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Conversations with the Inspiring Makayla McGarvey

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Makayla McGarvey.

So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started doing photography in high school. I was in the yearbook class and taking senior photos for friends. I studied photography at the University of Arizona and starting pursing wedding and wildlife photography. I spent some time in South Africa exploring my love for wildlife and adventure and some time in Arizona expending my wedding portfolio. I am now the associate wedding photographer with Laura K Moore Photography. I spend a good portion of the year traveling to photograph weddings for the studio and in my time off I try to spend more time traveling to explore new areas and photograph wildlife.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me my occupation and said: “Oh so you’ll be a bartender” when I told them I’m a photographer… I wouldn’t be rich but I would be less bitter haha. In the beginning, being a photographer was definitely not an easy path. People have this idea that art school is a joke and that all photographers are starving artists. Before I even really started my journey, I had a high school counselor tell me that I needed to be more realistic with my expectations when I told her that I was going to college for photography. When I did make it in the program, I had professors laugh when I starting heading towards wildlife and wedding photography. They thought that it was unimportant and didn’t have any meaning. Even other artists can be incredible opinionated and hard on you when you don’t show them what they want to see. I am so happy that I used all of this as fuel to keep working and prove people wrong. My advice to anyone starting out is to keep working no matter what. You can have a career that you love and it doesn’t have to be what your peers think is the best option for you. Also, get an internship…. learning from professionals in the field that you want to be in is one of the best ways to learn.

What should we know about Makayla McGarvey Photography? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in destination weddings. I attract people that want to travel and get out in nature with their significant other. As a brand, I am most proud of finding a way to connect to my love for adventure in a way that makes people feel beautiful and loved. My brand is as much about the people that want their love captured as it is about adventuring.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
This one probably isn’t a typical app that photographers use but I love the Roadtrippers app. Being able to plan my trips around certain locations and open schedules to people all around the world is so helpful for me. If you aren’t a planner, this app won’t be important to you, but if you’re like me and want to plan out every hour of every day while you’re traveling this is your app. I also love Google Drive to keep organized. You can make documents or upload anything to share with other photographers and have access to on your laptop or phone no matter where you are.

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Image Credit:
Makayla McGarvey

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