Meet Acworth Photographer: Macy O’Connell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Macy O’Connell.

Macy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I picked up photography from my mother. She would take pictures of my siblings and I when we were younger. When I started taking photography classes in high school, she gave me her film camera to use. I started by taking pictures of my younger siblings. I fell in love with photography when I made my first pinhole camera and developed my own photographs in a dark room. When I was a senior in high school, I photographed my first wedding. After that, my wedding photography business really picked up. The number of weddings I have photographed in 2016 is double what I photographed in 2015. I was the little girl who dreamed of having a beautiful wedding one day. So, being a wedding photographer is pretty much the perfect job for me because I get to go to a wedding almost every weekend of the year.

Has it been a smooth road?
I photograph everything from senior sessions and families to proposals and weddings. Having a photography business can be tough no matter what you photograph. There is a lot of competition in this industry with so many people in Atlanta being photographers. Having close friends who are also photographers, I have learned that community over the competition is so important.

I absolutely love my job but it has definitely been difficult being a younger wedding photographer. A lot of adults will question my age and my abilities to run my own business.

It took a lot of hard work to get to where I am today and I am very proud of it.

When you look back, what are you most proud of?
My proudest moment has been more than doubling the amount of weddings I’ve booked from 2015 at 12 to 2016 at 27!

Tell us more about the struggles you’ve faced along the way.
My biggest struggle would be that I am my biggest critic. I will spend an hour editing one photograph to get it to look as stunning as I think it can look. I spend a lot of my time editing my photos, especially wedding photos. I want them to look perfect and I want my clients to love their photos. I have edited an entire session and then realized it would look better edited in a different tone – so then I start all over!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I love Atlanta! I think it is a great place to be a photographer. There are so many beautiful locations in the city and outside of the city. The city has some gorgeous parks, like Piedmont, and some great colorful backdrops, like The Beltline. The wedding venues in Georgia are gorgeous as well.

Pricing:

• Wedding Photography ranges from $1500-$2000
• Family and engagement session are $250
• Single person portrait sessions are $200

Contact Info:

• Website: www.macyophoto.com
• Phone: 4045027724
• Email: macy4975@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emayseewhy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/macyophoto/