Meet Molly Sue Garbo: Genuinely & humbly capturing others

We had the good fortune of connecting with Molly Sue Garbo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Molly Sue, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The past four years have flown by since I picked up a camera for the first time & immediately filled with overwhelming joy. When I say flown, I mean it! It seems like just yesterday I was dressing up with my best friend ready to brave an abandoned house to “get some model photos for the gram” with my moms camera set to auto. That feeling of stopping a moment in time is where it started. Though looking back, I never truly had the thought “I’m going to start my own business”… I simply kept doing what brought me joy, which was capturing others. I would call my photography more of an adventure than a business. Throughout the years it has been an up and down roller coaster ride that never disappoints.. the kind where you just can’t hold in the screams as you lift both hands up embracing every turn. Though I didn’t have much thought or experience to starting my own business, the twists and turns have given me more joyful thoughts and beautiful experiences than I could ever have imagined! The people & memories I have been gifted with to capture make me want to be on this ride forever. Hands up. Screaming joyfully in ever direction.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I absolutely love this question. Mainly because it isn’t easy these days to create & embrace your own style! In the beginning, its a back and forth game of cool tones verses warm tones wondering if your eyes are playing tricks on you. All of a sudden the referees whistle blows, you get timid and take a safe route that may look like someone elses work you’ve seen. But what is the fun in that? The more you embrace the little & quirks that make you happy, those who follow along with your journey begin to spot your work just by the feel of it. That might be the most exciting part of photography, is that your work is always evolving into a deeper extension of of yourself. As for what sets me apart, I believe the ability to make others comfortable in their own skin is something I have taken very seriously and find success in. I love to make the most of the opportunities I have to see others in true form, whether they are holding on to their forever person, or a newborn baby sleeping in a swaddle. All moments of vulnerability lead to knowing someone deeper than before, and in my eyes that is worth every moment of working on making clients the most comfortable & loved as possible in the hour or 30 minutes I get to capture them. I have learned how special those minutes are! Holding tight to them for as long as I can.

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.
Three words, Feed, the. ducks. Ducks are my favorite, and I take everyone I love to this certain duck pond in Arlington. It is peaceful and the most fruitful conversations have come from those moments. I guess I would pair that with some sipping and chatting date at a coffee shop. I think the rest of the days we would go with what we are feeling. Hiking, church, and shopping would definitely be on the list at some point! No specific deadlines though, just skipping through life together!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In the Bible, John 15: 5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” There are BUNDLES of humans who I would like to shoutout on a rooftop for everyone to hear. Those who have supported me, encouraged my work, inspired and taught me. They know who they are & are gifted beyond just the love they so graciously extend. I guess I have some thank you cards to write now that I think about it. Though, the most certain presence in every corner of this adventure & these pictures is the presence of Jesus. Because of Him, I see others more clearly, more beautiful, and more precious in my lens. It is so easy to see you have a gift, use it, and take credit for the results. I guess I am here to say to you my friends, that is not the most fruitful path! Apart from Jesus it will wither. I pray for clients as I drive to them, asking God to be glorified above all ! SO HE GETS MY SHOUTOUT! Jesus has taught me that photography is so much more than opening and closing the shutter or the final product. It is about what is on the other side & WHO created it. We are the branches, Jesus tells us, forevermore.

Website: vineoftheheart.squarespace.com
Instagram: vineoftheheartphotography
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Facebook: Molly Garbo & Vine of the Heart
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