We were lucky to catch up with Mj White recently and have shared our conversation below.

MJ, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve always loved art—drawing, painting and photography were things I’ve always gravitated towards. When I decided to pursue a degree in photography, I was excited to finally take photos the way I imagined them in my head. While school was extremely helpful with the business and the technical, one of the most essential lessons I learned was to take what serves you and leave the rest. Your traditional textbook photo setup isn’t always going to produce the image you want, and that’s okay. Blurring the lines between what you learn in school and what you may want out of your project is sometimes the best way to find your groove and make art that feels authentic to you. There’s never going to be an exact right way to do things! You have to let yourself have fun with it!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been taking photos for 6 years and have narrowed my craft to creative-styled portraits. I find the most joy in putting all the puzzle pieces together to make a great portrait that makes my clients feel the best!

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I was very naive to think that I was done investing money after I got my camera, but it did help me start to make a little bit of money here and there before I committed to it. I did real estate photography for a couple months in college, as well as some headshots and family portraits. But the biggest and best investment I made was in my portfolio once I decided what I wanted to shoot. Investing in yourself is the best choice a creative can make.

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

Social media!! Don’t be afraid to reach out to people for collabs! Chances are they wouldn’t mind a fresh insta post :)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @halfpeachh

Image Credits

Sav Morales