We recently connected with Wendy Magee and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I want people to remember me for how much fun they had and the memories that were created together. When I work with someone, I’d like to think that I’ve made an impact on their lives in some small way.

Wendy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My story begins like a lot of other photographers… taking lots of photos of my newborn baby. After having my daughter I wanted to be a stay at home mom {SAHM}. I left my 9-5 as a headstart teacher to be a SAHM. Although I loved my child and being home with her was a blessing, I needed something else. I needed to socialize and have a mental break. While taking photos of my newborn with our little point and shoot camera, I discovered the camera settings. This was something new to me and as I explored and experimented, I found a creative outlet that yearned for more! My mother in law suggested that I work for a local photography studio part time. Feed my creativity and get a little break. Through that I learned a lot about posing, lighting, sales and working with individual needs.

Over time, I outgrew my passion there and went out on my own. My long history working with children naturally set me up photographing children and families first. That was my specialty. After awhile, past clients would reach out to me for other needs: headshots, hs senior portraits, events, weddings, newborns…. I dabbled in all of it. I wanted to find my niche.

Now, here I am 12+ years later and my main focus is on Professional Headshots and Seniors. I still photograph newborns and families. Surely, I will also help fill a need here and there that isn’t my main squeeze… it keeps me on my toes!

What I love about both headshots and senior photos is that their images not only build their confidence, but help them succeed in their endeavors. Seniors are entering the real world, independently and need tools to help them succeed. A professional photo for resumes and LinkedIn are a great start. A client searching for a new job, preparing for a speaking engagement, transitioning into a new role or updating the website will feel radiant using their updated headshot.

When clients come to me, we start with a consultation to ensure their needs will be met and that I understand their goals. It’s important to me that I help them reflect their best self, and that means getting to know them a bit. (Which I guess is why I end up being friends with most of my clients!)

One of the things that sets me apart from others is my casual approach. I am definitely a professional, but I want people to feel at ease with me. I like to put on their favorite music, dance around and laugh with them. Photoshoots shouldn’t be something you dread, rather something you look forward to!

I am most proud of how I make people feel. One of the most gratifying feelings as a photographer is when someone genuinely loves a photo of themselves or a special moment or look that was captured. One of my favorite quotes is by Maya Angelo: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Yes. Stubborn is my middle name. That’s probably what my husband would say anyways… I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in September of 2022. After overcoming the hurdle of Covid and recovering from that, I was whammied with the life altering news that not only do I have cancer, it’s Stage 4. Photography has given me life over the years. I’ve always dreamed of having a creative outlet but could never find the artistic ability until I picked up a camera. When I learned the news, my life stopped.

Back to Covid for a minute… the world literally shut down. We were all mandated to stay home, basically close up shop and wear masks. Little business owners like me can’t afford to not work and sustain the overhead costs so I had to get creative. I started offering ‘Pandemic Porch Photos’ and ‘Declaration Day’ Senior Photos (when they commit to a college and decorate the front of their house in some way) for a donation. Basically, to help pay rent and utilities. I traveled to their homes, kept a safe distance and documented a moment in history. A memory and keepsake for generations to come. This created a buzz about me and my business. I got to know my neighbors, AND I got to keep doing what I love. Photography. To this day, I still have my studio and I have repeat clients that I met through doing these photos.

Ok, back to the C word, no, not Covid… Cancer. I can’t even remember how long I was ‘down’ for. TRAUMA is a good word for what I was experiencing. What my whole family was experiencing. There were so many unknowns, so many tests and doctor appointments. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t do anything. It was so debilitating.

After many, many months of this new way of life I started to settle in and get my act together and get back to the business mindset. During Covid I had worked on changing my business platform and the way I ran things. Once I got the heath news, things were put on hold on that front. I’m still incorporating some things I’ve learned, but I scaled back my approach, for now.

I’m staying consistent (enough) with my books, perfecting my style, making my clients feel good, and just trying to love life!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word. Of. Mouth.

Like I said, people remember how you make them feel. People want to show off things they are excited about. And lets be real, Social Media is all about imagery (and getting @tagged).

Reviews are everything! A lot of clients also find me on Google and Yelp. They read my reviews and that is what sells them. People want to have quality, but serving your clients and meeting their needs is important too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.WendyMageePhotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/wendymageephotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/wendymageephotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendymageephotography/

Image Credits
These were taken by me and the ones of me are taken by my good friend, Katie Schneider Photography.