Meet Michaela Bakondy | Portrait Photographer

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

Hi Michaela, why did you pursue a creative career?
From my perspective photography has always been a part of my life. I didn’t grow up in an artistic family but I did have a grandfather who loved taking pictures and I think that’s where it all started for me. I was lucky enough to stumble into a photography class my freshman year of high school and spent the next four years soaking up as much as I could about the art form from two amazing teachers and artists. I was very fortunate to find something I was good at and loved at a young age and was able to grow my gift in a very supportive environment. I love everything about the creative process, from planning a shoot, to capturing every beautiful detail I can with my camera and then perfecting the final image.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’d say that I’m still in the very baby stages of starting a business. Although taking portraits of people has been something I’ve been doing for the past 15+ years. After going to college for photography, I thought it would be easy to start as a professional photographer right away. I set up a similar business to what I’m starting now and it failed. I had no business background, it was really hard for me to get my name out there beyond my friends and church family. This was before social media and before there were tons of resources for creatives wanting to start a business online. So I failed. I moved on and taught high school photography for 8 years. I loved sharing my passion for photography with my students and it was a great season in my life. Fast forward a few years and two babies later and now I’m ready to get back out there and share my gifts and what I love with my community. Of course the fear of my first failure tries to creep into my head from time to time, but what’s different now from 15 years ago is my why. I now have two little ones looking up to me and many other former students who I want to pave the way for. Not that they will all do photography but they will all attempt something in this life a fail and I want to show them what it looks like to get up again and keep going.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is tricky because my best friends and I all grew up here together, in the Cypress area. But a lot has changed since they moved to other parts of Texas. Right now my favorite area to visit is Katy Asia Town. It seems like every week there’s a new restaurant or tea place that has opened up, I don’t think I’ll ever have enough time to try everything there! I’d probably take them to get tea at Happy Lemon and then ramen at Kizuki and finally SomiSomi for some ice cream and taiyaki! I also love going out to downtown Tomball on Saturday mornings, there’s an awesome farmers market and lots of super cute shops and tasty food along Main Street. Every plant lover should check out Terrarium in Tomball, it’s a new plant nursery that is so whimsical and fun!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many key people who have been a part of my journey, including my parents and teachers. Right now the person who is my biggest support and cheerleader is my husband, Stephen. Without him I wouldn’t be able to do this at all. We actually met in high school in photography class and he is also an artist. I love being able to bounce ideas around with him and that he actually knows and understands not only the creative process but the art of photography as well. He is amazing at helping me stay level headed and keep my perspective, which is really fundamental when starting a business.

Website: https://www.mbakondyphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m_bakondy_photography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBakondyPhotography

Image Credits
All photos by Michaela Bakondy of M Bakondy Photography