Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcia Maye.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I never thought in a million years I would be doing photography. I’ve always loved taking photos but I was overwhelmed by the fact that there were so many other photographers more talented and more experienced that I never gave it a shot. Almost 3 years ago I did my first “shoot”, I basically begged my friend to let me take photos of her 2nd pregnancy. I knew she wasn’t feeling great and that she was going to let the moment pass but I wanted her to have the memories. The photos were bad HAHAHA! I had a point and shoot camera…..how I got the courage to post these on social media I’ll never know. But that’s when it started, all of A sudden I was getting messages about taking peoples photos and they wanted to PAY me?! I was like huh? People want to pay me for doing something that I like to do?! INSANE! I was booking 1 client a month (sometimes) and I was hyped! Exactly a year ago I quit my regular job, a job that sent me home crying every day. I quit without knowing what I was going to do but I knew I couldn’t do that anymore. I told myself I would take a break and In a month I would look for another job. 2 weeks after I quit my job I was FULLY BOOKED 2 MONTHS OUT! It felt sooo surreal. I kept telling myself “well it’s the holidays and it’ll slow down at the beginning of the year”… it never did. I’ve been fully booked 2 months out every since. When I hit my 1 year anniversary I cried because I never sat down and thought about it. It’s true what they say, when you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. I haven’t worked in over a year.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is ever easy but one thing I have appreciated about the struggles is that I’ve never made the same mistake twice. I needed the failure. I’m self taught and that in itself comes with a lot of surprises. I’ve had to learn so much on fly. The biggest thing I’ve personally had to deal with is feeing like I’m not as talented as my peers. The comparisons were draining me. When you do a creative job it’s difficult because there’s not a set path to success and sometimes looking at what others are doing can deter you from your own path. Once I gained confidence from my own personal style and my own work flow, I stopped paying attention to what others were doing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love LOVE. I’m surrounded every single day by it with my work. I get to shoot couples in love, getting married and then if/when they start their families, I photograph that too. The best part of my job is that I get to meet new people all the time, I get to create these bonds with total strangers and by the end of a shoot we’re 4LIFERZZZ! The number 1 comment I get bet back from my clients after a shoot is how comfortable they felt with me, that I felt like a friend and I am!
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I have literally done it all! I remember I was fixing a clients hair and she made a joke “oh she’s a hair stylist too!” I AM! Im a license cosmetologist, I managed a retail store for a couple years and I’ve worked for a nonprofit helping former foster youth like myself. In the most humble way possible, I haven’t found something that I am NOT good at yet lol.
Contact Info:
- Email: Marcialanaphotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Marcialanaphotography
