Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Slowey.
Hi Mary, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I like to say I got in to photography backwards. I had always been interested in it, but was never able to take a class in school because it wouldn’t fit in to my credits and pre-reqs. When I started working in Country radio in Boston, I really honed in on photographing concerts and events from a branding perspective. Eventually I just wanted the quality of the media we were sharing to improve, plus I was really enjoying it, so I purchased my own gear that I would use for the station’s events. I learned all the basics of operating a camera, editing, etc. through shooting concerts – an atmosphere where you can’t control lighting, subject, or even where you can stand or how much space you have.
I then moved to Nashville in February of 2020… so you see where this is going. I was both unemployed and concerts weren’t happening, so I went back to the safe space that I always had since I was 4 years old, Irish dance. When the Irish dance World Championships that year were cancelled, I did a photoshoot giveaway so a handful of the dancers who had trained were still able to celebrate their hard work, just a little differently. By this point it wasn’t the first time I had worked with Irish dancers or ventured in to portrait photography, but it was the first time that my skill had finally progressed to match my taste and the dream felt attainable.
It was slow growth over the next years. A lot of low budget marketing, finger crossing that my clients would talk about me, contracts and lay offs in corporate roles so that I could actually afford gear, and a big ole daily dose of self doubt. There were multiple times where I said, “If this course/ad/marketing tactic doesn’t work, then maybe it’s just not meant to be.” But somehow the enjoyment I got from photography always remained stronger than my desire to give up. Among the things that were out of my control, this was the best.
At the tail end of 2023, I was so sick of what I was doing not working that I finally got over myself, and my fears, and went full send on making myself and my story part of my brand. I posted even though I thought it was cringe. And somehow, something finally worked. 2024 was the biggest year for Slowey Photography’s growth. I created the Senior Athlete Team for Irish dancers, photographed old classmate’s beautiful children (that they created!?), and celebrated graduating seniors with more than just yearbook photos. And so far, 2025 is giving last year a run for it’s money, allowing me the time and brain capacity to go back to including branding and events to my services under the sub-brand Slowey Snaps, alongside continuing to work with Irish dancers, high school seniors, and families at Slowey Photography.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a business is fairly easy, growing a business and making it profitable is capital H A R D. Especially when you’re in it alone, there are a lot of roles that you take on that would typically be outsourced to another department. Add to that comparison and imposter syndrome for not only what you want to be doing, but for the aspects you have to do… like who let me be the creator of my website? I fight with it weekly. I don’t want to be a web designer, it is not enjoyable to me, but here we are! When you are making a living off creative work, especially when the next client is not guaranteed, you learn how to run a lot of the less enjoyable aspects to save on expenses. (Because they keep asking me for rent every month, it’s insane!) And these roles that make being a photographer a business take time out of your day, too. I wish I could just plan sessions and take photos, but I spend far more time tracking expenses and social media trends than being a photographer.
Personally, I’ve had mental health struggles to deal with, too. A huge part of why I wanted my enjoyment of photography to be my career was because it’s really beneficial for me to be able to work on my own terms and schedule, but that comes with a lot of drawbacks as well. There’s no one else to show up and edit and deliver photos by the promised deadline when I’m needing a mental health day (or 3). It’s tough to balance your life and your livelihood when they are both so intertwined.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Because of my own journey with my mental health, I really want this to be something that is talked about openly within my brand. Especially working with teen girls a lot, I can relate to a lot of what they are going through even if it’s not something “diagnostic” per say, the transition that happens in all aspects of life when both going through and graduating high school has such an impact on our development and world view. It’s important to me that they feel less lonely and supported in their feelings, especially as someone who was told hers were “too big” when I was their age.
This helps me connect with the artists I work with, too. Outside of the stereotypical experience of creatives not feeling like that “fit in” growing up, I’ve seen the radio side of the music industry, and I’ve experienced building a business that at it’s core is you. If we can take a sometimes scary business investment and make it enjoyable – whether that is because we turn the shoot in to something to look forward to or we just commiserate about having to do annoying things to run our businesses – I do what I can to just be a real human behind the lens and connect with my clients as humans too.
What does success mean to you?
Woof, what a question. My definition changes frequently as different aspects of my life change, but I’d say right now if the “work” I’m producing feels fulfilling, like I’m having an impact, and is allowing me to afford to be alive, that feels pretty dang successful to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sloweysnaps.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sloweyphotography and https://www.instagram.com/sloweysnaps
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sloweyphotography
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sloweyphotography
