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

McKinley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

My best investment as a photographer was hiring a business coach, and not just a generic business coach, but one who has done and is still doing exactly what I aimed to do. Before hiring a coach, I was working for scraps. My clients did not value me, and although I worked to produce art they would treasure for a lifetime, I only saw my work to be as valuable as I had allowed others to deem it. I was working, but the money I was making barely covered my own expenses which simply wasn’t enough with a family counting on me.

I was nervous to invest in hiring a business coach. The upfront cost was more than I’d made up to that point and I wasn’t sure of what my goals were to begin with. All I knew was that I loved being a portrait photographer and bringing beautiful moments to life for my clients.

Within a week, I saw a shift in my mindset. I began to value not just my work, but my time as well. I had tangible goals and lofty dreams. As I continued working with my coach, I learned how to balance my love for the work with my family’s needs for an income. I explored facets of my business that I’d never considered, and I felt renewed as an artist and as a business owner.

It’s been 5 years now since I hired my business coach, and although I only worked with him for a few months, that time and the vast wealth of knowledge and growth I gained through his mentorship is by far the most valuable investment I’ve made. Had I not made that investment when I did, I firmly believe I would have allowed my dreams and passions to fall back into a simple hobby rather than building the business that I love today.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a portrait photographer who focuses on creating heirloom artwork for my clients to cherish for a lifetime. I primarily create maternity, newborn, and family portraits and love watching my long-time clients’ families grow through the years.

I prioritize having a client experience that sets me apart from many other photographers. I provide each client with comprehensive guides and tips before our session to help them feel more at ease, as well as a beautifully curated collection of high-end gowns to use if they so choose. My client experience also doesn’t end with an email, instead, I hand-deliver each gallery to my clients’ homes, where they can experience their images for the first time and select wall art and handbound albums. When their art is ready, I hand-deliver that as well, and any wall art is professionally mounted for them upon delivery.

I am most proud of the publications I’ve been a part of and the awards I’ve won for my art. The Georgia Business Journal named McKinley Hodge Photography the “Best of Georgia” two years in a row. We then moved to Tennessee, where I have continued to grow my business in a new place, but I am excited to be returning to Georgia by the end of this year to pick things back up where we left them! It truly is home to us, and the families and lives I have shared moments with there are incomparable.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I truly love portrait photography. I’m sure I made that part clear. Something I love just as much is serving the people around me. The driving mission in my work is that I will provide and create something so love-filled and lasting that when people wonder how it’s possible, they’ll find the answer in one word, “Jesus.” Photography is my mission field. I have always felt called to use my gifts in a way that brings God glory, and if I can touch even one life in a way that makes someone see that, I will consider myself blessed indeed. So when I work with my clients and their families, I work with intention, love, and Colossians 3:23 running through my mind. My hope is that every life I touch is touched by more than a photograph.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

As a creative, I often see and hear comments along the lines of, “art is easy,” “you just have a nice camera,” or the age-old hunt for “a photographer who won’t charge an arm and a leg.” But art is so much more than that. We need artists just as we need teachers. Human beings surround themselves with beautiful things as much as possible. We listen to music on our drives to work, watch films as a family, read stories that transport us to fantastic new worlds, and we do it all because an artist decided to pour their hearts into a piece of this world for others to enjoy.

The hardest thing to express to many non-creatives is cost. It’s the thing no one wants to talk about, but is thrown at artists constantly. I understand the apprehension or struggle to pay someone for art that appears easy when we don’t understand how much is needed to keep things running.

On a surface level, I’ve found that many people who are not entrepreneurs have a very limited idea of how much goes into running a business. Running a photography business legally (as it should be) requires far more than a camera and a lens. Between licenses, insurance, gear (that doesn’t last forever), websites & permissions, software, training (as many of us have invested in coaches for our craft and business), advertising expenses, and maintenance, photographers incur far more regular expenses than our clients realize – even without a client in front of the camera! That’s without factoring in gowns, props, backdrops, artwork, etc. that some like myself choose to use as a way to provide a more thorough client experience. Then of course, there is the cost of time for shooting, editing, and managing everything on the back end. At the end of the day, this business is still a business, and it can’t run itself for free.

While some may have fewer expenses and be able to charge less, most photographers running a legal business truly can’t break even for as little as some may hope. As an artist, it’s hard to explain how much goes into bringing a business like this to life, but we do it because we love the work, and we hope you’ll love it too… perhaps, even enough to allow us to charge what we need to to keep a roof over our heads.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mckinleyhodge.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckinleyhodgephotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mckinleyhphotography/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/mckinley-hodge-photography-bartlett

Image Credits

McKinley Hodge Photography