Erin Fay shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Erin, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I feel like my business is misunderstood because it’s not actually a business… Although I find myself at motocross and flat tracks across the country quite often now, I have been published multiple times and I’m known for supporting our district by supplying images whenever possible, …I named my HOBBY Madcap Imaging and got it, its own social media as a way to get people to stop private messaging me at all hours… This was never supposed to be a business! It was created to help support my children with their racing endeavors…. Although their father and I coparent very well together and he’s very supportive of their extracurricular activities I have had a run of bad health and I was not able to help financially support them… I didn’t want my situation to hold them back so I picked up my camera and I started taking pictures and selling them to the other Parents and it became and still is a way for me to help support my boys racing.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Erin Fay, and I’m a photographer — maybe.
I still haven’t figured out when you officially earn that title. Some people pick up a camera and instantly call themselves professionals, but for me, it’s always been more of a passion project. I studied photography in college and have been doing it for about ten years, but I still see it as a really awesome hobby rather than a career.
For the last six years, my photography has followed my boys through their motorsports adventures — motocross, flat track, mud bogs, side-by-sides… basically anything fast, loud, and full of dirt. I started out taking photos to support them and help cover racing costs, but before long, other riders were reaching out, sharing their schedules, and asking if I’d be there. My photography kind of grew its own identity, and I’ve just been along for the ride.
Now that my kids are growing up and spending less time on the track, my focus has shifted a bit. I connected with an incredible group called Wheels In Motion, a Michigan-based disability organization run by disabled individuals who help others live life to the fullest. They host everything from car shows to adaptive outdoor events, but their Dirt Days are where I truly shine — capturing joyrides that light up faces and spirits.
Volunteering with them has become deeply meaningful to me. It lets me combine my love of photography with something that genuinely makes a difference — and as my boys move on to new adventures, this feels like the perfect next chapter for me and my camera.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
About eighteen years ago, I was working at a butcher shop in a farmers market, and the owner’s family took me in like one of their own. Sadly the owners mom, Blanche, was in hospice, and I went to visit her one day. We painted Easter eggs together, and I listened to her tell the same stories over and over. At one point, she apologized for repeating herself, and I told her it was fine — I was enjoying my time with her. She grabbed my hand and held it so tightly that all I could do was sit there and let her. Then she desperately said, “You don’t understand… I know I repeat myself, and it’s not because I want to — it’s because I don’t have any other stories to tell you.”
She started to tear up and told me, “You need to go do everything you’ve ever wanted to do while you can, so that when you’re my age, you’ll have stories to pass on.” That moment hit me hard. She said she loved being a wife and a mother, but she gave up her dreams and her hopes to fill that role — She didn’t want me to ever be in the same position. That conversation completely changed my mindset. It made me realize how important it is to live fully, chase experiences, and make sure I always have stories worth telling.
From that moment on i’ve looked for, accepted, and encouraged my own children to go on adventures, buy that Motocross bike and ride the hell out of it, travel, put time into things we love like photography, help others, and give more than we take and say yes, more than say no!
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been plenty of times I’ve thought about giving up. I am currently recovering from my 18th surgery and with everything my body’s been through, it can feel like too much sometimes. There is so much more than just clicking, a button, the hours and hours of editing, running the social media and keeping the website up is exhausting! But every time I start to think that way, I remember why I do it — the smiles, the hugs, and the excitement from the families I photograph. Seeing how much those moments mean to them brings me so much joy and reminds me that what I’m doing matters. I am recording forever memories for them to hold onto!
And honestly, my camera keeps me close to my boys. They still call and ask me to come take pictures when they’re riding or racing. They’re grown now, but through my camera, I still get to share those moments with them and reflect our memories that I’ve recorded from our past.
That connection — the love, the laughter, and the memories we build together — is what keeps me going, even on the hardest days.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friend would say what matters most to me is my family — especially my kids — and my camera, because it helps me capture memories, celebrate life, and stay connected to the people I love.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I know my health controls what I can do. Some days I can’t stand, can’t look at a screen, can’t meet deadlines — it might take me days or even weeks to finish photos. The pressure can make me want to give up, but the people who love and support my work keep me going. Photography gives me something to hold onto, even on the hardest days… at this point I feel like most people are aware that I have said that I have health problems, but very few are aware of the limitations that I work with and frankly, I don’t think most of them care they just want their pictures!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Madcap.shootproof.com
- Instagram: Madcap.imaging
- Facebook: Madcap Imaging
- Other: Strength beyond boundaries, Facebook account dedicated to not just racing, but incorporating my disabilities
Image Credits
Photo credit to MadcapImaging
