we know Love

because we're in it

Hey, we’re Matt and Kels Malicote. We’re a husband and wife photography team based in Lexington, Kentucky. With over a decade of experience, we love to photograph beautiful-souled people having the time of their lives. We have been blessed to capture some incredible moments with countless couples, families, and tiny little humans.

Our work is more than just beautiful imagery. It’s about the moments and the experiences created. It’s about learning, knowing, and encouraging those we come in contact with. It’s about bringing couples and families closer together in love. It’s about capturing a moment in time and giving it back to them to hold onto forever. It’s about using our God-given talent to reinvest into the community around us. We exist to use our art form to serve others with humility and grace.

our story

THE START

In 2007, we met at a greasy spoon restaurant in Paris, KY, where I (Kels) was a waitress and Matt, was a regular. It took Matt a month to ask me out and when he did I made him wait another month before we went our our first date!! HAHA. Oh the suspense! We’ve been doing life together ever since. Currently we live in Lexington, KY with our sweet girl, Myla Grey.

SOMETHING NEW

I (Matt) dabbled in photography for years. Knowing this, a co-worker asked me if I would shoot her daughter’s wedding. I said yes and rented Kels a camera. Side note: We had never shot a wedding before. Side-side note: This was Kels’ first time holding a camera! But we made it count and quickly fell in love with wedding photography.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

After this first wedding adventure, Malicote Photography became a real thing…and it grew. One wedding quickly turned into twenty weddings within our first year of business! Year two the wedding count doubled. We couldn’t believe it!

Over the years we worked to hone our craft and weave an intricate thread of natural light through our body of work. Our offerings expanded from digital photography to digital and film photography. We began to shoot more than just weddings. We made a decision that we wanted to “do life” with our clients and be there for all stages of their lives – engagements, weddings, headshots, maternity, newborn,family photos, and seniors. We even began to move into the commercial, event and editorial world shooting for magazines and local businesses across the state and even internationally!

Looking back we are blown away at how far we’ve come. Time and time again we say that we are so blessed to call this our job. We get to be memory makers. Photograph takers. And love shakers.

THE RE-BRAND

Being in business for a few years, we noticed something. We weren’t showcasing ourselves and our work in an authentic way. We were branding ourselves by what we thought people wanted to see. Then it hit us…we needed to show the real us. So, we began the rebranding process. It was hard and scary, but so worth it. We spent every spare moment pouring over our business and doing the heart work.

This rebrand completely defined our business and set us apart in the industry. After the positive response and the massive influx in our business (bookings were shooting through the roof!), we thought, if we could do this for ourselves, maybe we could do this for other small businesses too…

From this, The Malicote Creative Company was born. The Malicote Creative Company was built with the intention to put truth back into branding. As a creative company and branding firm, we work alongside small business owners to own their brand identity by putting the business’ heart out into the world. Within our first year, we had the opportunity to serve 26 clients.

FULL-TIME HUBBY + WIFE DUO

After our rebrand and influx of clients, we decided to take the next big step in our business. Matt had been a quality engineer for 13 years. Together we decided it was time for him to retire and join me (Kels) full-time. Don’t worry we threw a huge retirement party to celebrate!

It took us a few years to get in a rhythm of working side by side as a married couple and running a multifaceted business. Now, we excel in our roles alongside our team as a husband and wife photography team and creative business.

THE BURNOUT YEARS

Then something happened. Our calendar was filled with over 600 sessions – but our hearts were left tired and weary. One day after two years of non-stop shooting, I (Kels) walked into our office and looked at our team with a tear-stained face and said, “No more”. I couldn’t continue trading time for money. It took some time to figure out how to stop trading hours for dollars, but we gradually made the change and our business evolved yet again.

ONE BIG BUSINESS FAMILY

We found ourselves making things happen and figuring out our business. But then we started thinking again. We had two separate businesses. The businesses were totally different and we worked to keep them that way…or so we thought. The businesses were constantly overlapping. Why were we working so hard to keep the two businesses separate when they could work together to create the ultimate client experience?

So, we’re here to share that we are taking yet another big step in our business and merging Malicote Photography with The Malicote Creative Company. We’re more than just a husband and wife photography team, y’all!

The Malicote Creative Company, a photography and creative company, is composed of accomplished business entrepreneurs with decades of experience. Our offerings now include photography, brand development,education, speaking, and events. And can we say…we’re really freaking excited!

Husband and Wife Photography Team
Husband and Wife Photography Team
Husband and Wife Photography Team

our world

Myla Gray

Myla Grey came into our lives in 2014 right before Christmas…the perfect gift. While I (Kels) was pregnant with Myla, I prayed that she would have a good heart. And I can honestly say that she does. She loves serving those around her and putting a smile on their face whether through a quick snuggle or gifting a lollipop.

Our girl is a curly headed sass pot who loves all things that sparkle. She has her own “sayings” that we call “Myla-isms”.

  • She calls hiccups “teacups”
  • Her favorite way to say I love you: “I love you in the whole city of life!”
  • Cottage cheese is “butterfly food” - she loves butterfly food!
  • Movies are “the big show”
  • At the end of prayer she says “all are men” instead of amen
  • She marries Matt + I everyday - she loves love, too!

the community

we love and serve

The heartwork is the foundation for our business. Without it we are nothing. We are passionate about serving and giving back to our community in a real and authentic way. We firmly believe that you should go into the world and do well, but more importantly, go into the world and do good. Donations and gifts of product or service are given throughout the year. Please contact us and we will get back you as soon as possible! 

We’re About:
Uplifting Community
Dreaming Big
Serving with Compassion 
Walking in Grace
Supporting An Inclusive Space

you might have

seen us in

The Malicotes Photography
Husband and Wife Photography Team
Husband and Wife Photography Team
Husband and Wife Photography Team
Husband and Wife Photography Team
voted top photographers in Kentucky
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