Meet Madeline

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeline and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeline, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
The principles I build my business on are honesty and integrity. Running my business with honesty and integrity is important to me because it helps me build trusting relationships with my photography clients. When I am able to do that, I often will get booked more than once by the same client. Honesty and integrity can look like communicating with a client if and when I am running behind on getting them their final gallery and/or their sneak peeks. I make sure I am consistent with my timeframes with all of my clients, and communicate with them often if I am unable to meet them due to unforseen circumstances. Running my business with honesty and integrity also looks like me advertising my rates and what is included for all of my packages. In a world where life moves extremely quickly, it’s important for me to keep current and potential clients engaged. The best way to do that is by making my rates available to the public. This aids in my efficiency of my business as well because I know that I’m getting clients who are already aware of what my prices are, and they are reaching out to book most of the time rather than just inquire. Honesty and integrity, while it seems small, is actually essential in running ANY business!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I was younger, I always knew I wanted to do photography as an adult. Whether or not I would make a career out of it was often on the backburner, since the “typical” route was to go to college right after highschool. I decided to go to college and, after being undeclared my first year and almost majoring in Music, I went on to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology because I thought I wanted to become a therapist. While my friends were getting accepted to graduate programs, I realized that might not be the path for me (yet) and I decided I wanted to go into the workforce right away. I worked as a child welfare case manager for three years total over the course of the last six years. I have worked with homeless individuals, incarcerated individuals, and people of various backgrounds over the course of my career. I have also worked in the retail and food service industries, worked as a nanny, and even worked at a call center. It’s safe to say that, I still don’t *really* know what I want to do when I grow up. However, once I announced my photography business a little under a year ago, something truly felt right about it. I am continuing to learn every day how to overcome barriers and how to make my business better, but I have had so much support from family, friends and even strangers along the way. This tells me that I must be on the right path here. A goal of mine in the future is to educate myself more in photography and camera operation to further my fluidity in it, and eventually, get a new camera. I truly feel that this talent that God has gifted me helps me to fulfill one of my purposes on Earth, which I believe is to capture intimate moments for individuals, and to make it easily accessible for them as well. Whether it’s an engagement or a maternity photoshoot, every moment is so special, and it is always an honor for me to be the one that gets to capture a moment in time for my clients that they will cherish forever!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in Colorado means there are countless opportunities for you to explore sights, food, drinks, and so much more! If I have a week to show my best friend around, I would first take them to Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs (the original location) for a good ol’ mountain pie pizza with honey. I would take my bestie first to Breckenridge and Keystone for a night, and take them to an incredible calzone place in Dillon. Day two I would take them to Glenwood and show them the amusement park there, both the original Glenwood Hot Springs and the Iron Mountain Hot Springs, and show them around the town of Glenwood. I grew up in Colorado, and visited Glenwood Springs every summer for our family reunions, so I feel like it’s a little slice of home for me and I love to share it! Day three, I would take them to the Maroon Bells to hike a moderate trail and, if we are able, take them to the top of Independence Pass. Day four, I would take them to the Rifle Falls hiking trail, and spend a couple of nights in Grand Junction. During that time, I would take them to Montrose, Telluride, Ouray and Moab, as well as show them around Grand Junction (where I lived for 5 years for college). I would lastly want to take a long detour to Steamboat Springs and take them to the hot springs there, and stop in Fort Collins and Boulder on the way home. There is SO much more to explore in Colorado. If you really want to explore Colorado, you’d probably need at least two weeks!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to first give a huge shoutout to my parents for supporting my dream of being a photographer by buying me my first digital camera when I was young, and another camera when I was in college (I still use that same camera today!) My mom runs her own business, and has since before I was born, and my dad has always had an eye for photography and videography, meaning I have the two best role models to look up to in my business and in life! I also want to recognize my Grammy, who although passed away three years ago, was always taking photos shamelessly, and always encouraged me to express myself. In addition to them, I want to shoutout all of my photographer friends who have inspired me and offered me so much advice, and even went as far to send me referrals. I truly have felt so welcomed by my photographer friends when I announced my business. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank all of my clients that have booked a session with me, and even went as far as to refer me to their friends and family and share my work online. My business would not be where it is today without them!

Website: https://website.pixieset.com/pages/JLVR0l

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelines.studio?igsh=azUzMDZodGF5bGtx&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/hUPnnX7ygaXCp7kA/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Madeline, Madeline’s Studio