Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie McGinnis.
Hi Jackie, We’re thrilled to have a chance to hear your story today. Before we get into specifics, please briefly describe how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always known I was creative, but even though I was that friend who carried a camera around in high school, I never thought of doing photography as a career until I was in my mid-twenties and started at the University of Memphis! I was taking my prerequisite classes, which included art classes, and decided to take Photo 1 (which was actually film back then). However, I realized I didn’t want to do fine art photography, so I created my major by combining photography with marketing classes to run my business someday. When I married in 2016, I realized how much I would love to photograph weddings! I ended up interning with my wedding photographer from January to August 2017, then second shot 50+ weddings in 2017 + 2018. I was confident in capturing one of the most critical days in a couple’s journey. I went 2019 full-time, + I am still in awe every day that I get to do this for a living!
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Jackie McGinnis Photo has been a labor of love! It’s scary for anyone to have enough faith in themselves to leap into self-employment, but I am thankful to have a fantastic support system. They say that most small businesses only last 5-8 years, and I understand why. Not only am I a photographer, but I’m also a bookkeeper, social media manager, director of marketing, IT associate, and day wedding coordinator for photos and anything else that arises, on top of hand-editing every image I deliver to my clients. It can be a lot! As a neurodivergent, right-brained individual, the numbers side of my business is the hardest part for me. However, I’ve learned a lot in the past 5 years, and I’m proud of how much I have continued to grow even now! (And marrying an engineer didn’t hurt, haha).
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core, I’m just an ordinary 30-something-year-old Millennial who watches too many Disney movies not to believe in true love. And at the end of the day, what brings me joy is celebrating real love. Being an LGBTQIA+ woman in the South can be extremely hard, but that’s why I’m so drawn to couples who love out loud. Because despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. Bring me the silly, the weird, the awkward, the random. I love it! My heart lies with weddings, especially queer weddings, but I also love to do portrait photography! I am always honored when my past couples continue to come to me for photos in the subsequent phases of their lives. I’m most well known for the joy that comes through in my work, how warm + colorful my photos are, and how detailed of an editor I am. I always tell potential clients that if you want your wedding photos fast, someone other than me is your photographer. I want your photos to be perfect, and while I constantly have to remind myself that perfection doesn’t exist, I will always do everything possible to get them as close as possible.
Please talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy.
What makes me happy? My wife + our dogs. My small circle of friends. A good book. Lots of color. When someone says, “Here, this reminded me of you!” Being an aunt. Golden Hour light. Mountain Dew. Sweatpants. Hahaha, I know this probably seems so random, but as a lifelong member of the Anxiety + Depression club, I’ve learned to find joy in small, everyday things. I recently read (okay, I saw it on TikTok) of something called a “glimmer.” Glimmers are “tiny micro-moments of joy—fleeting, everyday moments that elicit a rush of happiness, gratitude, calm, peace, safety, or goodwill.” Glimmers make me happy.
Pricing:
- Wedding Packages start at $2800
- Portrait Sessions start at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jackiemcginnisphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackiemcginnisphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackiemcginnisphoto
