We were lucky to catch up with Morgan Dooley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Morgan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I first picked up a camera during my freshman year of college. Thinking back, there wasn’t a definite moment where I decided I wanted to be a wedding photographer. Honestly, doing photography professionally didn’t even cross my mind at that point! I’ve always loved to be creative, and my new camera gave me an outlet to do just that. I’d drag my friends out to fields or parks to do photoshoots. I remember one day specifically when I took two of my friends to this abandoned baseball park. Honestly, I had NO idea what I was doing with my new (and very basic) camera. Thinking back on that day (and the pictures that came from it) makes me laugh, but those first, cringey photoshoots laid a path for the beautiful weddings I get to capture now!

While I learned most of my camera skills from trial and error during shoots, I did a mentorship very early on in my photography journey that helped me out a lot. One of the first photographers I really admired was @emily.battles, so whenever I saw she was offering mentorships I jumped on the opportunity! Emily was so sweet and I remember furiously taking notes to make sure I didn’t lose a single piece of advice. I was still on a very basic photography level, but she answered every single question with patience and did a great job of explaining things from camera settings to how to run a business.

Another thing I did very early on was attend a styled shoot. Most of the photographers there were way more experienced than me, and already had a couple years of experience in the photography business. Even though my level of experience was basically zero, putting myself in those situations exponentially grew my confidence behind the camera.

All of this being said, the most important thing I did was just putting myself out there. Did I feel insecure at some of those styled shoots? Absolutely. Was I intimidated by the other photographers with new cameras and fancy flashes? For sure. But, surrounding myself with people who pushed me to the next level was a critical part in kickstarting my photography journey.

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?

Hey there!! My name is Morgan, and I’m an East Texas based portrait photographer. I specialize in weddings, seniors and other creative portraits!

I’ve always loved creating, whether it be through music, writing or most recently photography. Photography started off as a hobby a couple of years ago, and I officially established Morgan Made Photography in June of 2020. I’ll forever be in awe of the way it’s flourished since then. My goal through my business is to capture your unique, perfectly imperfect story through a brand that celebrates true love.​ I love to focus on recording raw, candid moments- the moments that often fall “in-between” the planned, posed pictures. My inspiration for photography comes from lots of things- family candids from the 80’s, the warmth of sunshine, the way I felt on my wedding day. I want every photo I capture to be a time capsule of the moment it was taken.

Last summer after getting married to my sweet husband, we moved to Tyler, Texas where I’m currently based. This past year I’ve been focusing on building up my business in this new location and establishing relationships with local vendors as well as new clients. Whenever we made the move to Tyler is when my business really took off. I’ve spent the past year capturing elopements, weddings and other creative portraits. I want every session to feel uniquely personal, reflecting my client’s vision and personality through a session tailored to fit their needs.

Running a business has been challenging, yet rewarding. It’s so different from working a 9-5 for someone else’s company because when it’s your business, it’s a direct reflection of you in so many ways. I pour myself into my business with hopes of impacting people’s lives by capturing irreplaceable moments. My job enables me to celebrate alongside brides, seniors and many others as they go through these special seasons of life.

Creating a custom, personal experience extends much further than the day of the wedding. I like to chat and dream with brides during the months leading up to their wedding day to make sure their big day captured in a way that is candid and authentic to their personality. The same thing goes for other portrait/senior sessions, where no two sessions are created the same. I LOVE whenever someone reaches out to me with a unique location or theme in mind. I’ve shot at greenhouses, pastures and even childhood homes. I strive for my photos to have an authentic & candid feel, and there’s no better way to accomplish that than to do a session that’s unique to you.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my friends and family. Starting a business from scratch has so many unknowns. I was talking with my husband the other day about how Jesus planted that seed in my life while I was dragging my friends around for photoshoots in college, and I had no idea that a few years later that same passion would turn into my full time job. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had, and all the sweet, amazing people I’ve met through my business.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of capturing people’s lives through photography is knowing that I gave them a product that is irreplaceable. You can put a price tag on a wedding dress or a new car, but photos of those once in a lifetime moments are priceless.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are so many tools nowadays to assist you in running a successful creative business. Some of these tools are tangible, like Honeybook, and some resources are things that you have to create for yourself. Honeybook has been a lifesaver as far as taking initial inquiries to that next step and communicating with clients throughout the entire planning process. Whenever I get a new inquiry through my website, I’ll create a project space with me and the potential client in Honeybook. This allows me to send files like my wedding packages, outfit guides, and questionnaires. The finance portal on Honeybook is also super easy to use, and helps you keep track of all your upcoming payments, profit and loss and even business expenses. I mentioned earlier that some resources are intangibles that you have to create for yourself. One thing I wish I would have done sooner in my creative journey is decide on set business hours. Whenever you’re running a photography (or any creative) business, it’s so easy to never stop working. Answering one email on a saturday can quickly spiral into working hours you never intended to. For anyone who is just starting out in their creative journey, I’d tell them to set business hours and stick to them. This can help prevent burnout and motivate you to work whenever you are within those official business hours.

Contact Info:

• Website: morganmadeinc.com
• Instagram: @morganmadephotos
• Facebook: @morganmadephotos
• Other: Pinterest: @morganmadeinc