Meet Cindy Lacy

We were lucky to catch up with Cindy Lacy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic is deeply rooted in my upbringing. My parents migrated (from El Salvador) to the United States, became citizens, and started a family here with nothing but determination and a dream for a better life. I watched them work incredibly hard to give my two sisters and I everything we needed.
Their resilience, sacrifice, and unwavering love shaped the way I approach everything I do. They taught me that success doesn’t come easy, but with persistence, purpose, heart, and prayer anything is possible.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the founder of Mama Photographer, where I offer in-home newborn photography sessions, baby milestones, and outdoor family minis. My journey began during one of the hardest moments of my life, being wrongfully terminated while on maternity leave. In that heartbreak, a long-buried dream resurfaced. I had the skills, the passion, and finally the push to start something of my own. I didn’t have it all figured out, but I believed that hard work leads to blessings and that belief has carried me ever since.
I launched my business on October 18, 2020—my birthday—which felt like a gift of new beginnings. Since then, my mission has been to bring a studio experience into the comfort and safety of each family’s home. As a mom myself, I understand the fear and overwhelm that comes with taking a newborn out in public. The first few weeks after birth can be so challenging, whether it’s from a complicated delivery, breastfeeding struggles, sleep deprivation, or just adjusting to a new life. By coming into their safe space, I help families feel comfortable and relaxed, allowing us to connect deeply during the session.
From start to finish, every newborn session is calm, tender, and truly precious. I create a mini studio in each home, bringing everything needed. From swaddles, outfits, backdrops, props, and most importantly, patience. This makes the experience as easy and gentle as possible for families. I love chatting with the parents, especially the moms. Often, I’m one of their first visitors since delivery, and those conversations about motherhood are some of my favorite moments.
This amazing connection allows me to grow alongside families. Many call me a “baby whisperer,” and their trust has led me to return to photograph milestones, months later. I’ve also expanded my business to include outdoor family sessions, becoming their family photographer, which I absolutely love.
I’ve poured so much hard work and love into what I do. Every part of Mama Photographer is touched by my hands and heart. I handle absolutely every aspect of my business, building and maintaining my website, responding personally to each client, planning and executing every shoot, editing each image with care, and creating all of my social media content. It’s a lot, but love makes me dedicated. That love for my craft, for the families I serve, and for the stories I get to capture, is what keeps me going. Looking ahead, my goal is to grow my business by mentoring and hiring other photographers under my brand. I’m excited about the future and grateful for the opportunity to support families in capturing their most precious moments.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three qualities that have shaped my journey the most are my lifelong love for babies, my experience in pediatrics, and my deep sense of empathy.
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been drawn to babies. Carrying them, cuddling them—it brought me so much joy. I remember helping my aunt when she became a single mother, doing everything I could to care for her newborn, even as a child myself. I treated my baby cousin like a precious doll. Feeding, changing, and loving her every chance I got. As I got older, my auntie trusted me even more. I got to high school and my job as a teen, was to pick up my cousin from preschool on my way home from school, and care for her until my auntie got out of work. I always knew my heart was meant to care for babies.
That love led me to a 14-year career in pediatrics, where I worked with children from newborns to adolescents. I poured my heart into each child I met and connected deeply with their families. That experience taught me not only the practical skills of working with young children, but how to approach every situation with gentleness, patience, and genuine care.
I truly believe this path was meant for me. For medical reasons, I’m unable to have more children of my own—but meeting a new baby in every session is my “baby fever fix.” I pour all of that love into my work. Each session is more than just photography. It’s a meaningful experience rooted in care, connection, and trust.

My advice to anyone just starting out is to follow your heart, build your skills with intention, and never underestimate the power of compassion. When your work comes from a place of genuine love, it shows and people feel it.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was show me what real love looks like. Through sacrifice, respect, faith, quiet strength and teaching me to believe in God’s plan. I always felt safe, deeply loved, and supported.
Their example taught me so much. How to stay humble, be grateful, and keep going, even when life gets hard. That’s the foundation I carry with me every day—in how I live, how I parent, and how I run my business.
Even now, they’re two of my biggest supporters. They’ve always been proud of me, and they show up for me, my husband, and my kids in the most beautiful ways. I visit and/or talk them daily, and I do my best to give back the love they’ve poured into me. Their love is, and always will be, one of the greatest blessings in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MamaPhotographer.com
• Instagram: @_MamaPhotographer_
• Other: Client testimonials (Google Reviews): https://mamaphotographer.com/testimonials

Image Credits

Photo Credit: Mama Photographer