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

Marlaina, appreciate you joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

Well, a few stories come to mind when I think of the craziest moments I have experienced as a photographer. I will start with the negative stories and end on a positive note. Two stories come to mind when I think of some crazy people I have encountered. The first was when I worked in the studio photographing senior portraits. After I had a great time photographing a young man taking photos on different backdrops, taking photos with his guitar and in different outfits, his mom approached me. She exclaimed, “I am going to HATE all of these photos.” I was shocked! All through the shoot, she didn’t say a word.
I looked at her and said, “What did you not like? I can redo the entire session now if you’d like.” She said no and left. Months later, I saw her again as she was picking up her print package. She had bought large prints of the images I had taken of her son. I just had to laugh.
Another time, I had a pretty crazy experience with a bride. We went to a park far away from the venue for her reception. We took the party bus together. When we arrived, another wedding was happening so the park ranger told us to be careful not to get in any of their shots. When we were headed back to the bus, we were extra careful to not get in any shots but the ranger thought we had. She chased us down and the ranger and the bride cussed each other out. I was then caught in the middle and the ranger started screaming at me. From there, the brother of the bride called the park when we got on the bus and started screaming at the poor girl at the front desk! I would never condone this type of behavior and it was so awkward to be put in this position.
On a positive note, I have experienced several times where I didn’t realize I was photographing someone with a pretty well known name! A few that come in mind were a fundraiser event for Mitch Albom, a wedding for a Red Wings Anchorman, and a birthday party for a chain bar owner. It is always very humbling.

Marlaina, 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?

My photography journey started in 2010 when I went to get my senior portraits taken. I was definitely still a flower that had yet to bloom so I wasn’t sure what to expect from these portraits. Well, sure enough, the photographer was incredible. Not only did he make me feel comfortable the entire time but I ended up loving all of the photos! From there, I knew I wanted to do what he did; show everyone the beauty that they resinate. In 2011, I graduated and went straight to work. I had no summer break as my parents raised me to be a hard worker. I went right to school as well. While taking photography classes, I reached out to my Senior Portrait Photographer and asked him if I could shadow him a couple times per week. Sure enough, he said “Yes!” From there, I would go just a couple times per week to follow him around the studio making notes and learning what he was doing. He would jokingly tell clients, “Oh, she is taking over this studio one day.” I would just bashfully laugh.

I started working full time with my father at his machine shop in order to make money to pay for college and have benefits such as my 401k at a young age; 19 years old to be exact. In 2012, I decided to go for a job at the place I got my Senior Portraits taken and I got the job! I stayed there 1 year learning all about posing techniques, lighting, how to talk to the kids and so much more. I was hired in with 4 others and was the last “woman” standing by the end of the year. Everyone talked about how much I had grown and it made me feel great. Sadly, the company couldn’t give me a raise after the first year plus they cut my hours and I had to pay for school. I left and went off to another portrait studio all while continuing working with my dad.

The story goes on with me jumping around and trying new companies. I worked at other portrait studios, and wedding photography companies, and I even took a job as a princess for birthday parties at one point! In the end, the companies weren’t for me and I landed back at the shop with my dad.

This took a major toll on my mental health. Not only was I not exactly pursuing my dream but I also was having a tough relationship working under my dad. We are too similar. I would often talk to my, now husband, about how damaging it was working there. I had done a lot for the company. I completely built up our Quality system from the ground up along with making the shop a fully functioning facility that was completely women ran. I felt like I finally achieved something important but this still wasn’t what my heart wanted. In 2021, I sat down with my dad and finally said, “Okay, I am actually leaving this time. I will be here until April of 2022 and then I am leaving. Forever this time. This will not be a fallback for me.” Of course, there was sadness because I had done a lot there to build the business. Our warehouse was making at least 20% more profit than the other facility by the time I left. In the end though, I was blessed with the opportunity to work with my dad all those years because he taught me how to be a leader and learn how to run a business. He was always so supportive of me pursuing my dream.

On April 29, 2022, the shop gave me a “retirement” party and I was on my way. What is still crazy to me now is that I have been in the photography industry since 2011 yet, now that I am a full-time business, I feel like I am starting over. There is a lot to learn between marketing and learning social media techniques but I have been hustling every single day for my passion. Working at the shop helped me become a leader and has helped me learn incredible business techniques. I have also taken what I enjoyed and didn’t like at the studios I worked at and ran with it. Using these tools will truly help me be the best I can be. I am beyond excited for this journey.

My husband and I now have a beautiful baby girl and she is about to turn one. While my husband goes in to work, I work from home on my photography business every day all while being a full time mom as well. It is the hardest job I’ve ever had but it is so rewarding! Not only that but I have started the switch over to photography mainly Catholic Weddings because it is my passion and God-given gift!

Have you ever had to pivot?

A time where I had to pivot my business was actually just 1 year ago. I felt like I had hit a wall. Pursuing photographing was my passion but something was missing. Every day I would wake up in prayer and ask God if this was truly what He wanted from me. How was I serving Him by photographing portraits and weddings? One day, my husband came to me and asked me why I don’t just photograph Catholic weddings only! I thought he was crazy. Why would I limit myself like that when there were so many different things to photograph? He spoke with a couple in Ohio that did just this and they said they would never have it any other way and they are typically booked out 2 years in advance!
I decided to go for it. As I started revamping my website, I told them I wanted to switch over to being a Catholic Wedding Photographer and he said the same thing I did in the beginning. Why limit yourself? Well, here’s the thing. I am actually not limiting myself! In fact, I am standing out even more having such a strong niche! I am excelling in one area of photography so I am not drowned out by the thousands of other photographers around me.
It has truly made such a difference in my business. The weddings I photograph mean so much to me! I pray with the couples and pray for them before their mass. The inquiries have never been so good from my website! It was the best decision for me.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

A time where I truly took a leap when it came to marketing was when I did my first 2 Wedding Shows. Going into January of 2023, I needed to book more weddings for my business and I was also due with my first baby in less than a month. I wanted the wedding shows to be a hit for me but of course I felt reservations. Not only did the booth sound SO expensive, but then there was all of the other marketing materials I needed. Don’t forget the business cards, prints and frames, albums, postcards, and in order to grab attention, a giveaway! Everything was starting to add up and I wasn’t even sure this was all the right direction for a wedding show. I even went as far as getting a balloon backdrop and brought my polaroid camera to take photos of the brides!
The week that followed was filled with tons of follow up with so many different brides. It was truly exhausting BUT I couldn’t believe how well it paid off! I made all of my money back from the wedding show plus so much more! The giveaway was a hit and I still do it to this day.
Over any other marketing journeys I have tried, Wedding Shows have been the best thing for me!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marlainaphoto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marlainaphoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/marlainaphoto
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/marlainaphoto

Image Credits
Marlaina Photo