Experience | Service | Heart
creating simple, organic, timeless photographs as souvenirs of our time together
Hi! I'm Margaret McCanna, also known as Maggie.
I've been a photographer for... well... decades, professionally since May 2010, moving my studio to beautiful Amherst County, Virginia, in December 2017.
My forté is in creating images that capture your personality in a relaxed and carefree session, from beauty and boudoir to business and branding. You can read more about me, my vision, and why I do what I do in the FAQs below.
ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
I’m a full-service boutique photographer, working with you at every step to create a luxurious experience.
My service features comfort and personalized attention while creating products of exceptional quality.
- Before: We'll meet for design and styling consultations to collaborate on the desired outcomes of your session.
- Are you thinking of one framed legacy piece to hang in your living room? Perhaps a gallery of multiple smaller photos? Or maybe you'd prefer an album that tells a more in-depth story. Let's talk options!
- Do you want a studio look or an environmental backdrop? Both are available in my Amherst studio or at your favorite location in the greater Lynchburg region. I have portable lighting and backdrops, with travel available Forest to Lovingston and Wintergreen, Lexington to Dillwyn.
- Once we know what we're shooting for and where, we'll consider wardrobe and personal styling selections to ensure a coordinated look. Written and personal assistance is available to make it easy.
- During: Relax and enjoy being cared for! I’ll guide you through posing and expression to bring out the best of you, capturing the photographs you've dreamed of. My hope is that you'll feel fully confident before we're through and enjoy the entire experience as much as the final photos.
- After: About a week after your session, we'll meet to look at your proofs together. Your order will be placed at this meeting, so I encourage you to have all decision-makers present and make childcare arrangements.
- I’ll guide you as you choose from the best images, so you aren't faced with a potentially overwhelming decision-making task on your own. I'll share my professional opinion for which photographs would work better for your final product and why, but the choice is always yours.
- I'll edit your selections to your liking, cleaning up backgrounds, blemishes, lint, etc. Wall art requires master-level retouching that is more in-depth than social media files, and is included.
- Within a couple of weeks, depending on what you've selected, I'll deliver your quality products to show off your fabulous pictures. I've chosen to work with professional labs that provide archival quality materials. Part of my service is to install your wall art, so you don't have to lift a finger to enjoy it right away!
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Make getting portraits one of the unforgettable experiences that becomes a regular part of the story of your life. Reach out today.
ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT
There are several options available!
Signature Portrait Session $390
You deserve to exist in photos, celebrating your true beauty as you are right now. Treat yourself to a few hours of pampering with hairstyling and makeup and a reason to dress up; relive the fun every time you view your images.
Included in this session’s creation fee are our pre-shoot design consultation(s), makeup application, hair styling, custom portrait session, and in-person ordering session to select your choice of images and products. Two photographic prints and their accompanying digital files (sized for sharing online) are included.
Bring your mother/daughter/sister/best friend! Each person will receive the same pampering at a discounted rate. Men and younger children who don’t need makeovers are, of course, complimentary and invited to join in later.
Available add-on: turn your shoot into a Sensational Session with a couture outfit, custom set, or creative composite.
Simple Session $190
This is just what it says: a simple photoshoot without all the fuss. Perfect for a quick headshot update, couples photo, or small families. For this option, you come hair– and makeup-ready for up to 30 minutes, with one outfit/set. One photographic print and its accompanying digital file (sized for sharing online) is included. Book your Studio Simple Session online.
Series Sessions $475+
For business teams and larger or extended families with five or more members, this session type can help you create a consistent look among photographs for your website, branding, or gallery wall. Individual, sub-group, and large group images will be captured in "Short & Sweet" fashion for $95 per person. One digital file per person is included. One group file is included.
Product Pricing
Additional physical and digital images are sold separately, starting at $80. Wall art starts at $200. Multiple-print and wall art packages begin at $1600. Custom-designed heirloom albums (with up to 30 images) start at $2950. A full product description and pricing guide is provided to all clients at our initial consultation.
How do you want to be photographed?
Frequently Asked Questions
What inspired you to start your business?
We always took lots of pictures as I was growing up. Every family gathering. Every state or attraction “welcome” sign on summer road trips (with us standing next to it, of course). Posing next to pretty flowers or interesting trees…. While a lot of these pictures stayed in their envelopes (the kind you got back from the film developer/printer), many were put in photo albums. Those albums weren’t exactly photo-friendly, however. I took up scrapbooking and taught “creative” photo preservation for over 10 years.
During these classes and workshops, I noticed that a lot of the women making their family scrapbooks were not in very many of the pictures. They were usually the ones taking the photos, and they didn’t like the less-than-flattering pictures that others had taken of them. After more than a few people asked if I were a professional photographer – and the gift of my first “nice” digital camera from my brother – I determined that all the mother/family photo historians needed a beautiful photograph of themselves that they love.
I want to deliver photos worthy of framing and hanging on the wall or sitting on the mantle or at least placing in a scrapbook along with all the other images deemed special enough to print and preserve.
What makes your business unique?
Maggie Takes Pix specializes in women’s portraits. Women tend to be critical of their appearance, so I’ve made a point of studying flattering poses and using kind lighting to help you look your best, providing clean, classic imagery.
Yes, I photograph families, men, and some weddings… but my focus is on women, from young middle schoolers who could use a self-esteem boost, to high school seniors about to fly the nest, to brides glowing in anticipation of their big day, to mothers (of all ages) who perhaps need to be reminded how beautiful and appreciated they really are, and especially grandmothers who are ready to share their stories and celebrate their life and legacy.
I believe that all women deserve to exist in photos.
Once the kids leave home, those few photographs that mothers appear in become even fewer. For many I've worked with, their youngest child’s wedding was the last time they had a professional portrait taken. I want women’s lives and stories to be documented and celebrated at every age and stage.
Biography
Margaret "Maggie" McCanna, MBA, is an award-winning photographer specializing in women's personal and professional portraits: business, beauty, and boudoir. Since May 2010, she's helped hundreds of multi-faceted women feel authentic, beautiful, and confident in their photographs.
Maggie also has years of experience as a business manager. Especially familiar with local non-profits and small businesses, she has taken care of the "behind-the-scenes" of multiple entities so that their owners and directors can focus on their core organizational missions, in industries ranging from human services to the arts and education, military, and medical facilities to restaurants. Her work in the aging service community led her to become a Certified Dementia Practitioner.
Maggie is married to Steve, who built their home (and her studio) about 10 minutes west of Amherst, Virginia, relocating from Hampton Roads to their slice of paradise in October 2017. She's Mom to one daughter, Caitlin Angulo, a visual artist who lives in Virginia Beach, and caretaker for one chill cat and one hot mess of a dog. A true dairy aficionado, Maggie believes there is no such thing as too much cheese, and she is easily bribed with ice cream.
"I recently got the courage to have some headshots taken. I was so nervous. Margaret McCanna from Maggie Takes Pix did an incredible job!
I could tell you a long list of things I don’t like about myself - especially when it comes to a picture. Maggie was so encouraging and positive, she really made me feel at ease!I highly recommend her for all your photography needs!"