Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassie Madden.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cassie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, my Mother was an amateur photographer and constantly had her camera. Once on a family trip, I asked to be in charge of the camera for the day. From then on, everyone knew that I was the one with the camera. I took a few beginners classes in college on film photography and Photoshop, but I was always an English major and never intended to make a career out of my hobby.
When I was a sophomore in college, a counselor was helping me go through the final credits I would need to graduate with my English degree. I had steadily been taking more portraits and my interest always growing in photography, so when the realization finally came that I was going to be an English teacher with a photography hobby, I couldn’t stand it. I immediately switched to an art major with an emphasis in photography and began classes towards that degree the next semester at ASU with the intention of becoming a wedding and portrait photographer. Why weddings, you may ask? I had no idea. I just knew that was what I wanted to photograph more than anything else.
Low and behold, I didn’t learn a thing about becoming a wedding photographer. At this point in my education, I hadn’t had a teacher properly teach me how to run my camera in manual, and they all assumed it was already something I knew. Granted I learned a lot about the basic ways to make a photograph with different artistic themes, but I learned nothing about dealing with people or more importantly, running a business. When it came time to submit my portfolio for photography review (what you needed to get into the photography program), I didn’t get in. I was mortified, but I knew this wasn’t it for my career. I immediately looked into trade schools that could teach me what I needed to know, knowing this wasn’t the place for me.
After some research and decisions, it was time for me to move to Massachusetts to attend the Hallmark Institute – a 10 month program where I would learn all the ins and outs of equipment, business, and different trades of photography. I drove all the way from Wyoming (where my parents live) to Massachusetts before school started, and again knew I wasn’t on the right path. Right away, I made arrangements to move back to Arizona and start my career the only way I knew how: by doing.
Luckily enough, within the first week of searching, I found a local studio just 1 mile away from my apartment. They were new and needed interns to get things rolling. Finding Susan, Danielle + the crew at Photo Fusion Studio made my photography career. They helped me to learn by watching, by doing, and by showing me exactly what I needed to know. Eventually, I became studio manager and had my own portrait clients along with shadowing Danielle at a few weddings. I soon became her second shooter, and was traveling back to my home state of Wyoming for my own solo weddings.
Soon enough, I felt my time was finished in Arizona and made plans to move to Dallas. With lots of big beautiful places, I knew this would be the ideal place to jump start my wedding photography business. With lots of hard work and hustle my first six months in Texas, I built my following year of 2015 to 12 weddings and several portrait sessions – my busiest year to date.
In 2016, I had built my business to next levels – photographing weddings in Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and of course, Texas. It was also in this year that my soon-to-be-husband and I decided that the Texas to Wyoming commute was a lot for a relationship, and I decided to move back home to Be closer to him and family.
In 2017, I continued to travel to from Wyoming to Texas for several weddings and portrait sessions, along with the 4 other states I serve. Though I’m not living there, Texas is always a second home to me and one of my most favorite places to photograph. The people are beyond the kindest you will ever meet, and the venues the most beautiful you’ll see. It’s safe to say that Texas will always have a piece of my heart. And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll drag my Wyoming guy back to the lone star state!
Has it been a smooth road?
It was tough for me to break into the industry at first. It seems that when you choose a career, you go to school, you graduate, and you work. Photography is a trade, and though much can be learned by going to school, it is always best to learn this trade by doing and finding your own way through it. This was definitely a slowly learned lesson, but the best one I have found.
Moving my business from state to state definitely came with its challenges. It’s always tough to get your name out there to clients in the first place, but especially hard to do it 2-3 times in a quick succession. In the long run, the practice made it much easier to do it the next time, and now I get to travel back to all these places I love to work with incredibly wonderful people.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cassie Madden Photography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
First and foremost, Cassie Madden Photography is all about the client experience and creating relationships. The brides and grooms that I work with love adventure, their fur babies, are very detail oriented, and appreciate cheesy jokes and ALL the coffee they can get their hands on. My couples always become my friends and our sessions and weddings all feel like we’re just old friends getting together. It’s because of this that when it comes to an 8-11 hour wedding day, and my feet are tired and shoulders sore from carrying equipment, that it’s incredibly easy to keep going so that I can get that perfect photo of grandma doing the cupid shuffle, or the groom holding the bride close on the dance floor surrounded by hundreds of their most loved.
It’s in the little details that I find the stories are told. I love knowing everything I can about a love story, about a couple, about each of them individually to know exactly why it’s important to capture what I do on a wedding day. If I know that you and your aunt are besties, it’s going to be an easy thought that I should grab a photo of her as you walk down the aisle. There are so many beautiful things that go into a wedding day, and it isn’t just about the flowers.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
There is way too much I love about Dallas. I love that if you go uptown, you’ll find beautiful buildings and that unforgettable city feel. If you go a little further south, you’re at a park on top of an interstate surrounded by towering skyscrapers. Go south just a little further, and you’re just far enough away to get that impactful skyline, the green of the Trinity River, and TREES. I love the trees of Dallas!
The diversity of Dallas is incredible. You can find what you want, when you want. Deep Ellum is the coolest little urban area with the most color you could ask for. Bishop Arts has the cutest boho feel with the best cups of coffee. Want a western feel? Go to Fort Worth! Seriously, DFW has everything you could ever want.
What do I like least about Dallas? The traffic. That’s it.
Pricing:
- My wedding pricing begins at $2300
- My portrait pricing begins at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cassiemadden.com
- Phone: 3075751443
- Email: cassie@cassiemadden.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassiemaddenphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassiemaddenphotography/
Image Credit:
All photos by Cassie Madden Photography
Profile photo by Tyler Tyndell 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.
