We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Makenzie Beaver a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Makenzie, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I was 18 and truly had no idea what I was doing in my life. Joelynn Rathmann, who, in the livestock world is the absolute queen of photography, invited me to picture the Brazoria County Fair with her, and the rest is history. Having never picked up a camera, I don’t know what she saw in me, but I am so grateful for that invitation, because it changed the course of my life. After that week, I picked up my mom’s camera and watched every photography video on Youtube, began shooting nonstop + begged my friends to model for me. I started to make a little money here and there on the side, but I never really believed that this could be a real job for me. A few years later, I ended up in cosmetology school. I finished that up and got a job at a salon while building Makenzie Sue Photography on the side. Between both jobs, I was working 12 hour days, 7 days a week and I knew I couldn’t keep that up forever. At 21years old, I decided to take a leap of faith and quit my salon job to pursue my dream of becoming a full time photographer. I was so unsure of how I would make it work, but somehow, clients kept coming and in my first year of being a full time photographer I photographed 14 weddings. I really believe that the leap of faith and wanting so badly to be successful really drove me to work hard to make my 18 year old self proud!

Makenzie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a self taught western photographer who really just loves authentic moments and real love. Growing up in the livestock world, I knew I never wanted to leave it but I didn’t know how I was going to stay in it. Turns out that photographing the people who share this passion for agriculture is my way of staying true to my roots. What makes me different is that when you become a Makenzie Sue Photography client, you become family. My clients truly become my close friends, I mean, how could they not after all the milestones I celebrate with them? My biggest goal is for my clients to feel as though they’ve put their feelings and emotions into a time capsule with these photos and to treat them as family heirlooms.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I would recommend Honeybook to any and all creatives! Being an entrepreneur, you have to think past the fun stuff that the job entails and remember that at the end of the day, you’re not only a photographer. For Makenzie Sue Photography I am a photographer, marketing manager, bookkeeper, social media manager, receptionist and so much more. Honeybook helps me keep my schedule, contracts and payments organized. This helps me spend less time doing the number thing that I hate so much, and frees up my time for shooting!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Word of mouth is so important, especially in the wedding industry. Social Media and websites are great, but nothing compares to a client raving about you. It all comes down to kindness. When you go out of your way for your clients, they remember that, and they know that you care about their memories as much as they do. If you want a good reputation, focus on serving people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.makenziesuephotography.com
• Instagram: @makenziesuephoto
• Facebook: Makenzie Sue Photography