Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Murray.
Hi Marie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My fascination with photography started long before I ever considered it something I could pursue professionally. I was always that kid with a disposable camera at every birthday party, summer camp, church event, and sleepover. Eventually, my mom gave me a hand-me-down film camera, followed by a cheap digital camera from my aunt that practically ran on air and dreams because it felt like a toy. Then, in 2006, I got my first Canon PowerShot, and that’s when my interest really started taking off!
One of my favorite photography memories is my first paid family portrait session. A middle school girl from the youth group I served in had always been such a cheerleader for my photography, and somehow she convinced her parents to hire young me with my little point-and-shoot camera! I was SO nervous, but had the best time taking photos of them and their puppy. I even made this poor family stand in a freezing-cold creek because I had a creative vision, and they just went along with it! They were incredibly encouraging, and that experience really opened my eyes to pursuing photography beyond my own family and friends.
After high school, I bought my first Nikon DSLR, studied photography in college, and started second shooting weddings for a friend throughout Northern California. I absolutely loved capturing all the candid moments and helping coordinate the shot list throughout the day! Over the years, I continued photographing couples, families, and gatherings while building a career in e-commerce and marketing, where I’ve also had opportunities to incorporate my photography skills into my work.
In 2023, my husband and I moved from our hometown of Chico, California, to Gallatin, Tennessee. I spent those first few years focused on settling in, building relationships, and getting plugged into our new community, and my photography went into a bit of hibernation. Through that, I also started finding new opportunities to volunteer, including mission trips to the Dominican Republic with a wonderful Gallatin-based organization, Agape to the Nations.
After my second trip, I came home with this undeniable feeling that God was calling me to do more with the gifts He’s given me. I’d seen how meaningful it was to show people who are often overlooked just how special, seen, and loved by God they are, and I kept wondering how I could carry that same heart into my everyday life and community.
Several months later, I still wasn’t quite sure what to do with that feeling. I was pretty stuck and uninspired when a daily check-in app I use asked me, “What’s one goal you want to work on this month?” I wrote on a little sticky note that I wanted to grow more in my photography.
And I kid you not, within those next 48 hours, it felt like God said, “Okay, I hear you. Now go for it!”
Suddenly, I was researching new techniques, connecting with local creatives and business professionals, redesigning my very outdated website, and getting behind the camera in the following weeks for community events, concerts, fundraisers, church activities, and simply for the joy of taking photos again.
It has been honestly invigorating to feel this excited and inspired by photography again! And now, over 20 years after I first started, I feel like my photography is becoming more aligned with who I am and how I want to serve the people around me. I’m still learning, still experimenting, and still finding so much joy in simply picking up my camera and seeing what I can create.
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?
Oh, it has definitely not always been a smooth road!
One of my biggest challenges has been balancing photography with my full-time career. I’ve spent more than 15 years working in e-commerce and marketing, which I genuinely love, but when you’re pouring so much creative energy into your professional work, sometimes there isn’t much left for your own projects.
There have been seasons when I was photographing constantly and others when my camera barely came out. I also found myself going down that rabbit hole of comparing my photos to everything I was seeing online instead of actually honing my own creativity and enjoying it.
For the longest time, I felt like I had never really established my own editing style. At the same time, I wanted to honor each shoot for what it was and who I was photographing, rather than making everything look exactly the same. It’s funny looking back at my older photos now and seeing how much my style has shifted over the years. And I’ve realized that shift was actually a good thing. Maybe I wasn’t seeing photos like mine on other photographers’ profiles because I was developing a style that was distinctly my own!
Moving across the country was another big adjustment. I’d spent years building a photography clientele in Northern California, and suddenly I was starting over somewhere almost nobody knew me or my work. The hardest part wasn’t brushing up on my skills. It was rebuilding my confidence in putting myself out there.
I’m learning that I don’t need to measure my growth against what everyone else is creating. Sometimes it’s enough to pick up my camera, try something new, and enjoy the process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My photography primarily focuses on couples, families, and events throughout Gallatin and the surrounding Nashville area. I love working with natural light and rich, vibrant colors while keeping my photos true to the people and scenery I’m capturing.
I’ve never been one to expect everyone to suddenly become a model when a camera comes out! I’ll give direction when it’s needed, but I love keeping things relaxed and letting people be themselves. If the kids would rather run around, we’ll run around. If someone’s uncomfortable posing, we’ll find ways to get them interacting naturally instead. And when I’m photographing an event, I’m paying attention to what’s happening around the main attraction, too. Some of my favorite photos are the ones people didn’t even realize I was taking.
Photography has also been a part of my professional career in e-commerce and marketing, where I’ve worked on product photography, visual branding, and coordinating larger, multi-day photoshoots. It’s a different kind of creative process than photographing people and events, but I love both the planning that goes into a shoot and the unexpected moments that happen during one. Seeing a project all the way through from start to finish is really something special.
Lately, what I’m most proud of is how much more intentionally I’ve been using photography to connect with and serve people in my community. One of the most meaningful opportunities recently was being asked by one of the children’s homes Agape partners with in the Dominican Republic to take family portraits for them when I head back next year. What an absolute honor! Knowing that people trust me to capture moments that mean something to them and help them feel seen is an incredible blessing.
And honestly, I just really love taking photos! Whether I’m photographing a family, documenting an event, or pulling my car over because the Tennessee sky looks too beautiful to pass up, I know I’ll never lose that excitement for creating.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My older sister, brother, and I used to get into all kinds of shenanigans together, but my absolute favorites were the parody “movies” we would make with our family camcorder. Scripts, costumes, props, and ridiculous plots from classics like The Little Marmalade, Beauty and the Yeast, and Lames Blond! And yes, being the youngest, I usually got thrown into the role with the fewest lines. Ha! Just goes to show how much I prefer being behind the camera rather than in front of it.
Pricing:
- Couples Portraits starting at $300
- Family Portraits starting at $350
- Gatherings & Events starting at $800
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mariemurrayphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariemurrayphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariemurrayphotography
