Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Holley.
Hi Madison, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In middle school, I picked up a camera, I wanted to capture as much beauty as this crazy world had to offer. I took photos of friends and family, but in high school, things picked up. In my junior year, I got asked to second shoot a wedding with a local photographer, I immediately accepted the job. Kids at school struggled to take my photography business seriously and mocked me at times. Despite the negative comments, I continued to capture the world.
In my senior year of high school, weddings picked up and it became hard to manage photography and school. I was able to start online school and graduate ahead of my class to pursue my photography business. I quit my job at the pizza shop in town and went full time, I was scared but I did it. Before I was 18, I saved everything and was able to purchase my first car and then move into my first home.
My business flourished in Dayton, Ohio! I continued to take on weddings, family sessions, and even boudoir. I loved my career. I was able to get my own photography studio and expand my business more than I ever thought I could! In August 2021, I experienced a heartbreaking mental health crisis and decided it was best for me to relocate to Arizona with my family. I packed all of my things into my van and drove across the country and didn’t look back.
Since relocating to Arizona I have fallen in love with life, the small things… hearing the wind blow after leaving a wedding, watching the sunset, and so much more. I picked my camera up and continued to capture this crazy world one moment at a time. I’ve witnessed beauty that middle school me never thought I’d be able to see, beauty middle school me never thought I deserved to see. Since August 2021, I have been able to travel to the west coast and live a dream.
I strive to ensure my clients know that I’m human, not just a camera. I’m honest. I’m carefree. I’m genuine. I want my clients to leave their sessions with an experience that they will not only remember but love as well. Connecting with my clients is very important to me. Being a photographer is more than just taking a photo to me, I want to capture the love that radiates off from my clients.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anyone has a smooth road. When in middle school, I wanted to enlist in the military but I couldn’t due to health issues. The idea of college never lit a fire in my soul, I felt like something else was meant for me. I had been in and out of the foster care system and bounced between family members’ homes growing up, but I kept telling myself I’m going to beat the odds.
When picking up my camera, I had family who doubted me, I had classmates at school post on social media platforms making a joke about my business and what I was trying to build. I struggled deeply with mental health issues due to trauma that happened when I was younger. Some days, I didn’t get out of bed, and some days, I didn’t have the energy to eat, this would go on for weeks at a time.
I could capture a photo but the self-doubt was and unfortunately is there, constantly asking myself “Am I good enough?” “Is this enough?”
I always had anxiety; comparing myself to the classmates who decided to go to college, the ones who learned a trade, I just didn’t know if what I was doing was right.
The question “Will I make it?” Is something I ask myself daily. I made it out of foster care. I made it to high school graduation. I made it out of that small town. I made it to Arizona. I making it an effect to focus on my mental health. I haven’t reached the end of the road, traveling hasn’t been easy but I’ll continue to play my cards and see how far I get.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a photographer. I capture weddings, families, couples, and boudoir.
I’m weird, yes weird. I’m high-energy and carefree. My sessions aren’t stiff and uncomfortable. Communicating and building a relationship with my clients is something that sets me apart from others. I’m honest about where I came from, I’m open about my struggles with life and my mental health journey.
The life portrayed on social media should be real, and I’m okay with sharing the negatives events that happen in life on social media so that my clients know that I’m real, and it’s okay to be vulnerable.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Life is crazy. The cards we are dealt shouldn’t determine if we win the game or not. Play your cards the best that you can, step over the self-doubt and make this the best game you’ve ever played.
You can make it out of that small town.
You can build that business.
You will be successful.
Pricing:
- Sunset sessions start at $399
- Wedding packages start at $899
- Boudoir packages start at $499
Contact Info:
- Email: HoneyBerryPhotography@yahoo.com
- Website: www.HoneyBerryPhotography.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/honeyberryphotography?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/honeyberryphotography/
Image Credits
HoneyBerryPhotography
