MY NAME IS MICKEY BAILEY. I am the owner of Mickey Bailey Photography. I have been shooting professionally for almost 50 years. I opened Studio B in April 2007. After 16 years of service to the Senatobia and the Mid-South, I made the difficult decision to close the Studio. COVID and a downturn in the economy were just to much for me to handle. While Studio B no longer exists, Mickey Bailey Photography is still alive and well. During the past 50 years I have gained experience in shooting school day portraits, seniors, sports actions and team pictures, special events, proms, sweetheart dances, Valentine and Christmas dances, homecoming, graduation, black tie events, Mardi Gras Balls, weddings, bridal portraits, babies, commercial and copy & restoration
BACK IN SENATOBIA. I grew up in Senatobia, moving here when I was only six months old. I attended Kindergarten at First Baptist Church for two years. (My dad used to tease me about taking two years to get out of kindergarten) The next twelve years I spent in the Senatobia City Schools, graduating in the Class of ’75.
After high school my education continued through Northwest MississippiCommunity College, Ole Miss and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminaryin Ft. Worth, where I received a master’s degree. After graduation from SWBTSI served as Minister to Students in Denison, Texas; Long Beach, Mississippi and Lafayette, Louisiana. In 2004 I moved back to Senatobia and opened Studio B. I love my hometown and its people. At each stop along my journey
I have had a photography business. I have been able to serve God here, spend time with family and tend to my mother and spend final days with my grandmother.
LOVE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY.
I’ve had a love for photography for as long as I can remember. Just give me a few illustrations and I can put almost any project together. With photographs I can create and tell a beautiful story. The bottom line, God blessed me with an eye for visual things, especially photography and layout.
FIRST PHOTOGRAPHY JOB. My first “professional” photography job was a family wedding. A cousin’s family asked me to shoot a wedding, simply because I had better than average camera equipment. And they paid me $100.00! Wow! I couldn’t believe they would actually pay me to do something that I loved doing (and I was going to have to attend anyhow.) So, I was off and running. If they only knew how little I actually knew about photography at that time, they probably would have been a little more nervous!
TRAINING. My first training came from photography classes at Ole Miss. There I learned darkroom techniques which I now use during editing digital images. I also learned composition, lighting and most of the basics of photography. It was during this time that I created my first freelance business. MY next stop was seminary in Ft Worth. While there between classes and nights, I worked as a staff photographer for SWBTS, worked part-time for a local photographer and freelanced even more. Working for the seminary, I began to develop skills as a journalist photographer, covering news events on campus and around town. I began in the darkroom. During this time I learned the value of shooting it right the first time instead of trying to repair or correct it in the darkroom, another skill that is equally valuable in digital photography. From another student photographer, who had his under-graduate degree in photography, I learned proper exposure techniques, more about composition and more advantaged lighting techniques. Since then everywhere I have lived, I have had the opportunity to continue with my love of photography.
PHOTO PURPOSE. My first desire and calling is still to work with students as a minister. However, since my divorce those possibilities have shifted to photography where I am now working with students in a different arena than church work. I enjoy the opportunity to help students feel good about themselves and be the person God created them to be. My desire is to provide each client (student, staff, family, bride or whomever) with quality professional photographs at a reasonable price. Whether shooting a wedding, a dance or prom, sports or special event, I try to be as flexible as possible and make the experience a pleasant one. I’ve always loved creating memories for my students, family and friends. For me the next best thing to creating memories is helping capture your memories. It is always a rewarding experience. I love the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
FINAL WORDS. So there you have it a written summary from a non-writer. (This would have been so much better as a slideshow.) I love photography and love working with students. I want them to feel good about themselves and build them up. I love my hometown and my school. I take pride in both and see so much more of what we could be. In all aspects of my life and business I strive to do both according God’s principals. I’m a local boy with a local business. My name also means something to me. I don’t like attaching it to nothing but excellence, especially my photography.
