Meet Kasey Cam, Local Marana Arizona Photographer

Hello!

My name is Kasey. My grandma calls me Kasey Cam, a shortening of my middle name, Cameria (cam-er-EE-uh.). Hence, Kasey Cam AZ. I started this photography business in January of 2025. My goal is to create an environment in photo sessions where you feel free to move and be yourself, where toddlers lead the shoot with joy, and your partner, even if begrudgingly, agrees that "if you have to do pictures, can we at least do them with Kasey again since she brings snacks?"

I'm a mom to three kids, a bookworm, family historian, and photographer.

It's actually the journaling - family historian and all that - that got me into photography. I spent so much time behind my phone camera documenting every day that when I got my hands back on a real camera it was just natural to dive in head first and learn to tell other's stories through a lense too.

Where it all started..

My photography journey started in 2023 when my mom told me that she had bought herself a new camera, but all I heard was that she now owned an "old camera". Like any good daughter, I took that old one off of her hands. You see, I already loved taking pictures and had about 9 journals at that point, 200+ pages each, with 1 to 30 daily pictures documenting almost every day of children's lives. These pictures were all taken on my phone of course, and having a real camera for sports shooting and other big adventures as my kids get older was very exciting. Almost immediately I realized how hard it would be to get to the level of photography I was picturing showing off in my family journals.

It's important to know that we were also very new to living in Marana. While my husband and I both grew up here, ten years had passed since it had been our permanent residence, and we were exploring all the places that were new to our kids, and the amenities of the neighborhood that was brand new to us, learning through trial and error which hikes that were so fun as teens weren't nearly as manageable with toddlers. And mostly, we were falling in love with the desert again. I have always loved this desert. We used to make fun of my mom for saying she loved brown or black, but honestly, I don't know why those aren't more acceptable answers. The browns of the desert are so warm and flecked with other colors, and it became our mission to notice every beautiful detail of our home.

Photographing Tucson Landscapes

Realizing that I had a LOT to learn about how my camera works and where all the buttons are, I spent 2024 taking pictures of the most perfectly patient clients of all - cactus. They don't wiggle and fuss as I fight to figure out the perfect angle and settings. And when they bloom?! I mean, those giant flower hats just do all the work. And most importantly at the time, I had a home to decorate! There was no real intention of ever making money at this point. I didn't want a job. I was busy enough with three kids and the hunt for friends, thank you very much. But we did have a number of beautifully rustic framed cactus blossom photos in our ownership already, and my husband pointed out it might be cheaper if we didn't have to continue to buy them at antique shops any more.

It was, in fact, not cheaper. I quickly became the owner of new lenses and bags, tripods and hoods for my camera, a miter saw, clamps, a whole little wood workshop in the garage. And pictures of our beautiful desert started filling all the empty walls in our new home. It got to the point that I started asking friends, "At what point is it weird, or too much, to have my own cactus pictures all over my house?" They all very kindly lied that there was no such limit. However, a year has passed and I think I'm close to breaking some of them to change their answer.

I love selling these pictures of the cactus that I take and the responses have always been so kind. The question I get the most is, "Can you make it even bigger?" Bigger than a 20x30 on my little table setup? Ehhh, I haven't figured that one out yet, but maybe someday we'll upgrade! Fingers crossed! That said, I would be thrilled to see someone have another seller take my image and put it in a massive frame for your home, so never hesitate to ask!

Inevitably, as I shared my photographs of cactus, people started to say to themselves, "if she can take that good of a picture of a hedgehog cactus, she can take pictures of us too!" Or maybe they just thought, "She has a camera and probably doesn't charge much since she's not really legit, let's ask her!" It was most likely the latter, and either way I was surprised to find myself very excited that anyone would ask! My very first time really photographing people (because at this point, I had given up - or never really tried - taking out my camera for my kids, and was back to iPhone pictures for journaling) was August 17th, 2024. A wedding reception.

Photographing The Wedding Reception

This was the event that motivated everything.

"Hi Kasey, This is Jill. I know this is super last minute but would you happen to be available to take pics for us at Parker's wedding open house tomorrow night 7- 9. It's pretty casual. Nothing fancy. I was going to have a family member do it but it's not working out so scrambling last minute!"

Parker is one of my little brother's best friends, so when I read this text I knew that Parker had been married a month prior, and had had a photographer there for all the big moments. This would be a backyard reception for all the family and friends that couldn't be reasonably invited or expected to fly out of state for the event but still wanted to meet the bride. So although it was no less important of a moment, there was some relief in knowing that I wouldn't be taking the main bridal photos or anything that was needed to hang on a wall, just journaling/documenting photos. And journaling is my specialty, so I wanted to do it so bad. I told her this was a free service after reiterating my lack of experience and she said that was fine. And ohhh was I nervous they would go awful. I never shot at night, I honestly didn't know if my camera could manage it, and I stayed out well past dark that night trying different settings and techniques in my own backyard to capture something when I had little to no light at all. The next day I used my kids' blackout curtains to create a dark room and continued to practice.

And when I got there, I remembered that this was my brother's best friend, and we know all the same people, so everyone coming would see me there with a camera in my hand, very obviously working as a "photographer". But one thing I'm really good at (usually) is feigning confidence. So I followed the standard "fake it til you make it" and then booked it out of there, anxious to see what could be done to salvage these dark pictures. And when I got home, I wasn't totally mortified with what I had succeeded in capturing. I could certainly see the flaws, the room for improvement, the questions that all started with "How" that I needed the answers to, but overall I had actually really enjoyed it! Plus, I had a decent sized album of pictures to work with. I was proud of myself! And since everyone there had seen me and been stopped by me with a camera in hand, I knew I needed to practice working with people if only so that I could photograph friends and family.

A New Passion for Photography

Suddenly, I found myself doing shoots a couple of times a month, never paid more than $50 for my gas and time, yet sometimes $50 more than I even asked for. I was just so excited to try anything. A secret proposal where I hid in the bushes, and an engagement shoot at the Waffle House of their first date were my two favorites! I thought for sure that couples photography would be my thing. Who doesn't love love?!

And then I did more shopping. I purchased a business license. I made it all official. I ordered all sorts of lighting equipment and set up a little studio backdrop in my garage to advertise some Valentine minis for kids. It was cute and convenient, I would get to use it on my own kids who have never had a themed photoshoot except with Santa, plus I lead the neighborhood story times and am great with kids. (Great with others' kids, I should say. I am not nearly so cocky about my own parenting.) In a very uncreepy way, I just know and have access to young kids to be my photography subjects more so than young couples, and it seemed like a fun way to practice. But it wasn't just fun. It was invigorating! The kids were adorable and the shoots were playful, much more enjoyable than any family shoot I had ever been forced to sit through, and I loved it! And the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I was already plotting the next mini session I would offer. And all the while there was a wedding, some family shoots, and other creative opportunities mixed in along the way. Easter Minis proved to be more challenging with the darker setup I chose, but just as exciting and adorable. And then there were the graduation minis with the mini graduates. I had so many bookings, add-ons were purchased from every gallery I delivered, and I started really learning about how others run a photography business and what I wanted to be able to offer.

Now evening look like my husband learning Spanish while I lay in bed next to him watching photography lessons online and trying to figure out how to fix all the little errors I make with my camera and how to get the type of pictures I imagine in my head. And no, I'm not sad or embarrassed that every picture doesn't come out perfect, because every shoot comes out a little better and I've only been doing this for a very short time, after all. Overall I'm so excited about my potential! And that's a weird things to say but also so motivating to put in the work!

The Mission Continues

So here we are now. It's still a new adventure, new things to learn, new things to try, new people to meet. And it will be that way for a long time yet! It's very exciting, isn't it? And that mission I started on to notice the beauty of the Sonoran desert hasn't really changed much. I'm just broadening my scope of subjects, because all these moments with my neighbors that make up Marana and Tucson really are beautiful. Creating a laugh, capturing the movement, witnessing all the love and hugs and kisses people share is a huge honor. And I'm grateful for every moment of it.