Hey y’all! It’s another Friday, which means it’s time for a Friday introduction! Usually I just do that on my Instagram page but I’m trying to blog more as I get settled into Charlotte, so why not a Friday Intro blog post?! But it’s a little bit more than an intro, and more so the story of me! Enjoy!

So this is me! I’m Maggie! I recently moved to the big ole city of Charlotte after graduating from Appalachian State with a degree in Commercial Photography & Spanish! It was a strange combination, but it fed my soul and I loved it! I am completely fluent in Spanish [Spanish blog post coming soon y’all!] and am striving to be a bilingual wedding & portrait photographer in Charlotte! I’ve been here all of a week of 4 days, and so far, I’m loving it! It’s so different than living in Boone where Target and Trader Joes don’t exist. Now there’s a Super Target right down the street from my apartment. Very dangerous!

Sometimes I get tripped up on introductions because I am and love so many things! So let’s just do a list! I am: a child of God, a photographer, a sister, an annoyingly loving girlfriend, a leader, una hermana de cristo, a mountaineer, a FRIENDS addict (seriously, it’s a problem), and a chaser of beautiful light. I love: my 3 best friends who I miss dearly, coffee, twinkly lights, puppies, fizzy water, wine, and my job!

So much of my life has been consumed by photography for the past 7 years or so, and so much of my identity is in the fact that I am a photographer. But beyond that, it is seeing and understanding the immense joy, honor, and responsibility that comes with capturing the very most important days of someone’s life. Whether it be a proposal, wedding, or even a birth (which I recently photographed, post coming soon!), to have it be photographed beautifully and sealed in time forever is such an incredible opportunity! And it is not one that I take lightly in the least!

But what about the girl beyond the camera? Isn’t this supposed to be an introduction post? Well alright, I’ll get to that I suppose. I was born and raised in the sweet Carolina sunshine, where I chased lightning bugs and played in creeks. I cherish the sweetness of a southern childhood especially one that wasn’t bogged down by the ever-present technological world. When I was 11, my parents dropped a huge bomb shell on me and my sister: we were moving to Mexico for 2 years. They felt the call to move us down there as missionaries with the Presbyterian Church USA and Hebron USA to assist in the fundraising and construction of a medical clinic for the indigenous population. I was in my 6th grade year and was having the best year of my life (or so I thought.) I didn’t understand and was tired of everyone telling me what an incredible experience this would be. I was a stubborn middle school girl, which is such a glorious time even in your home country and surrounded by your first language. I was set on proving my parents wrong. But such as with many things, I simply needed time. And with that time I began to fall in love with my new home. The language and the culture fascinated me, and the people loved me with a patience I never deserved. Soon the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico, built me into a strong, capable, and confident young woman as I had the chance to work and learn alongside the most incredible people, both American & Mexican. No longer where our nationalities what defined us, but rather the grace of our God tied us together while singing How Great Thou Art in 3 different languages. To this day, I still cry while singing that song.

But obviously, we moved back and I went into public high school in the states. Talk about a jump! Besides the necessary education, the one way that my high school time served me was through my discovery of photography. I had dabbled in some photography while living in Chiapas, but my freshman year of high school, I saved up for 6 months to pay for my first DSLR camera. And man did I feel like a hot shot! My love for photography grew and grew, and I longed to find a college that would support that. I found Appalachian State, and after the first tour, I knew that that was where I wanted to go to school. I didn’t apply to anywhere else (much to mother’s chagrin) and luckily, I got in!

Under App State’s watchful wing, I was able to learn, grow, and develop my photography into something powerful. I learned how my photography can make a difference in the lives of those in need of wholeness and actually presented at Panorama 2016 about the Transformative Power of Portraits! I have been fortunate to have been given the chance to lead and serve alongside my fellow mountaineers throughout my college career, and I am ecstatic for this new stage in my life! It’s going to be a lot of work to grow a business in such a saturated market, but I think there might just be enough room for one more photographer! I am excited to continue to grow and learn about myself and my art during this time, and even more excited to get the incredible opportunity of taking YOUR picture! Charlotte, thank you for welcoming me! I know it is only the start of an incredible adventure together!

Until next time,