Meet Peggy McCartha | I empower professional photographers to run their dream businesses.

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

Hi Peggy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I don’t think I really thought about it that way when I was starting out. I loved photography my whole life and realized early on I had a talent for it. It had never occurred to me to do anything else. I would however clarify that for the first 15 or so years of my career, I was actually running a very successful hobby. I had no idea how to run a photography business or any business for that matter. I was just lucky that I was able to make a good amount of money at my hobby. I sometimes wonder where I would be today had I understood the business of running a photography business much earlier than I did. As I watch the industry that I love change and evolve, I realize that instead of more people understanding how to run a photography business, less are running a business, and more are just out there running. I feel I have something that can help change that and raise the bar of professionalism in the photography business industry. When creativity and passion is inside you, there is no choice but to pursue it, because it is you.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Certified Professional Photographer with well over 30 years of experience. About 10 years ago I started really diving deep into the psychology of what made an image impactful. Studying lighting, posing camera angles, colors, and composition, and really trying to understand how emotions were captured and perceived. I started pulling away from family and event photography and focusing more on actor headshots and branding for businesses. During the pandemic I found myself speaking on the topics of marketing and branding on online conferences and consulting on IG lives and Clubhouse. Until that time it had never occurred to me that what I do in the studio with my clients could be taught and be beneficial to people even if I wasn’t the one taking their headshots and branding images. That lead me to create a stand-alone program that I taught to people all over the world via Zoom. That lead me to get the question “Peggy, do you know any photographers in my area?” over and over and over. My original thought was that I would teach photographers what I had learned about impactful images. But what I learned was the photography community was hurting. Our industry is changing quickly, the way people consume our images are changing and there are a lot of amazingly talented photographers that are just like I used to be… clueless about how to run a profitable photography business. So, I gathered a lot of experts and created a program to teach photographers how to maximize their business, build their brand, grow their network, and sharpen their photography skills. It’s an online program, but it’s also a community. Any professional photographer is welcome in our community for free, we offer support, brainstorming, encouragement, fun challenges, and a place to bounce ideas off one another. For the photographers that are ready for more and want to invest in the program, they get one on one coaching, accountability partners, and the space to grow their dream business. I personally hate being sold a step-by-step guaranteed program. We all know there is no way you can promise me that if I do your steps I will reach “success” because my idea of success is different than yours, and my business and clients pose different challenges and issues than yours. This is about giving professional photographers the knowledge, the tools, and the support so that it becomes embodied wisdom and they can build their dream businesses and lives.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
On the first day, we would go to the Griffith Observatory, go inside spend time looking around, then take a nice hike and check out the beautiful LA skyline, and get some pictures with the Hollywood sign in the background. One night we would for sure have to go to dinner at the Castaway. We would spend the next day at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, finishing with a trip to Gus’s BBQ for dinner. Can’t visit LA without spending a day in Hollywood, doing a tour, and walking around. How about dinner at Big Al’s Pizzeria tonight? Let’s head west and hang out in Santa Monica, go to the pier, and do some shopping and sightseeing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Relationships can make or break any business, when you are in a strong loving, and supporting relationship, you have the strength and freedom to dream and grow. My husband Merrick McCartha always believed in me and pushed me to think outside the box, create, dream, and build. I was not always in a place where I had this kind of love and encouragement, so I know how important it is and how appreciative I am. In addition, my friend Monica M. Henderson is one of those people that can see others’ strengths and shine a light on them. Oh, and let’s not forget to thank the pandemic, if it weren’t for not being able to see clients in my studio for over 9 months, I might not have ever slowed down long enough to remember my passion for teaching and helping others.

Website: https://www.headshotstrategist.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggymccartha/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbXIPQuhhcUlWBiXDsmiTo6agZ8v_Mm3g

Image Credits
Peggy McCartha | Headshots by Peggy