Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meg McCauley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Meg, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

Hi there! Thank you so much for doing this and for having me. I have this really fun memory that comes to mind. It was truly unique in its placement and timing. So, my first client was a singer songwriter that I had met on this pedestrian bridge near downtown in Nashville, TN. Her name is Sara Kays. At the time, I was with a friend and I had my camera on me. We were taking pictures and I vividly remember lowering my camera down and I looked around because I heard someone singing. I turned to my friend and said “Can we walk towards whoever is singing?” Haha. We started walking towards the music and I saw this girl busking in the middle of the bridge. She was playing a guitar and was singing into a mic. After she finished playing her song, I asked her if I could snap a few shots of her and she said “Yeah! Totally!” I took a few pictures of her and grabbed a business card from a stack on her amp. We connected on Instagram and over time she started hiring me for small projects which at the time, I was pretty new in my photography business. So, when I got paid for the first time from working with Sara, I remembered saying “Whoa, this is way too much.” And she said “No! This is your art!” It was really unexpected, because I felt that I wasn’t worth what she was trying to offer me. I thought “Is this normal?” Haha. I didn’t know her personally so for her to recognize my value in this aspect was really amazing. Last year I had the opportunity to shoot content for her on her first headline tour in the U.S. And then we did a tour in the UK. I share all of this to say that I owe her my gratitude for really playing this special part that ended up being so foundational for me. To work with someone who believes in your art is really a beautiful thing. Also, you should listen to her music!

Meg, 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?

Yes! So, I’m Meg. I’m a music photographer based in Nashville, TN. When I first moved here, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I didn’t have a solid plan. I had this idea of doing something with photography, but I didn’t know specifically what. One day, I remember my sweet friend Gabby giving me an extra ticket to go see Julia Michaels perform at Marathon Music Works. Prior to the show, I had this random idea to bring my camera and miraculously worked out the details with the venue manager for me to shoot. I rented a lens for this show as well. After photographing Julia’s performance, I left feeling so inspired. It was like a tiny light bulb moment. I felt led to look more into this direction. It’s like when you release a bundle of fabric onto the floor and it rolls out; you follow where it goes. That’s how it felt on this new path. If there was a band coming into town that I wanted to shoot, I would reach out to the venue and try to get approved to shoot that show. At the time I wasn’t with a publication so, I was always at the mercy of the venue to allow me access. If I didn’t hear back through email, sometimes I would even drive to the venue to meet and talk with whoever was in charge. Not in this annoying, pushy kind of way; I just wanted to shoot! How I go about approaching venues and the artists has changed of course, but back then I just did what I could with what I had. There was a time where I started to shoot concerts pretty consistently and shared those photos on my social media. This led to more local artists reaching out and asking me to do press work for them and to photograph their shows. When I describe to others what I do, I tell them I’m a music photographer. I shoot tour content, live shows, and I shoot artwork for music artists-this is my favorite part. I especially love working with indie artists. I’ll listen to their story and ideas behind a song. Then I photograph and help direct how their single cover is going to look like. I think I enjoy this more than shooting live shows. Because we get to kind of unpack what was going through their mind when they wrote the song. Sometimes they’ll let me listen to a demo or a rough draft and I draw photographic ideas from the lyrics. This is almost like songwriting, but you’re using photos to convey a concept. I used to do a lot of songwriting as a teenager and played shows so I guess there’s this music and photo dynamic that help guide me in this process.

I think I’m most proud of what I’ve ended up doing as a creative in this industry. Music has always been a special part of my life, especially growing up, but I never saw or imagined myself doing what I’m doing now.

A few things that I want my clients and potential clients to know is that I value authenticity and that is something you will see in my work and who I am as a person. I love capturing human emotion. I’m down to earth and what’s important to me is relationships and working hard for those people. I will give my all. If you come to me with an idea, let’s make it happen. Because I see the art in you.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

One time I was having coffee with my friend John and he’s been in the music industry for years. I remember telling him that I didn’t know how to succeed in this market. And I even expressed to him that I was considering changing career paths. He said something really simple, but also profound. He said “Be a good person, Meg. Be yourself. And he went on to say that respect is gained from a slow grind. That was something I didn’t really think about. We are on this restless journey to get where we want to be. And you know, it’s incredible to see when those sleepless nights and hard work finally pay off, absolutely. But, I think there’s also this beauty that comes with that slow bloom-taking your time fostering relationships around you, giving yourself grace when you’ve accomplished all that you could in that one day, and just being your true self without striving. Be a nice person. And I’ve learned that sometimes it’s the little things that outweigh the bigger things. This can be shown in your communication with clients, it can be in how you treat others, giving your time in random ways; just doing small acts, ya know? I think just having that mindset of “Hey, what can I do for you?” instead of “What can you do for me?” And there’s a balance. Obviously, know your worth as an artist and don’t allow others to take advantage of you, but I always do my best to go into every situation with that attitude in mind. There’s so much talent in this city, but I think what really matters is being genuine. I think that will go leaps and bounds for you.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I feel like it’s been through social media mainly, especially Instagram. And I’m not a huge social media person; I don’t like to spend all my time on there, but I do my best to stay engaged with my community because that’s where I can connect with other creatives and clients in an instant. Though I don’t post a ton on Instagram, I use it pretty heavily for my photography. I feel that most viewers who look at my profile are going to scroll down and look at my feed than click on my website link in my bio section. There have been several times where people have messaged me for photo inquiries and when I ask them how’d they find me, they’ll say through a hashtag! It’s wild. And when it comes to sharing your art, and I’ve learned this over time, if you don’t like something about it and you’re reluctant to post it, there’s always going to be someone else who sees something about your work that you don’t see. That client who lives in LA or wherever likes your art and wants to work with you. It’s a great feeling! It’s so crazy how fast you can link arms with people from all over with just a click or a tap on your phone. And when you have access to these powerful social media tools to show who you are and what you do, some really cool things can happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meglensphoto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/meglensphoto
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/megmccauley143

Image Credits
Personal photo by Arabelle Burke