Makena Hudson
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m a photographer and retoucher, specializing in architectural photography. ”
Though stills are my focus, I can shoot and edit video as well. I revel in all parts of the photography process—the lighting and set dressing, shooting and post-processing. I have a bit of a background in motion picture film production that has shaped my taste and foundational technical knowledge. I fell in love with retouching when I began shooting digitally, and now it’s what I most look forward to. Post-processing is where I feel most creatively liberated. To me, the collage and painting processes I employ in retouching are the difference between taking and making a photograph.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
As a kid, I hated being in pictures. Grabbing the camera began as a means to weasel out of posing, but before long, I was scraping together savings from my weekend job to buy my own. I was lucky to enjoy great film photography programs in both high school and college. At the end of my studies, I went abroad to Ireland and joined a university club for filmmaking. I made friends, and when I wasn’t in class, we were making movies. That inspired me to try my hand at the film industry back in LA, and after graduating, I spent some time working as a camera assistant. I missed stills though, so I returned to it as an in-house photographer for an architecture firm and later, a freelance retoucher. I can’t wait to someday return to film as a photographic medium. I even have dreams of building myself a tiny backyard darkroom shed!
How do you stand out in your field?
Put simply, though I’m an expert retoucher and a skilled shooter, it’s really the fact that I’m a jack of all trades that sets me apart. I really believe that being a generalist ultimately makes you better at your craft. Both my work and hobby backgrounds are diverse, which ultimately makes me a creative problem solver. I’ve got scrappy diy know-how, but I’ve also worked on film sets; I’m methodical, but capable of executing unusual solutions. I worked at an art magazine. I did PR for a food truck. I’ve shot for 72 hour film competitions. I do archery on the weekends (hey, you never know what will come in handy)!
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I’m currently putting together a project centered around photographing historical houses and house museums. I’m a huge fan of small museums in particular, and house museums are so singular and specific—they’re real characters! I love local historical residential architecture.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
My favorite camera to use in school was the Hasselblad 500C; that really informed my aesthetic sensibility and shaped my preference for calm compositions. The viewfinder is meant to be waist-level, peered down into rather than through to a subject, which makes for a much less confrontational and more contemplative experience. The image also appears mirrored, so it’s easy to see things from a fresh perspective when you slow down. The ground glass has such a soft glow to it I always feel inspired to translate that warm quality to my work.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I’d certainly boost my video skills. I’m a novice editor, and I’d love to be able to get a bit more film knowledge so I could really understand how editing shapes narrative—a better understanding of the macro view. Specifically, with architectural photography I’m finding that clients are beginning to want a video component for their projects. Since my professional background contains some work in film production (and it remains an interest of mine), I feel that with a little development I could be uniquely positioned to meet the needs of clients in this particular space.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Web presence. I don’t use social media, and never really have. My friends made my Facebook page when I was in high school. I was required to make a Twitter account in journalism school, but I never invested time in it. I feel like I missed the millennial education on how to market myself, and am only now just catching up.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I’d surely appreciate some help with project management. I prefer to work linearly, and tend to work head-down for extended periods of time without coming up for air. However, sometimes the task I’ve begun isn’t the most important to immediately complete.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I wish I could have told myself to just try things out. Being risk-averse while also being a creative person makes it hard to step into lead roles, so I’ve often fallen back on my technical skills. People who want to lead creatively don’t often ask for permission, and when things don’t go perfectly that learning experience is valuable in and of itself. Just say yes to more things.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I really miss the creative mentorship I used to get in school. Once you’re out in the world, you can tend to get a bit of tunnel vision. It would be great to have someone to regularly critique my work to help me expand creatively. I want to be challenged on my compositional choices and get a second set of eyes on my edits. Talking to yourself only gets you so far!
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
As a photographer, I’m looking for mainly architectural projects, be they interiors or exteriors. I’m happy to take on portrait work too—especially environmental portraits. I’m experienced with all parts of the process, from shooting to editing. Retouching is my jam. If you have any images you need processed, I can do everything from compositing to the nitty gritty clean-up for architectural photography, product photos, beauty shots—anything.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
In terms of photography, I would love to spend all my time photographing the places humans live, working with homeowners to shoot their residences, architects to capture their projects, or travel publications to photograph hotels and cultural institutions.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Email is best! I’m at makena.c.hudson@gmail.com.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
I try not to limit myself to the projects I “should” be doing. Lately, I’ve been getting back into sewing (I was probably born a granny), and clothes-making. Recently, I’ve found new inspiration in learning to stitch by hand using historical techniques. I’m also a huge nerd for home cooking and baking; I’ve been in charge of my family’s holiday meals since I was 12. Every Christmas someone buys me a new cookbook that they may or may not want me to use for the next holiday’s meal. It’s a pretty clever scheme they’ve got going, no?
This member profile was originally published in November 2020.