Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikala Marlin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was put into foster care right before I turned 5 and wasn’t adopted till 2004. We moved a couple times during that time period, but while living in Minnesota I was introduced to video cameras in a technology class I was in. I used to go on the family vacations with a point-and-shoot camera and beg to take the pictures for everyone. When we moved to Missouri, we moved to a small town that didn’t offer many extracurricular activities so I ended up not doing much with cameras after that. I ended up joining the Army right after I graduated High School, meeting my now husband, and having two kids. Once I was officially out of the military, I was a full-time stay-at-home mother. My life revolved around my kids. Of course, that came with constantly paying other photographers for family photos. At one point I thought to myself that in the long run, I could save so much money if I just bought myself a DSLR and took our own family photos. So, my husband bought me one for Christmas one year, and then friends and family started asking if I could take their photos too.
Once I finally invested in some professional editing software, I decided to actually start my own business and that brings us to today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not, as described in the previous question. Moving from a school that offered so much in education and extracurriculars to a school with minimal opportunities, was rough. I literally went from a school with a graduating class of 1200, to one with 63. Also, being brought up in the foster care system isn’t always the easiest. I think I went to at least 5-6 different schools before middle school. Finding out activities you’re interested in, then moving and the next school not offering them made it hard.
Now that I’m older, with adult money though, things have gotten easier.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a photographer, the best part of my job is helping capture special moments for others. Because I was in the foster care system, I don’t have a lot of photos of myself under the age of 6. That makes it hard not having any baby photos or whatnot. So, I made a promise to myself as a photographer now, to always have an affordable option for those that would like to have family photos, but may not be able to afford them otherwise. Right now, I specialize in family photography, but I also offer maternity, wedding, creative shoots, and more. Basically, if you message me wanting any type of session, I will do my best to provide that option for you.
I’m most proud of the fact that I try to work with budgets as much as possible. I truly believe that everyone deserves to have professional-grade images of their family, special day, etc. I believe that is what helps sets me apart from others as well.
My passion though is concert photography. I shoot a couple local bands and have even shot a traveling artist when his photographer couldn’t attend a KC show. I would love to shoot more concerts, but that is a hard industry to get into.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I always wanted to be an actress, singer, or dancer. I’ve always loved music, concerts, etc. I even used to play the violin. So, I’ve always leaned more into the artistic side of things, minus drawing, I’m horrible at that. I was always writing songs, singing, and dancing. I got in trouble so many times for having my music up too loud. 30 years later, I try to go to concerts as much as possible and there isn’t a day, I don’t have music on somewhere around me.
Pricing:
- Family sessions start at $100 for 45 mins
- Weddings are $150/hr
- Maternity sessions are $100 for 45 mins
- Lifestyle newborn sessions are $175
- Most other sessions start at $100 for 45 mins
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: mmarlinphotography.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: @mmarlinphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmphotography22/
