We went through the kind of times that make you question what really matters. At one point, we almost lost our home. We thought we might lose everything we’d built. But through all the chaos, one thing kept us grounded: no matter what happened to the house, or the furniture, or any of the stuff we’d collected over the years, we still had each other. And we still had the talent that no one could take from us. That became our mantra: they can take your home, but they can’t take your talent.

As we started sharing this with other photographers, we realized we weren’t alone. So many people in this industry were struggling, even when everything at the big conventions looked shiny and perfect. There’s always someone onstage promising you can make a million dollars if you just follow their steps. Sometimes those people haven’t actually done it themselves, they’re just really good at selling the dream.

I remember sitting at a conference, watching one of these “Young Guns” segments. They’d bring out all these young photographers, blasting music and flashing lights like they were movie stars. One kid, maybe 20, strutted out and started using his camera like a pistol in an old western movie. It was as if he thought he was the Clint Eastwood of wedding photography.  All I could think was: he’s living in a tiny apartment, no family, no real bills, of course it all seems so simple. Is this really what we want to hold up as the only version of success?

We realized we had a different message to share. Not just another “here’s how to get rich quick” speech, but something deeper. You can lose everything—your house, your security, your plans for the future—and still, no one can take away what makes you unique. The gifts you have, the things you’ve worked for, those are yours, no matter what life throws at you.

When we started talking about this with other photographers, something changed. People listened. They saw themselves in our story. And even though we didn’t know what was coming next for ourselves, sharing that hope became a foundation, something solid to hold onto, no matter how unpredictable life got.

Ready, Set, GO!

It all started in a Nashville hotel room, smack in the middle of the Professional Photographers of America conference. I was staring out the window, and this idea just hit me: We’ve got all these clients with digital cameras, and half of them barely know what all the buttons do. What if we filled that gap and offered a class? Maybe it’d bring in a little extra cash.

I didn’t waste any time. I threw together a class format, fired off an email to our client list, and within a day, every single spot was taken. Ten people. Just like that. The first class snowballed into another, and then another, and soon we added editing classes too. Suddenly, this “maybe” side hustle was actually helping pay the bills.

Fast forward to the end of 2010: Ally and I were named Best of Sacramento Photography Company. Big deal, right? So we’re at the event, celebrating, and we spot this booth for a company called Groupon. I’d heard the name, but seeing them in person got my wheels turning.

I tracked down a Groupon rep, only to be told there was a six-month waitlist for businesses to run a deal. Oh well. The next evening, on a Friday night, I will never forget.  I didn’t want to discount our high-end portrait work, but photography classes? That could be interesting. I fired off an email to Groupon. An hour later, an email reply shows up “Hey David, tell me about these classes. Got a website? What kind of deal would you run?”

Cue panic. We didn’t have a website, or even a name for the classes!  I bluffed my way through the reply (“the site’s being updated,” I stalled) and asked if I could follow up on Monday. She agreed. I yelled from my office to Ally: “We need a name and a website….by Sunday.” She came in and looked at me like I was nuts. We argued about who was actually going to build it (spoiler: neither of us had a clue how),this was before easy web templates like we have today.  However,  I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was an opportunity we had to do.

So there I was, late Friday night, frantically Googling how to build a website. Templates were clunky back then, but I got something together. We needed a name. “McKay Photography Academy?” Sure, why not.

By Sunday, the site, barebones but functional, was live. I emailed the Groupon rep, told her to take a look, and by Monday morning she was on the phone. “This looks great. Let’s run your deal Thursday.” Wait, wasn’t there a waitlist? Nope, apparently not for us. “What kind of deal do you want?” My mind was racing, so I pitched a convention-style class: 400 seats. She didn’t blink. “Awesome. Actually, let’s do three dates. Can you handle that?” I said yes, hung up, and immediately wondered what I’d gotten us into. “Ally, we need a venue for 400 people—by tomorrow. And a curriculum. And now we’re doing this three times.”

We scrambled and rented a place. We had no idea what we were doing, but we had passion and a will to make it happen. Thursday morning, the deal went live. By noon, all three dates were sold out. It was madness, in the best way. Then the Groupon rep called again: “Want to do San Jose?” Sure, why not. Another scramble for a venue.

And just like that, McKay Photography Academy was born. The Groupon deals took off, so we packed our bags and started teaching classes all over the country. For two years, we crisscrossed the nation, teaching convention-style classes, collecting names and emails, and somehow managing to teach over 12,000 people along the way.

None of it was planned. None of it was easy. But sometimes, you just have to say yes, and figure the rest out as you go. And we did just that!