Meet Sara and Todd McPhetridge of Madison Colt Studios in Canton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara and Todd McPhetridge.

Sara and Todd, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Todd received his first camera for Christmas when he was 16. He immediately fell in love with landscape photography. Fast forward 20 years to 2010 and he was signed by one of the largest poster publishers in the world. We met on E-Harmony in 2013, yes it works. I had always thought it would be fun to be a photographer but never really considered myself the creative type. On our third date, Todd stuck a camera in my hand and I was hooked. He started taking me on adventures to photograph the beautiful landscapes he loved so dearly. In 2015 when my niece was pregnant I decided I’d like to take photos of the new baby. That led us to where we are today. We have a 1,500-square foot in-house studio. We love making props for sessions. We hand paint our own backdrops and are always searching for great new locations. When we aren’t in the mountains or a studio session we hone our craft taking photos of our beautiful family. Our son is 16 and has been working as a music producer under the pseudonym Mizoti. Our daughter is 8 and, also loves the arts. She dances and sings. I’d say we keep the creative gene alive in the family.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth road? Define smooth. LOL.

When you’re doing something you truly love and are passionate about it definitely makes it easier. With today’s technology, it’s easy for anyone to take a decent picture. So, showing people that we have something unique to offer has been something that we strive for. We have learned that our creativity is what sets us apart. Our two perspectives come together to deliver art that we are truly proud of.

In February of 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Our world came to a halt. Things had been flowing along perfectly. I’ve had two surgeries and chemo. Some days I could barely get out of bed much less work up to taking pictures. As I was going through treatment I met some amazing people.

Trials bring out the true fighter within all of us. Cancer was the biggest challenge I’ve faced in business and life. Not knowing if you’ll be around for your family really causes an individual to evaluate how you spend your time. I can’t stress the importance of being present completely for every moment possible. Create memories that can last a lifetime. I’ve shared a few posts about the struggle on Instagram. The love and support from complete strangers have been a true blessing. God is good. As with any business, you need to stay in front of your audience and the struggle with cancer did take us out of the game for a bit.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Madison Colt Studios story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a photography studio specializing in creating artful memories. We began as a family and newborn photographers. I love newborn sessions. We have developed a following and are pretty well known for that.

In 2016, we were married in an abandoned church in Cades Cove in The Great Smoky Mountains. The wedding was officiated by an Elvis impersonator.

After the ceremony, we sent our guests back to the cabin we were staying at and the two of us spent a few hours in the park photographing each other.

We set the camera up on a tripod for the photos of us together. It was the best day ever. Later that year Todd was contacted by Speech, the lead singer of the legendary 2x Grammy award-winning Atlanta based band Arrested Development. We had a couple of photo shoots with them. You can really create some phenomenal art when you are working with other creative people. Speech later contacted us about shooting a music video. We hadn’t done one before but told him we’d love to try. We shot footage for two videos in two days. Afterwards, Todd spent every second of his spare time for at least a month Googling everything he needed to know about how to do post-production. We loved creating the videos. It’s hard to decide what we are most proud of. I think I’d have to say that I love the artistry we display. We see everything in a very artistic way and believe that vision is what draws people to our work.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
It was really just luck that led us to Speech. Todd was listening to music, heard one of their old songs and checked them out on Instagram. He followed Speech and that led to Speech reaching out to him. That chance encounter led us to a photo shoots for Atlanta based band Fire and the Knife, the company Racism Sucks, Atlanta based singer Tasha LaRae and Actress Zoe Renee.

We also had one of our newborn photos shared by someone big in the outdoors industry. That image received over 34,000 likes, nearly 2,000 comments and almost 8,000 shares in a two-week period. I’d say that was pretty lucky. It’s been reposted countless times. We receive messages from other photographers sharing the images they’ve taken that this one inspired. That is the biggest compliment of all. Knowing that we have inspired something in others is truly fulfilling. Our greatest desire is to make a difference in the life of others. Bad luck? I don’t think there is bad luck. Sometimes bad things happen but you have to handle them with a smile and stay positive.