Life & Work with Maggie Whitesell of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Whitesell

Hi Maggie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started taking pictures of anything and everything, at a very young age! At 8 or 9, I was talking pictures on my Dad’s Blackberry and my mom’s digital camera. Eventually in middle school I got my own digital camera, joined yearbook, and began submitting my photos to the local fair. After a lot of convincing, I was fortunate to have my family help me invest in my own DSLR when I was 15.

Soon, I started to receive gifts of photography classes at the nearby community college, and I was the youngest in the room learning to shoot on Manual and work on photoshop. I convinced my best friends to model for me, I started an Instagram account, and posted all the pictures I took! From there, I was in high school taking pictures of anyone who asked. Photos of high school seniors, families, and even had a band ask me to do promotional pictures for them which was so fun!

After all of that, I took a short break in college but then was asked to shoot a wedding for one of my friends. I loved it, but continued to finish college and then took a few portraits when friends asked me to.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2024, I was a few months into my career but had felt like I wanted to dive back into the hobby I loved! I learned how much I loved shooting couples and began focusing more on getting into wedding photography through styled shoots and networking with other photographers in the Raleigh area.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a bumpy road that’s for sure! Starting it back up was so intimidating as an adult, I had only seen it from a teenager perspective and never as a true business-owner. The industry is also very saturated with a lot of other photographers, so there’s a photographer for just everything. Juggling having a full-time job in addition to photography that has also been difficult, but not impossible! Just makes me more intentional about my time and commitments I make in my professional and business life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in couples and wedding photography, that I’ve focused on and mostly accept in terms of clients!

I am most proud of my collaboration with others and the network of photographers I’ve worked with, including one of my best friends who has had me travel with her for weddings and elopements.

What sets me apart from others is my approach for different clients and locations, I love to try new things and am very open to any and all creative ideas. I don’t think that one size fits all when it comes to photography, the art aspect of it is beautiful and ever-changing.

What makes you happy?
Being surrounded by a supportive community and doing the things that I love! I have the best support system of people around me who have always encouraged me to do the things I love to do, and being around that makes me the happiest.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mwhitesellphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwhitesellphoto/