Meet Marykate Stallings | Photographer

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

Hi Marykate, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always been really interested in photography ever since I was 12 years old and I explored many different genres of it to find the right fit. From conceptual art, headshots, senior photos, couple photos, events, boudoir, I was trying it all. I never even considered for a second doing anything else rather than being a photographer, I just needed to find the right genre. When I was 19 I was focusing on portraits of women with a fine art style and at the same time was babysitting a lot in order to fund my photography education. I realized then how much fun I had working with kids and loved how carefree and silly I got to be with them. So I then considered specializing in photographing kids, and started doing some fun creative themed shoots with kids like having them dress up as fairies, wear really pretty dresses, and throw glitter in the air. I was having a blast and the shoots started to really take off! After about a year or so of doing fun creative shoots for kids, I decided to attempt this trend I saw online where people give a one year old a whole cake and photograph the process of the baby eating it, getting messy, and having fun. I thought it was so silly at first and really struggled during my first few cake smash shoots (spoiler alert, a lot of babies DON’T like the cake, and a lot of tricks are needed to keep them smiling). Eventually I got better at the shoots and my business really exploded to the point I mostly focus on cake smash, other birthdays, glitter, and Christmas photoshoots! So there was never an exact Aha moment, I just kept trying new genres until I found the one right for me!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One thing that sets apart my photography business from others is that I try and make the experience as easy as possible for the parents. I provide the backdrop, props, outfits, accessories, the cake, provide an easy place to change and clean up their baby after a cake smash. All they really have to do is just show up and have fun!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Favorite local restaurant – Veegos! A trendy place in West Houston that makes vegan Mexican food, I make all my friends go there and they are always dreading it since they think vegan food is just cardboard until they get there and see all their food is delicious and still satisfies that craving for junk food! My favorite is their chilli cheese fries! Other local restaurant – Pho One! I love Pho and am so spoiled the best Pho place is near me, at least in my opinion! I’ve tried a bunch but there’s is the best by far!
Favorite Bar – FAO HTX, but please don’t let it get crowded after sharing this! It’s a really fun bar that’s never too crowded, with a bunch of arcade games, unique drinks, and lots of photo ops and fun places to hangout at.
My favorite thing to do is check out pop up markets, art shows, talk to all the artists/business owners, and spend way too much money at them. The Bayou City Art Festival is the biggest one by far and is put on twice a year and I’ll spend a full day there exploring the festival and talking to everyone. I’ll also go to all the smaller normally themed pop up art shows/markets at The Post, Railway Market, Silver Street, and The Hardy & Nance Studio

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom was definitely a HUGE supporter of my work, my business, and all the crazy ideas I’ve come up with over the years. She would go with me to countless Goodwill’s to shop for dresses for my collection, all the art galleries I had to go to in order to drop off my work, she found classes and summer programs, and just so many opportunities for me to grow as an artist and business owner.

Website: mkstallingsphotography.com

Instagram: mkstallingsphotography

Facebook: MKStallings Photography