Meet Madison Vaughan: (She/Her/Hers) Photographer – Creator – Always Learning

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

Hi Madison, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
I think the lesson that I have learned and will continue to learn in different ways is to not compare my work to others. This, of course, is much easier said than done. Especially with how small Pittsburgh is, it is easy to follow all of the local creatives and see all of the new work they produce – how can you not compare yourself? My mind produces these racing thoughts of “you aren’t producing enough work.”, ” you aren’t being creative enough.”, and “your pictures are not interesting”. I have been trying to shift away from these thoughts and use this energy to push myself and try new things, but I am getting ahead of myself. My name is Madison and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photography for me is more of a side hustle/hobby that I enjoy. I would consider myself new to the photography game as I only began taking photography seriously back in March 2020 before I was aware of the severity COVID-19 would have on the world. I took those first few months in quarantine to take self-portraits and really learn about my camera which I think set me up for success. Throughout this past year, I have met so many other fantastic photographers, models, and other kinds of creatives that make this learning process fun and easy. But of course, in the time of perfectly curated Instagram feeds it’s hard to not feel self-doubt and compare yourself to others. In times where I do feel extreme waves of self-doubt, I let it pass over me and relish in the fact that it’s all a part of the creative process. I take time away and reflect on those feelings and continue to keep shooting because the only way to overcome a lack of creativity due to feelings of self-doubt is to continue to create. Resilience has been a huge factor in overcoming these feelings along with accepting the fact that failure is inevitable and does not have to be as bad as you let it. I will add that it doesn’t make failure feel any better, but allows me to keep looking forward.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I would say this past year has been very transformative for me in a number of ways. Like many others, the amount of isolation the pandemic has brought to me has caused me to do a lot of self-reflection. In watching all of the events unfold over the past year I took the time to consider how I could learn and be a better person and also unlearn behaviors that contribute to these issues. Those are big things to tackle all at once, so I decided to make little changes in my everyday life and be more mindful of how individuals’ past experiences are oftentimes much different than mine and could impact our interaction. So how does this translate to my work? For starters, I want the person I am working with to feel like part of the creative process. So we have a conversation about expectations and things they hope to get out of the experience. Communicating effectively can avoid so many issues and I take pride in my ability to do so. I also am not always aware of someone’s history so before getting started I ask them if they are okay with me adjusting their pose or touching their hair or getting very close to them. Though these things feel normal and comfortable to me, they may not be for the person I am working with. My attention to detail extends past the props and composition to incorporate the person as a whole in hopes of them feeling seen and respected.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, it wouldn’t be a visit to Pittsburgh unless you ate at Primantis in the Strip District. My go-to is the capicola and cheese with no tomato. Then, of course, we would go to Wholey’s market (also in the Strip District) and check out all of the fresh meat and fish and make sure to ger your freshly squeezed orange juice. On a weekday morning, I would suggest a long walk on the Millvale trail – it is a riverside trail that takes you the whole way to Heinz Field. If you are looking for a night out of dancing and great music I would suggest Howl at the Moon in the cultural district with a live band and dance floor OR Belvederes Ultra Dive bar in Lawrenceville which also has a great dance floor and rotating DJs. If you are looking for a great dive bar to grab a few after-work Nadine’s in the South Side has the best staff and spicy cheese balls ever. I have grown up and spent most of my life in Pittsburgh so far and I have really grown to know and appreciate all it has to offer, especially all of the green space. We are one of the few cities that has a large amount of open green space within the city limits, I would definitely recommend checking out Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park for a nice picnic. Lastly, I would check out the Mattress Factory Museum. It was once an old mattress factory that burned down and they eventually turned it into an art museum where they host different artists throughout the year to create large art installations. It is always changing which makes it nice to visit at least once a year!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first thought is “How lucky am I to have so many people come to mind to shout out”! For starters, my mother, as she would say “Madison has always gone to the beat of her own drum”. She has helped foster my creativity and allowed me to pursue whatever makes me happy in this life. A shoutout to all of the friends and people who have modeled, given feedback, and been supportive along the way. To the FOTOS magazine team and Emmanuel Chamorro who has been supportive in fostering a healthy creative community in Pittsburgh. Lastly, to all of the people who doubt themselves, keep going, keep failing, and keep learning.

Instagram: @_vaughan_photography_

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/madison-vaughan-798370198

Facebook: @vaughanphotographypgh

Image Credits
Fringe hat and gloves – photo credits to Raquel (Rocky) Markulin @rockstitute on Instagram