Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandi O’Connor.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began my journey as a photographer nearly eleven years ago learning to develop my own film and photos in high school. I always enjoyed taking photos and capturing real emotion. While in school, I worked for Best Buy and taught people how to use their own personal cameras.
In 2012, I began working professionally and photographed my first wedding in 2013. With the help of my sister, husband and the grace of God I have photographed countless weddings, family sessions and last year we began freelancing for the Atlanta Falcons’ community relations department.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Owning a business based out of a talent in the creative arts has certainly had its struggles along the way. On one hand, it is easy to grow insecure in the legitimacy of your business considering most people own a quality camera, but our business does much more than take great pictures.
Because the majority of my work comes from photographing weddings, during wedding season I wear many hats for our couples such as a planner, bridesmaid, runner, encourager, family counselor… etc. Because weddings are such a huge part of many people’s lives, we honestly become like family with our couples through the planning process onto the actual wedding day.
At the beginning of Mandi O’Connor Photography, my husband and I were freshly out of college and married so we had very little money to start up a business. We began with my little film camera and a low-end DSLR camera. I worked three jobs and we made it work until I went full-time in 2015.
Mandi O’Connor Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Mandi O’Connor Photography is a business specializing in weddings and portrait sessions. One thing that really sets us apart in terms of the wedding industry is that we are a husband and wife team and we always photograph for the full wedding day. Timing is so important to us because we want our couples to truly enjoy their wedding day while it is happening rather than feeling rushed to go through the motions in order to get all of their planned photos before the photographers have to leave.
Because I like to capture real emotion and candid moments as well as posed classic photos, it is best to have the full wedding day covered. Knowing that we made a difference for our couples whether it is capturing their wedding or the first years of their children growing up is what genuinely makes me the most proud. Also, I’m a huge ATL Falcons fan, so when their community relations department reached out to us last year to take photos for them I called nearly all of my family members to share the news!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, true success is also making a difference in the lives of people. Photos are physical, visual memories for people and being able to capture a moment in time and share that with another person is a big deal. Another big marker for me in terms of success is when your business is able to give back to the community. Because of the success of our business, my husband and I are able to volunteer as youth pastors in our local church. Helping shape the next generation and encourage them to follow their callings is one of the ways we like to give back.
I am incredibly grateful for the success I have had in owning a photography business. We have been voted “Best of Weddings” on The Knot for two years in a row and that is significant to me because it is based on real reviews from our couples. Staying fresh and relevant is a marker of success in the industry and because our approach is to capture timeless, classic photos I believe we will be able to continually hit that mark.
Pricing:
- Photo Session pricing begins at $250
- Wedding coverage pricing begins at $2,800
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mandioconnor.com
- Phone: 404-353-7375
- Email: mandioconnorphotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandioconnorphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mandioconnorphoto/
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/mandi-oconnor-photography-macon-ga-964608
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
