Meet Kassidy McConville | Freelance Photographer

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

Hi Kassidy, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in Southwest Nebraska in a town of less than 300. It was a big farming community full of the most hardworking and supportive people I’ve ever met. My dad followed suit. He was gone before the sun and home long after it set. Very rarely do I ever remember him complaining about the workload; he mentioned more times than not that if you do something you love, life doesn’t feel like a chore. And granted he worked well over the standard 40 hour work week, he was happy. I think having that entrepreneurial spirit and self-motivation close to home was a big inspiration, and having a community that’s eager to watch you succeed played a huge role in getting to where I am.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Photography fell into my life young in high school and quickly consumed my evenings. I’d talk my twin sister into modeling for me and we’d go explore fields and geek out over nature. Slowly this transitioned into friends & family reaching out about small photo needs in the community after posting some of our images on Facebook.

As I got into college, this flowed into getting hired for bigger paying jobs: weddings, brand work, and creative portraits. I didn’t really know what I was doing ha! At this point it still just felt like a hobby alongside my cashier/florist job at a local grocery store. I was studying Graphic Design at a university and had full intentions of going into that world.

As I was nearing graduation, a clothing company reached out. One of their employees had been following my work for awhile and asked me if I’d be interested in coming in for an interview to be considered for a fashion/lifestyle photographer position. I hadn’t even considered that that was a possibility, but went in and was hired on the spot! Internally I was thrilled – I felt like I had “made it” with a standard 9-5. But also, still felt like I had no idea what I was doing. We were photographing models that I would see pop up on the walls at Target, Sephora, etc. It was intimidating, to say the least. I learned more at this job than I could have ever imagined.

After a couple years there, I was powering through the workdays with every spare moment dedicated to my other photo work. I was consistently chugging Red Bull, staying up into the wee hours of the night to work, and struggling to keep up. The balance didn’t exist and eventually realized that I needed to choose what I felt more called to. Though the corporate job was stable & my coworkers were incredible, the content felt a bit shallow and unfulfilling. I realized I wanted to spend my time engaging in work that had more meaning and if that it was worth taking the risk.

I am now starting my 6th year as a full time business! I primarily have shifted into creative portraits, small business branding, and lifestyle family sessions. Looking back, it’s wild to view from the present day. We truly can’t ever prepare or plan for serendipity. I find a lot of joy in connecting with people in a way that celebrates them & their lives and always strive to make it feel personal vs. transactional. I someday hope to eventually transition into doing primarily street photography/photojournalism. I’ve made many many mistakes along the way but the world is full of people learning things they don’t know how to do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Roaaaadtrip! Nebraska has the benefit of being a bit…sparse, haha. But plenty of hidden gems around. I would absolutely start near my hometown in the southwest corner of the state and grab lunch at Macs Drive-In in McCook. It’s this cute little vintage diner that offers the unique experience of ordering your food through an old cord phone placed next to each table. It’s been around since I remember – still the best fries+ranch I’ve ever had. We’d next make our way up through the beautiful Sandhills to Toadstool park in the northwest corner. Just a few miles from the South Dakota border, the landscape mimics the Badlands without all the tourists or price. It truly is in the middle of nowhere along with The High Plains Homestead nearby, offering a unique log cabin stay in a kitschy old western village. Making our way west we’d absolutely stop at Carhenge in Alliance – a replication of Stonehenge but with old cars. A quick visit to my college town of Kearney for a local favorite, Baristas coffee, and take a leg stretch along the bridge at Fort Kearney Park. Heading farther west we’d hit the Danish Bakery in Dannebrog and Goldenrod Pastries in Lincoln (can you tell I like sweets?) Obviously, no trip to Nebraska would be complete without a visit to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Of course, there are many places here and there that stand out – the Nebraska Passport does an amazing job of finding them for you – get a free booklet online for your next trip!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Can I shoutout to the entire Nebraska community? Ha! This state is truly such a special place when it comes to support. People want to see you succeed, they want to help you grow, and they show up when it’s needed. Not just for small business owners, but in general as humans navigating this world; I am always blown away by how much we look out for one another. I think the root of all success starts with having a dependable network of people to lean on. Without question, I wouldn’t be able to do this full time without them.

Website: https://www.kassidymcconville.com

Instagram: @kassidymcconville, @happenedbyluck

Image Credits
Kassidy McConville