Years ago, if you looked out across the pastures of The R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, you might spot a young girl wandering around

with a point-and-shoot camera she had to beg her mom to let her use. She was probably taking pictures of the newborn foals her granddad showed her that morning, or wild sunflowers she stumbled upon that afternoon. Little did she know her adventurous afternoons with a camera in hand would transform into a passion and later into a career.

Emily McCartney, a junior agricultural communications student at Texas Tech University, never dreamed a hobby she had as a 12-year-old girl would turn into a successful photography business. She started Emily McCartney Photography at the age of 16 when she was asked to do her first hired job: a friend’s senior portraits for just $30.

As she was growing up, people encouraged her to pursue photography and would give positive feedback on the photographs she captured as a teenager. Emily appreciated the words of encouragement, but kept pursuing photography because it was something she loved to do. She said she never took it seriously because photography was simply a past time and a skill that came naturally to her.

“From a very young age, people told me I had an eye for [photography], and I enjoyed doing it,” Emily said. “It was a fun escape for me, and it gave me a creative outlet that I didn’t realize at the time. As I got older, I really loved it and was successful in it.”

Emily’s knowledge of photography was driven by her urge to learn and figure out how to create a powerful image on her own. She watched instructional videos and visited a few workshops, but most of the experience she gained was from trial and error. Afternoons spent on her family’s ranch with the camera in her hand allowed her to practice producing quality photographs. Emily believes she grew up in the best photography environment to learn in. Cowboys and livestock who were willing photo subjects were within a few miles distance. In order for Emily to produce an eye-catching photograph, she only needed to wander outside to her backyard.

The late David Stoecklein, a renowned Western photographer, also influenced Emily to step behind the camera. He photographed Emily and her family while she was a child, and became a driving force in her willingness to learn.

“He was the first photographer I was ever around that really interested me. He played a huge part in me wanting to play with my mom’s camera,” Emily said. “I thought what he did was really neat.”

Photo courtesy of Emily McCartney

A Life Behind the Lens

As she was learning, the only equipment Emily had was a basic camera she was given on her 16th birthday and three memory cards. She made every photo shoot work with what she had and never let her lack of equipment slow her down. She has since upgraded to a higher quality camera, but still stands by the fact that a good camera does not make a good photographer.

“Just because you have a fancy camera doesn’t mean you’re a better photographer than anyone else,” said Emily.

She believes it is important as an artist to develop a style and has worked for years to form her own. She specializes in natural light photography and because of the environment where she was raised, she enjoys capturing images that convey ranching and western culture. Emily feels like she has an upper hand when it comes to agricultural photography because she has lived it her entire life and knows how to promote the industry in a positive manner.

Emily enjoys the perks of owning her own business and the independence that comes along with it. She is able to control when she schedules shoots, where she gets to travel and how she is able to determine the outcome as an artist.

“I get to display what I want through the camera. I get to make young girls feel beautiful and I get to capture families being happy together,” Emily commented. “It’s a really neat profession and to be able to take something that comes natural to me and turn it into an occupation is such a blessing.”

Marianne Easter, Emily’s friend and roommate, is a frequent subject of Emily’s photo shoots. The pair works together every few months for local boutiques, with Marianne as the model and Emily as the photographer. Marianne said Emily’s creativity and genuine personality makes her feel confident and beautiful at every photo shoot.

“Emily is very helpful with walking you through a shoot as far as what angles and faces to do to make you more flattering,” Marianne said. “She makes shoots so easy, because she has an idea of what works and what doesn’t.”

Although Emily is talented in many aspects of her life, Marianne hopes Emily will hold on to her ranching background and focus on capturing photos of the agricultural industry. She believes Emily has a grounded knowledge of the importance of every aspect of agriculture.

“She takes pride in her agricultural background and loves to be able to promote that through her photography,” Marianne said. “In particular, she captures how important the cowboy, horse and cattle are to agriculture.”

Emily’s two worlds of photography and ranching collided at a young age, and she hopes to continue pursuing both of these passions. Her dream would be to turn her hobby into a career as a photojournalist travelling the American West and documenting the lives of hardworking ranchmen and women. Emily, who has worked alongside ranchmen and women her entire life, wants to reveal a lifestyle she feels people

are not familiar with and how hard people within the agricultural industry work.

“Everyone has a story to tell and I want to be able to tell it through really cool pictures.”

Emily was raised around great examples of men and has developed a great deal of respect for cowboys and ranchers, but her true interest lies in the lives of ranching women. She wants to learn the stories of the women who can do a man’s job, then go home and can cook a meal for the cowboys. Emily believes these women are oftentimes overlooked, although they do a lot to keep a ranch running.

Emily said with a sense of reverence in her voice, like her mentor Stoecklein, she wants to put together a coffee table book filled with photographs documenting the culture she has grown to love so much.

Maybe somewhere down the road, in the next ten or twenty years, you will visit a friend for coffee. As you sit down on the couch, a book with an image of a man with a wide-brimmed hat on his head and sweat on his brow will catch your eye. You will be able to tell this cowboy has worked from sun up to sun down and you can feel the exhaustion weighing down on his shoulders. The name Emily McCartney will be emblazoned on the hardback cover and you will know that the girl with a dream and a point-and-shoot camera who begged her mom to let her on an adventure has made it.