Meet Mary Margaret and David Gates of MGphotography in Central Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Margaret and David Gates.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started when I (Mary Margaret) was living in New York City. I was in an arts conservatory studying Acting and Musical Theatre, pursuing my then dream of being on Broadway. Every once in a while, my friend who is a well-known Fashion Blogger would ask me to take photos of her for her blog when her other professional photographer couldn’t. I quickly realized I enjoyed taking pictures – it was somewhat easy for me to pick up and I saw it as just another fun, creative outlet. However, I never once thought of it as a possible career path for me.

Fast forward to April of 2017, I had just moved back to Dallas from New York and needed a job/money fast! I saw an opportunity when my sister (the most amazing and talented photographer, @cottonwoodroadphotography) told me how busy she was with her business. She told me that she was having to refer so many clients to other photographers because of how full her schedule was. I told her I was interested in learning more about photography and asked if she would train me so that later on she could refer some of her clients to me. About two months later, I was taking a handful of referrals from her and slowly building my very own photography business. What started as just a means to an end to make some money, ended up being something I loved and will continue to grow and work on! Since my (now) husband moved here in January, he’s become the other half of MGphotography and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I mean, who doesn’t want to work with their husband?

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?
I have to say, I got really lucky having an opportunity like this just kind of fall in my lap. Not everyone has a professional photographer as a sister who can train and teach you everything you know and help you book clients and shoots in your first few months of picking up a camera. After a month of training with my sister, I was already taking on clients of my own and had a pretty full schedule of shoots. That was the easy part. The part I didn’t really have to work for. But of course, I struggled and flailed around a bit when I first started shooting on my own. I remember going on shoots by myself just panicking and thinking “I have no idea what I’m doing!” and I really didn’t. But the more I would shoot, the more comfortable I got. I really think that for me, it needed to be a quick process. I needed to just be thrown in the water and forced to learn how to swim (or in this case, shoot). And that’s exactly what happened! But it wasn’t always pretty or fun or easy. I have spent hours and hours putting hard work into this craft and will continue to do so!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with MGphotography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My husband and I are the team behind MGphotography. We are based solely in Dallas, but love to travel for work when we can! We specialize in lifestyle and event photography, with some weddings thrown in there every now and then. What makes us unique is that we both just kind of stumbled into photography and ended up loving it. Neither of us dreamed of being in this industry or woke up one day and thought “I want to be a photographer.” We initially started doing photography because we needed the money and it just grew into something we are both very passionate about. I think MGphotography is special because David and I are both artists through and through. I’m an actor and singer and David is an extremely talented singer and musician. We both see the world through a very artistic and lyrical lense, which I think lends itself to what we are able to capture through the camera.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
David and I recently got married in April so we had to put the breaks on our business for a time, but we’re looking forward to getting back into it this fall! We are looking forward to some weddings and exciting shoots coming up this year and we’re excited to watch our business continue to blossom!

Pricing:

• Wedding Packages begin at $2000
• Portrait/Engagement/Newborn Sessions begin at $350
• Mini Sessions – $250

Contact Info:

• Website: mgphotography.co
• Phone: 9727626754
• Email: mmflaming@hotmail.com
• Instagram: mgphotography.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mgphotographydallas/

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