Meet Rodrick McCartney | Photographer

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

Hi Rodrick, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe that the most important factor behind the success/future success of my brand is God alone. God has blessed me at a very young age to be fortunate enough to be in a position where my talent/creativity can be shown off to the world and to help bring someone else’s vision to life. My photography business did not grow over night and it still is growing but God definitely played the biggest role in the current success of my brand.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Photography is my life. It’s more than just a business for me. Photography to me is a work of art that comes natural to those who can truly visualize what art really is. Photography is more than just a simple portrait of someone. Photography is about turning moments to art. It’s about capturing the current moment at hand and turning it into something memorable and beautiful. I treat all of my photography work and all of my clients with the ultimate respect for even considering me for the job. I know that they could have picked from hundreds of other photographers, so that drives me to work even harder to show them why choosing me for their photoshoot or their event was worth it.  I bring many traits and qualities to the table from a photographer standpoint but more so than that I bring a great personality! At the young age of 19 I am a recent college graduate of Lamar Institute of Technology where I graduated with an Associates Degree in Computer Networking and Troubleshooting. I plan to further my education later this fall to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science where I one day hope to become a Software Engineer. Aside from photography and school. I am very talented in live video & audio production & broadcast. My day job consists of me serving as the Tech Director at my church(Mount Gilead MBC) where I currently oversee a team to help bring The Word of God to those around the world. This job day by day teaches me very great people skills that I use to apply in my daily life. As a business owner my goal is to satisfy the people, and I feel incomplete as a creator when my customer isn’t satisfied. I sometimes can be a perfectionist, but I do it for the customer or the receiver of my work because I owe them my best!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting the area I would invite them to take a short drive to Houston to try a restaurant that they had never been to before. I’m a big fan of thrift shopping so I would definitely take them to my favorite thrift stores in the area. And of course to cap off the trip I would ask them to do a mini photoshoot to remember all of the memories of the trip!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely owe a lot of credit to my loved ones & friends around me. My entire family has all been very supportive of my dreams and want the best for me. But if I could single out a few individuals it would have to be my Mother and my Sister. To my loving mom (Tracy McCartney) & my sister (Taylor Baker) for being there for encouragement and positivity through all of my photoshoots. They both have been very instrumental in the growing of my business. Their consistent words of encouragement and advice uplift me everyday and help me strive to be the best I can be! I can not thank them both enough for contstanly pushing and aiding me in the growth of my business. To my mom I more so want to thank you for giving me the tools to be a great young man. I would not be the business owner I am today without your guidance and your unconditional love along the entire way. And to my loving sister I want to thank you for being such a kind and thoughtful person. I thank you for being there and helping in ways that you did not even have to! Once again I want to thank my ENTIRE family for everything I love you all!

I also owe a lot of credit to my associates that have aided me in the work field. These individuals have helped me many many times in the act of work whether it was hauling equipment, being an extra camera man, or just referring my work to others. To Desmond Jackson, Ryan Mouton, Cameron Ward, Joshua Harmon, Brendan Hardy, Noah Michael, and many others. Thank you for helping me push my brand past its potential! Words can not fathom how helpful all of my work associates have been during the preparation for photoshoots, events, or simply just the overall growth of my business.

Lastly I want to take the time to thank my late grandfather Robert Sidney for everything he has done for me. It saddens me every day that he isn’t here to see my accomplishments, but I know he is looking down and is overly proud of me. I truly do miss you Papa and I surely hope I am making you proud, I love you!

Website: https://rodrickmccartneyphotography.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rod_photography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodrick.mccartney/

Image Credits
Credit to Cetera Odom-Melonson (JhardawnePhotography)