Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Siouxsie McCoy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Siouxsie, 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?
My roots in photography stem from early childhood, no doubt my shutterbug mother was my first teacher showing me how to see the beauty and details of ordinary things. I grew up watching how she placed such great emphasis on documenting our lives, always snapping away with some sort of cheap point & shoot camera. It became completely normal for me to carry a camera everywhere, capturing life unfolding and anything of interest.
Photography always felt so organic to me but it wasn’t until my early 20’s that I decided I was going to flip the hobby into a profession. It began in 1996 when some friends handed me their new Nikon 6006 SLR and asked me to shoot their upcoming wedding. In our circle I was already known as a documenter with my point & shoot cameras, so I guess they somewhat trusted me. Being my first time using this more complex camera and given such an important responsibility to capture this couple’s big day, I fired up into study mode fast and carefully read the whole manual. I had just a short time to experiment with it, and it didn’t help that reviewing results took time back in those film days so reshooting and correcting mistakes was a bit more work. I fumbled bad that day from lack of experience and the wedding photos came out terrible, underexposed and grainy – ironically kind of how the couple’s relationship ended not too long after! I didn’t let that stop me though, I ended up buying that camera from the groom and thus wholeheartedly began my journey deeper into photography. I began working at a film processing shop, from there I landed my dream job at the local newspaper and officially kicked off my shooting career. My days at the paper were the most enlightening and influential time for me, but short lived. I quit within the same year to become a full time housekeeper / homeschool mom. Though no longer shooting professionally, I kept honing skills as the go-to photographer in my circle of friends and family and picked up freelance shoots here and there. I continued to grow in the craft though it was often much slower and not in ways I had expected.
I completed a Harvard University Digital Photography course in 2017, which prepared me for absolutely everything after as a professional photographer. Ok maybe not, I just like to mention it to sound impressive. I did indeed take a course from there but It was really just a recording of an older class, offered for a limited time through a free online learning site. Very technical so I can’t say it was too inspiring creatively, but I did absorb some of the massive information presented and passed the course tests. I still smirk at the thought of taking a photography course from Harvard, but I can legit say I did! And then of course just like everyone now, I do have many years under my belt of regular attendance to YouTube “University”.
Like so many photographers, I am self schooled with no formal paid education or training outside of work, learning completely through reading, experimenting, online tutorials and observing the pros. It’s true, if there’s anything for which you have a passion and desire to grow in, you’re a sponge for everything related and easily absorb what you need either through a related job, other growing amateurs, mentors, groups, or whatever media is accessible. I have many times regretted not seeking out in person classes or workshops in my early days to speed up the learning process, but life turned out to be quite the twisty rollercoaster and I had to pick up the rules wherever and however I could. I believe simply observing has been most essential to my progress, along with the skills from initially learning on film cameras. Shooting film definitely caused me to be more strategic in composition and careful of exposure settings. Wherever and through whatever, I’m continually seeking and learning, experimenting and doing.
Obstacles: plenty! Patchy income and lack of funds to get the gear I wanted was frequently the biggest obstacle when young and starting out. It took me awhile to realize that I didn’t actually have to have the latest and greatest equipment – I could maximize any camera I already had to work with, make some amazing pictures, and I slowly saved what I earned to eventually purchase upgrades and accessories.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My photographic work throughout the years has been a bit of a random ride with lots of detours and stops. I learned a lot working at a high volume photography studio in 2017-18, after which I ran through a couple retail and sales jobs before I decided to reset and jump all in to start my photography business in 2021. I am now owner of Siouxshi Studios LLC, providing portraits, headshots, real estate photography and more. It’s been phenomenally fulfilling to develop my business by gathering all my former experiences and incorporating all the new photography resources available today. Though it’s been 3 decades since I first decided I wanted to become a photographer, I’ve never felt so renewed, excited and empowered as I have these past two years. I feel this fresh energy sets me apart from many who have been in the field for decades as well, and I’m proud of the years of experiences behind me that have made me not only a better photographer, but better at customer service and all those little details of running a business.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
A good paycheck is awesome, but knowing you nailed the images or the video and then hearing how happy your clients are with your work is the most rewarding aspect of being a creative to me. The happy reviews and recommendations make me forget about any glassy-eyed long edit hours into the wee dark of night.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
My top goal is to always please my clients and surpass their expectations. In these times where so many DIY their own photos, I want to go well beyond and provide higher value, higher quality images and content. I am especially drawn to serving other entrepreneurs as I share much the same story and it’s quite close to my heart as a business owner! I truly enjoy opportunities to contribute to other’s success.
Contact Info:
- Website: siouxshi.net
- Instagram: siouxshistudios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siouxshistudios
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siouxshi/
- Youtube: @siouxshistudios
Image Credits
All photos by Siouxsie McCoy / Siouxshi Studios