Hey there, I’m Morgan Mae, the namesake and founder of By Morgan Mae Photography!
I’ve been doing photography for well over a decade now and It all started in a small town in Iowa. When I was growing up, the town I called “home” was full of citizens ranging from middle to lower economic class. I recognized a need for cost-effective photographers in the area so that my classmates could afford to get their senior photos done. So instead of waiting for the right opportunities to come along, I created them instead.
I picked up a camera, took every art class I could, and started taking photos of my friends and family for practice. But honestly, by then, I didn’t want to simply point and click, I wanted to become the real deal. I picked up my first camera (a canon rebel t3, iykyk) and was determined to learn it all! It wasn’t long before I fell in love with photography and in serving the community I loved so dearly.
Though the business aspect has always been more part-time/hobby for me, my biggest wish is to do what I love full time. Moving to the Madison area has meant that I have to rebuild my business from the ground up - inclusive of locations, connections, and rapport. If you know me well, you know that I'm the girl behind the camera at every event and gathering (even if you don't think I'm paying attention), I'm a loud and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and strive to create an environment welcoming of all people, and I love capturing memories (at all costs) to keep and cherish for a long, long time.
And of course, ALL OF YOU. I love all of you who have supported me through my journey and all of those who are yet to step into my path. I welcome all of you with open arms, an open heart, and with my finger halfway on the shutter at all times ;)
Heyyyyyyy!! I'm Cass!
You can call me Cass, short for Cassidy, and I’m the creative consultant for By Morgan Mae Photography. What is a creative consultant you ask? Well, for starters my Pinterest is FULL of unique photoshoot ideas and poses for every scenario you can think of. I help with the prep of your session by culling inspiration and organizing the vibes. I lug around decorations, props, set pieces, camera equipment, and even Morgan's coffee (haha) all in efforts to ease Morgan’s need to multitask and be able to put more focus on the client directly.
During your shoot, you’ll see me capturing behind the scenes content for Morgan. You might see me playing lookout for tripping hazards, cute hidden corners, your hair in your face, your jacket doing weird things in the wind, a bird being a little too suspicious (you know, these ones)…. And like A HUNDRED OTHER THINGS. My head is essentially on a swivel on shoot days! My friends may call it ADHD, but my resume says “painstaking attention to detail and exceptional multitasking.”
As a team, we believe everyone deserves to have their story remembered.
Morgan started this business because she saw a need: people in her community deserved beautiful, meaningful photographs without photography feeling out of reach and her growing determination to figure it all out grew into a love for something much bigger than taking pictures.
It was about people.
About the way your partner looks at you when they think you aren't paying attention, the chaos of your kids running around the house, the tiny details you swear you'll remember forever but somehow forget. The belly laughs, quiet glances, messy hair, nervous excitement, and all of the beautifully imperfect moments that make your life.. well, yours.
That's why we don't believe photography should be about creating a perfect version of your life. We believe it should be about preserving the real one. We want you to walk away from your session with more than pretty pictures. We want you to have photographs that bring you right back to how that moment felt. Back to the people you loved, the season of life you were in, and the little pieces of yourself you might otherwise forget.
Our goal is to create a space where everyone can show up exactly as they are.
Where your family looks like your family, your love looks like your love,
and you never have to shrink, perform, or fit yourself into someone else's idea of what a portrait session should look like.
With Morgan behind the camera and Cass keeping an eye on all the little things happening around it, we're here to make the experience feel easy, genuine, and maybe even a little bit fun.
