Meet Brooke Macko

We were lucky to catch up with Brooke Macko recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I like that resilience doesn’t have to be shiny, obvious or heroic. It can be but doesn’t have to. For me, it comes from my love of photography, the innate desire to see life in a split-second image, the love I feel from God, and the experiences in my life. If any of these would be missing, I think I would have given up on doing photography.

I almost quit in March of 2023. I’m so glad that I stayed in it – I wouldn’t be doing this interview if resilience hadn’t been at the intersection of my decision to stick with photography.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My story is simple. I was a kid that dreamed of being a writer who became an accountant. Who then became a photographer.

Accounting was a good choice but… you can’t find the romance of numbers in a spreadsheet. Or at least I wasn’t talented enough to. And when I discovered that a camera could write a story, I was hooked.

While there is more to my journey than just the shift to photography, the simple part is that I was born to create.

I am excited about several pieces to Macka Photography:

1. Portraits – business owners, families, high school seniors
2. Profiles – collaborating with music artists and creatives
3. Magazine – editorial and profile work for West Fort Worth Lifestyle

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

When I look back at the last 10 years of images, I used to grieve mistakes as a photographer. Now I understand it’s a study in growth. Habits, skills, knowledge that have improved over time. What I wish I could have told myself back then!

Three pieces of encouragement for other creatives that I wish I could have told myself:

1. Habit:
Get in your reps. Find ways and opportunities to photograph. I like to think of it as doing squats in the gym so you can be stronger in every day life.

2. Skill:
Find ways to do something that is a little scary. Pushing your own safe boundaries helps you acquire and strengthen skills.

3. Knowledge:
Gain an understanding of your equipment and business. Don’t expect yourself to just know things. Seek out knowledge and verify the source.

REMEMBER:
When you look at older work verses newer work, look for the spots where there are striking differences in the quality of the image – composition, color, story, etc. This “collision” may make your stomach squirm a little, but it’s a celebration of growth. The more striking the difference between the images, the more we have learned and can learn going forward.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

My passion projects are often related to music artists and creatives. Collaborating with them to find a vision or realize their vision in imagery is special to me. I believe in the need for music and how it improves our lives. I love when my photography can serve as a catalyst in their craft.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.macka-photography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackaphotography/