We recently connected with Makayla Casey and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Makayla, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I grew up mainly in front of the camera. I was very involved in acting and modeling at the time. But back in 2014, my family hosted an exchange student for the summer. She brought her amateur camera to take pictures of her travels, and little did I know that it would introduce me to a new passion and now full-time career of mine. After that summer, you wouldn’t see me without a camera!

I would enjoy creating ideas and leaning how to execute them in a more technical aspect such as the settings on the camera, composition, lighting, etc. At this time, it was strictly just for fun, a cool hobby to do with friends. As the years went on I would notice more and more people actually paying for these service, so maybe I should too! So I did!

I went on to create a legal name, website, business cards, insurance, and so much more for myself. Looking back it was quite a lengthy process of transitioning photography as a full time career and I’m 100% ok with that. Everyone has a different journey. I started in 2014, I took it seriously in 2018 and went full time in 2020.

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

My main company, Makayla Casey Photography, focuses on wedding/life moment (such as family photos, newborn, maternity, etc.), but I actually have a separate company that focuses on fashion & branding. It’s called FWRD Photography. For those looking for branding campaign photos, product images or runway shows you can find me there! At the beginning of 2022, I was sharing all kinds of photos from a 1st bday cake smash to bikini models on the beach. As it sounds like, I have a very diverse clientele and not everyone wants to see the same things. Thus, FWRD was born!

I have shot runway shows from Miami Swim & New York Fashion Week and have photographed many brand campaigns for Heather Leigh Swim, Shein, Karen Sabag, and more! Keeping these 2 companies and clients separate has already helped tremendously and I’m excited to see where it takes me!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I highly recommend having a variety of marketing efforts in place, but one platform that has helped tremendously when I was just starting out was Facebook Groups. I would join every group in South Florida. For example, Mom groups, local photographer groups, model groups, bridal groups, anything that might have my ideal audience. Now a days, I am lucky to have more word of mouth referrals.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

What a loaded question… there are so many parts of being a creative/being a business owner that are rewarding to me! I personally cherish photos so much, which is a huge reason why I originally got in to this career. I have a terrible memory at times and getting to physically look back on pictures helps me remember things I might have not been able to. So simply knowing that I am helping people capture capture moments & help remember these times fills my heart!

Contact Info:

• Website: makaylacaseyphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makaylacaseyphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makaylacaseyphotography

Image Credits
Makayla Casey Photography