March 6, 2017

Meet Margallete Francke of M. Francke Photography in West Hills

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Margallete Francke.

Margallete, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My photography journey began the moment I realized I was in love with life itself.
The true feeling where you cherish every moment and realize how fast time flies and the terrifying thought these precious memories would be lost one day, undocumented.

My artistic mindset never allowed me to just document with snap shots. I enjoy making them special, dreamy, whimsical and beautiful to look at- the whole process is fascinating to me, even a client’s reaction during the session and after they receive their final collection.

My career really took off with the birth of my first born son, when I started sharing publicly and really diving into the family side of things with capturing and creating special moments for family and close friends. They became my support system and from there the word spread like wildfire. Blessed is just an understatement to how far I’ve come since my first shoot.

Before I became a mother, I was an Interior Designer with a Bachelor’s Degree working creatively for big companies. Through my design journey I’ve learned the ins and outs of graphic design which has helped me extensively today editing beautiful images and giving me the freedom to portray my vision graphically in creating the fine art and composites I love so much.

Looking back my whole creative resume has led me to who I am today and how I carry myself as a photographer. With over a decade of professional belly dance performances and instructing, I apply the sensual and secret ways a woman can move her body to the timeless poses in making woman feel untouchable in my Boudoir and maternity sessions. There’s nothing more empowering than making everyday woman or moms feel so beautiful and create this intimate fantasy she never thought was possible.

My Photography galleries are all presented in stories and begin with the Lust of the young and innocent newly engaged couple from the beginning of a love story to seducing boudoir photography events and the full journey of capturing motherhood, deliveries, newborns, milestones and growing families.

Every session gives me a different excitement and emotion as I share the experience with my clients. It creates a bond I would have never imagined having with so many as I build the trust and become their eyes in documenting the most intimate moments of their lives.

Being a Photographer has become my way of life, a gift that keeps on giving and a passion I couldn’t learn enough about in making my career bigger and better as the years go by. My clients are my inspiration, my family is my motivation and as I learn more and more about my artistic capabilities I always keep in mind that my work is what it is today because of my ability to capture not only what it looks like, but what it feels like.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
They say a smooth road never made a good driver.

I’ve learned that the more difficult the road I endured, the more beautiful the destination and heights of greatness that awaited me in my career. My skills as a photographer were acquired through failed attempts, constant practice and the passion to push through over and over again.

When I finally understood and respected the camera for its capabilities in making my time more valuable, my creative abilities started to flourish as I started focusing on the artistic outcome over correcting the inexperienced mistakes.

In the beginning years it was trying to learn this new instrument called a camera that seemed like it came with a manual that lasted a lifetime, in another language. The set design, concepts, artistic eye and post editing for beautiful effects were otherwise skills easily attained being naturally creative, but overtime I’ve learned that the camera too is a skill soon to be mastered and a tool itself that was the foundation of the artwork I have always dreamed of creating.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am an artist who photographs the most intimate and exciting milestones of life using an artistic approach and offer creative storytelling through a collection of beautifully hand edited images. I love the concept of fine art, the magic of composite photography, where your imagination is the limit and your memories are more than just a snapshot.

I feel my greatest journey as a photographer has been building the trust and relationships over the years. To become the go-to photographer and proud referral among friends has allowed me to grow, learn and create the foundation I have set today for the future of my business. It is a journey I couldn’t have possibly taken alone in discovering my love for photography. My creative style and attention to detail has set me apart, or so I’ve been told.

I’m definitely not the photographer that looks at the time clock to make an extra dollar. I practically don’t let my clients leave until I get the shots I want. Tantrums or not, we will wait it out together until this child (or parent) is happy again. Time is precious and I know that booking a shoot is a big deal to many, it truly is an investment, and the last thing I want is a client to leave feeling like we might have missed an opportunity because of unfortunate circumstances that can be controlled.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I had a lot of ethnic and creative qualities which have always surrounded me and showed me the way to a more unique lifestyle. As a little girl I would create arts and crafts out of my own bedroom and sell them to friends and family members.. As far as I can remember, I loved making things. Anything. I’ve always been an artist at heart.

Even though I was very shy as a little girl, I broke into the world of dance with a fierce drive to perform and teach.

Before I knew it I found myself belly dancing from my room alone to big show stages and competitions. I won first place in Istanbul, Turkey competing for Israel at the age of 18 and People’s Choice award in Palmdale CA running up against Miss Bellydance USA.

Like everything else I love to do, my skills and talents are self-taught. I love a good challenge and pushing my creative limits to new levels. I was always the creative one in class everyone was relying on for a good art piece or an idea thinking outside of the box. My hands have been dipped in so many forms of creativity and businesses since, I couldn’t help but apply all the knowledge to my own future instilling an entrepreneurial mind set in paving my own path and creating platforms to share my gift with others.

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