical therapy, and pushed through both the fear and discomfort that came from not being able to work due to injury and the unpredictability of the recovery time.

This also prepared me for the next year when Covid put me and many others out of work for quite a while. But that’s another topic entirely…

Without the help of family/friends and understanding clients as well as smart business practices, such as keeping a several month reserve in savings, this could have been damaging to my business. I came back stronger and the business keeps getting stronger as well. I’m grateful for that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maggieyurachek.com
• Instagram: @maggieyurachekphotography
• Facebook: Maggie Yurachek Photography

Image Credits

Maggie Yurachek Photography