Age:	48
	Hometown:	St. Louis, MO
	Profession/Type of Art:	Photography
	Education:	University of Missouri-Columbia, BA in Elementary Special Education

Renee McMahon is the second of ten children. She first lived in North Saint Louis County in the Normandy area. She attended Visitation Academy and went on to the University of Missouri in Columbia.

She studied elementary special education, but even then gained some experience in photography. She had to complete two courses the summer of her graduation and was offered the opportunity to take a class in photography for teachers. She grabbed the chance.

The next eight years or so, McMahon worked in the education field. She then joined her family's construction business, where she worked for twelve years. After meeting and marrying her husband, she decided to take her savings and try the photography business.

McMahon and her husband found a 75-year-old home, which they have gutted and rehabed. She loves the nature of old homes, and she did the designing while her husband did much of the work.

The following interview with Renee McMahon was conducted in her home by Cheryl Blake, UM-St. Louis, September 2004.

Q. How did you get started in photography?

A. I've actually had three or four careers. I was in education for eight years. Then I went into my family's construction business. It was stressful, and the hours were long. It was a secure job, but I knew I would go no further. Then I got married a few years ago, and my husband said I could quit if I wanted.

I had taken photography classes on and off at junior college. Back at Mizzou, I had a class in photography for teachers. So when I decided to try working at photography, I went back to St. Louis Community College at Forest Park to relearn to process and print. They have some really good teachers.

Q. Did your husband support your choice?

A. Yes, and I had savings. I've only been at this [photography as a career] about three years. I'm lucky I didn't have to make a living right away. I used my 20 nieces and nephews as my first subjects.

Word of mouth is how I really started getting business. I gave away sessions just charging for the prints. Then I began figuring in film and processing, not for my time at first. Then the woman who owns Kangaroo Kids had me photograph her four children, and she displayed the pictures in the store. That's brought a lot of referrals. I don't know if I've found my niche, but I do a lot of young children and babies. I also photographed for the woman who runs the children's clothing store Los Ninos. She wanted color although most of what I do is black and white. Just recently I have begun working with tinting black and white photos, something that sets my work apart from something a mom could get at Sears. Q. What other promotions do you do? A. Well, when I go to a baby shower, I'll give a gift certificate for a free sitting. I'll give another gift, too, but the sitting gets my work out there.

Q. What about the photography itself: have you been learning as you go as well?

A. Yes. I read a whole lot. And you have to shoot, shoot, shoot. I like natural light and about 90% of my work uses it. I'll go on location, take pictures here [at my home], use an outdoor setting like Forest Park.

A sitting is about two hours, and I get thirty or so choices that are pretty dang good. I used to do proof sheets, but the images are so small. Now I can afford to have them scanned and put on a CD. The client can look at the images on the computer. I can crop on the screen, create collages. I've made mistakes, but I've only had one session I asked to do over because I wasn't happy with it. I'm processing my own medium format black and white using selenium toning. That makes them archival. I like that tone better than sepia. But I've found a lab that can process the thirty-five millimeter film for me.

I haven't gone digital yet. It's expensive and you have to keep upgrading. I want to use digital, but I don't think I can match my black and white quality yet.

Q. Any advice for photographers starting out?

A. If I had it to do all over again, I would start in photography. I would have taken that in college, along with business courses. It's hard to set prices. I went to a convention in January, and I learned that a photographer has to get over it--get over loving what we do so much that we put in lots of time without charging enough for the time. I think women do that in many fields. But you also have to consider that it takes longer at the beginning because you're new at it, so you don't want to charge too much.

I'd advise someone starting out to work for a photographer first. They did the grunt work and know the resources and how to do the work.

You can always find a niche. I like working with young moms right now. They don't need children to be so perfect. And I'll frame some prints, create a collage and arrange it on the wall. People buy what they see.

I still look at all of them, all the photographs as I process them, and ask , "How can that be better?"

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