Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddie Braun.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
After almost graduating with my undergraduate degree in physical therapy (and about to head to grad school to graduate with my doctorate), I felt a huge tug on my heart one morning to quit school and the guaranteed degree I had been pursuing for the past 3 1/2 years at the time, to pursue this career that’s not at all guaranteed. Think I’m crazy? I thought I was, too, but God had made it undoubtedly clear that the life I had planned for myself wasn’t for me. So, after putting all my trust in Jesus, I quit school and opened my business all within a week span. Within just 3 months I was able to quit my hospital job at the time and go full-time with my business. I’ve never looked back.
Please tell us about your art.
I’m a destination wedding and elopement photographer who loves capturing the barefoot, boho and free-spirited couples who aren’t afraid of the nontraditional, a little adventure and some dirt on their clothes at end of the day. Those who aren’t afraid to create more than just pictures… Those willing (and eagerly) wanting to tell their story.
I create my art through posing candidly to capture more of a couple’s personality and their love on an intimate level… None of that surface-level stuff. I don’t like the old prom poses where you just look stiff and uncomfortable. I genuinely love capturing couples in their element doing what they love with whom they love.
My message is simply this: You have a story to tell… We all do. So, let’s tell it together. No one can be you, no one will have the exact same love story as you and no one will tell your story better than, you guessed it, YOU. So, if you both love ice cream, then let’s head to an ice cream shop and shoot your photos there. If you can’t live without tacos (can I get an amen?!) then have a taco bar at your wedding and own it. Or maybe you met and fell in love in Europe and have this dream to relive it all over again. Then let’s book those flights and adventure together, create together and relive ‘all the feels’ all over again.
Ultimately when it’s all said and done, I hope people take away genuine love and connection from my work/art. We as photographers are called artists and creatives for a reason. I hope I never lose that.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
I think that lives become both easier and harder for artists. More people are teaching workshops, hosting free webinars, starting podcasts and offering mentoring sessions than even before. It’s easier to find free resources online and lots of people are posting YouTube videos pertaining to photography. It’s easier in that sense, but I so believe to my core that it’s also gotten harder. Comparison is truly the thief of joy and in this day and age where literally everything is online, where social media accounts play a key role in booking sessions and where our society points to our worth in followers, likes, comments and ‘friends’, it’s so easy to get stuck. It’s so easy to look at other creatives’ lives and wish you were them, wish you had that kind of a following, wish you were traveling there, wish you were shooting that, etc.
People can encourage artists through choosing to see the worth in memories, photographs and life beyond what we see on our phones. Also, by booking a photographer whose art just so speaks to you and whose personality is matched so well with yours is one way to not only support someone but encourage them knowing that you love their work. Supporting local artists could even be as simple as sending an email to them letting them know you’re cheering them on and telling them how much you love their work. Words go farther and impact each other more than we think.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madisonbraunphotography.com
- Email: hello@madisonbraunphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/madisonbraunphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/madisonbraunphotography
- Other: www.pinterest.com/madisonbraunphotography
Image Credit:
Madison Braun Photography.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas 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.
