Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Markey.
Samantha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
If a picture says a thousand words then I am it’s voice, telling a beautiful story, to you and many others for many years to come. I believe there is pure joy to be found when looking back on old photographs they trigger memories and reminiscing about happy times, the help you remember loved ones and even relive a moment in time, call me cheesy but I think that power is priceless. This simple truth is the reason that I love photography so much.
It is also for that reason that I understand that all types of portraits are and should be personal. It is certainly personal to me. Becoming a photographer had never actually crossed my mind when I was planning my future but my love for photography had always been there. I just didn’t realize how deep that passion was until much later. In grade school, one of my most prized possession was my talking polaroid camera, yes it talked! What?! I know too cool. Ok, maybe I am a geek, I am good with it.
In high school, I had applied for the photography program but it was hard to get into, spots in the class were very limited and often went to people who worked on the school paper. Not getting into the class was no big deal at the time but looking back I sure wish I had pursued that a little harder.
It wasn’t until my husband purchased my first DSLR for me that I really started to feel a connection to photography. It was like a light bulb went on in one of the old cartoons and I was like “WOW” why didn’t I think about this before? Once I started to learn and grow as a photographer I found unexpected encouragement and support from friends, family & coworkers. I shared this passion with just a few people but before I knew it I was shooting weddings and capturing moments for people that I didn’t even know. I found it to be fun, creative and an amazing way to give to others.
What a spectacular feeling to find your passion and have the support to pursue it. If only I could be brave enough to go after it.
When I first had the idea that I might like to pursue this as a full-time career I was working with a hotel company as a general manager, for which I wasn’t overly excited about anymore. Even though it allowed me more time with my family then my previous VP of Operations position had it drained me. The part I did like about it was mentoring Future hotel leaders and helping my team members to grow in whatever direction they wanted to go. I was also trying to teach myself a new skill while balancing this demanding job and my family. I often felt selfish and considered giving it up. Despite the fact that it has not been an easy journey it is fun and I love it.
I also feel strongly that it is important for our kids to see me work hard to achieve my goals. I want them to know that the road may not always be straight or smooth and you may not be sure where it leads but it is ok to follow your dreams. This is something I had learned from my mom. She had passed away a few years before I started this journey but I recall how many dreams she had that she did not live to see through. I believe she would have, if only she had more time and so she became a driving force for me, to succeed. As a matter of fact, my ladybug logo is a nod to her and the love and support she always gave me.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I believe if you have not failed then you are not reaching far enough to reach your dreams. Every entrepreneur has struggles for me the biggest challenge aside from my own self-doubt was trying to learn it all on my own, not just my camera but marketing and basic business stuff too.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
When I first put myself out there as a professional photographer I was shooting a lot of genres: weddings, events, newborns, pre-school, school portraits, headshots, family, seniors even some food and architecture. I thought it was wonderful to be so diverse and it was. It was also a mass overload and often made it hard to focus my time, energy and self-education. I have, in recent years, tried to narrow my focus to one or two genres, which is harder than it sounds. Try answering questions like – “what moves you?” “where do you want this to take you?”. Some questions were easier to answer than others but one thing rang clear is that I want a quality of life that allows for family time and travel. I want to create a career that I don’t need a vacation from and yet affords me and my family that privilege.
After moving to Colorado I took a lot of time to decide if I wanted to continue with my photography and if so, in which direction. I knew that I could not keep going in all directions and expect to be successful or sane for that matter. This led me to the decision to focus my skills (and marketing) on weddings & events. Thinking that was my passion and if I was being honest with myself knowing that there is real money to be made in event photography.
It wasn’t long into 2019 however that I discovered that I enjoyed business photography and I found that I was not really pushing for events anymore. Now here I am offering amazing brand imagery and unique headshots that help my clients build their business, increase their visibility and boost their first impressions. And guess what, I am loving every moment of it. It may not appear to fall into the same personal passion as family for which I started this fantastic journey but I am prepared to disagree with anyone with says it isn’t personal. Business photography not only allows me to capture a part of your story but also helps you be successful and these are two things that drive me.
Personal Branding for both individuals and businesses is so important now that we conduct so much online research and shopping before committing to a company. Have a clear defined visual marketing strategy helps my clients tell their stories and create consistent content that is relevant to their brand mission.
I have worked with small companies like, the Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce to build their new visitors website and big companies like Servpro who needed images for almost a hundred employees and they needed them to be consistent in appearance & show personality. I pride myself on truly listening to my client’s needs and providing an outstanding experience. With me, the most important part of the shoot is the client experience from the first contact to the image delivery.
I have been honored with winning Ambassador of the year from the Brighton Chamber of Commerce for my involvement with local small businesses. In 2019 I entered an international photo contest called, Shoot & Share, I ended the contest, my first year in the top 20% of almost 600,000 photographers. I am also currently nominated for the Best of Colorado Small Business. All of that is wonderful and I am proud of it but what I most proud of is the comments and reviews I get from my clients expressing how much fun I am to work with & that they love their pictures.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is having a career that I don’t need a vacation from but provides the means for me to take not only take them but enjoy it. Having the time and energy to enjoy my life and my family. It also means having the knowledge that what I do has a positive impact on people around me. It means being secure enough to quit the day job to pursue what makes me happy.
Pricing:
- Personal Branding Collections starting at $700
- Business Portraits starting at $350
- Senior Portraits starting at $250
- Family Portraits starting at $225
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.samanthamarkeyphotography.com
- Phone: 303.619.4181
- Email: smarkey@samanthamarkeyphotography.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/samanthamarkeyphotography
- Facebook: Facebook.com/samanthamarkeyphotography
Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
