4 Must-Know Tips for Shooting Your First Fall Wedding

 

The State Fair of Texas is in town, the weather is (kind of) getting cooler, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes are in full effect at Starbucks – it must be fall in Dallas, Texas. Not only can you count on Halloween planning to be happening at a bar near you, you can bet there are brides to be across Dallas frantically planning the final details of their upcoming wedding. As a wedding and commercial photographer in Dallas, I’ve had more than my fair share of successes and mess-ups at weddings, so I’m sharing my 4 must-know tips for shooting your first fall wedding!

Know your gear and come prepared
This should go without saying, but it’s important to mention. My 12 years as a Dallas headshot and commercial photographer have taught me that you should know every setting, every ISO adjustment, and every trick for your camera – whether it’s Nikon or Canon. Understand all the camera settings for each lens, work out all the options available on your speed light, and you’re good to go.

Scout your locations!
It is vital to the success of your wedding photography shoot in Dallas that you go to the location prior to the big day and study the lighting. Know every shadow possibility, know where to set up your flashes, and be prepared for any last-minute issues that may present themselves. Don’t wing it and show up thinking that you’ve got this.

Write a shot list!
Again, this may sound like common sense but it’s extremely effective in ensuring success. Create a shot list for the exact frames your couple must have in their wedding photography catalogue. Get specific, name the exact people needed in the frame, and determine how and when you’ll get everyone ready for the shot. Timing means a quick and painless shoot.

Assist someone else immediately
You should have been doing this already. Like yesterday. Assist an experienced photographer whose been doing this for a few years. Study their every move, ask tons of questions, make note of what they do and why they’re doing it, and be sure to write down every piece of equipment they use.

If you’re looking for a headshot, commercial, or wedding photographer, contact me today and we’ll get you booked!

 

3 Creative Business Tips for Success

3 Creative Business Tips for Success

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A snapshot of a recent commercial advertising shoot]

 

My business shooting headshots in Dallas Tx has grown over the years in different ways. When I first started over 10 years ago, all I had was a camera and a backdrop. These days, I’ve grown and branched out into different types of shoots – commercial photography, group business headshots, modeling headshots, acting headshots, and the list continues to expand. I’ve noticed some of the other creative firms in Dallas keep their secrets to themselves, but I want to share my experience with you this week. Here are 3 creative business tips for success.

 

Don’t Cut Costs on Marketing

 

One of the biggest mistakes I hear from clients is they assume their marketing is where they can save. While that may seem like the immediate best option, it has long term side effects. Marketing activities like search engine optimization, creative campaigns and web development are key to a business’ success. After all, if no one knows about you then they can’t hire you.

 

Highlight Your Employees

 

There’s a big difference between vendors and partners. Vendors are the people who just supply you with a product or perform a service, nothing more or less. Partners are the people that work together with you to create something big. If your company isn’t highlighting their employees and building a relationship with your clients, then you’re a vendor. Make sure to have routine headshots in Dallas done for your company so clients can put a name with a face and get to know the people who make your business great.

 

Revitalize Your Brand

 

Every Mom and Pop business can slap a logo on a stock image of a happy family and call it a day. It’s not creative, it’s just putting something out because you “should.” An effective business practice is creating a different concept that sets you apart from competitors. Develop an idea and strategy, enlist design/copywriting services to build out the concept and book a commercial photography shoot to bring the idea to life. Remember – there are a number of companies doing what you’re doing, be sure to make yours stand out.

 

I know this may sound very buttoned-up and professional, but that doesn’t mean I only do commercial photography or group business headshots in Dallas. Let’s get in touch if you’re looking into adding value to your business, looking for modeling headshots, acting headshots, or more. Submit a form online or call today.

Protecting and Serving: Chad West, PLLC

My business shooting headshots in Dallas Tx has grown over the years in different ways. When I first started over 10 years ago, all I had was a camera and a backdrop. These days, I’ve grown and branched out into different types of shoots – commercial photography, group business headshots, modeling headshots, acting headshots, and the list continues to expand. Recently, I got to work on a group business headshot job with a person I’ve watched become successful in his own business – Chad West and the Chad West Law Firm in Dallas Tx. I sat down to hear more about the firm and find out what’s made Chad stand out from the other practices in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Chad’s team of legal professionals and attorneys makes it their mission to protect the legal rights of their clients. Chad’s law office is committed to the Dallas community and their presence is what has helped them make strong bonds with individuals. They believe in providing highly-personalized services to meet each and every one of their clients’ needs, whether they need to update a will, get compensation for their injuries, or be defended from criminal charges.  Their commitment to the Dallas community can be seen through participation in local charitable events.

Chad’s team has experience defending many cases in the Dallas Area and continues to build a reputation in the community that helps each client get the best outcome. The Law Office of Chad West has continued to hold the standard of representing each client and informing them of their options for the case.

Chad himself is an extremely caring attorney – he was taking calls, reviewing cases, and even strategizing how to best serve his current clients at our shoot. As we shot his group business headshot session at my Dallas studio, you could see the level of commitment in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

To learn more about The Office of Chad West and set up your consultation, give them a call at (972) 275 – 2423. To book your group business headshots with me, give me a call or book online today.

 

Protecting and Serving, Chad West, PLLC

Marching to the beat of his own drum: Terry Loftis’ Bandstand

As a headshot photographer in Dallas, Texas, I’ve worked with almost every sort of professional you can imagine. Last week, I told you about my shoot with Brian Bleeker and Melissa O’Brien of the Bleeker O’Brien Group and how incredibly creative their team is. This week, I got the opportunity to work with another creative mastermind – my dear friend Terry D. Loftis. Not only is Terry a TONY-nominated producer, he’s also President of the full-service marketing communications agency Eisenburg and Associates. This week, I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at Terry’s professional life, his upcoming play Bandstand, and his upcoming feature in PaperCity Magazine!

Terry’s had an amazing career in the advertising industry. He started at TFA Communications, a tech-focused agency that was based in Chicago and owned by Leo Burnett. He later ran the Dallas office and primarily worked with technology companies. After moving on to Citadel Technology, he eventually resigned and started his own agency. “Anything that was tech related, we provided services for. McAfee was my largest account.” The City of Dallas, City of Fort Worth, and Sprint were some other accounts to name a few.

In 2013, Loftis began contracting for The Voice for Amber Carrington. He produced her home segments and they shot scenes all around Dallas, including her concert on Lake Ray Hubbard.

Soon after, Terry got an offer at Eisenberg for their Senior VP role and was promoted to President. While at Eisenberg, a friend approached him to become a co-producer on The Visit, written by Terrance McNally. The show ran at the prestigious Lyceum Theater in New York. The TONY nominees were announced weeks after and they received five nominations, including best musical.

Terry attended the TONY Awards at Radio City Musical Hall, which was “a life-changing experience. I sat at the TONY Awards as a nominee for my show.” Unfortunately, Terry didn’t win, but that didn’t stop him from getting back into the Broadway scene. He was approached to produce the play Bandstand, set to come out in 2017.

I had the opportunity to do a commercial headshot session in Dallas with my dear friend, highlighting his professional career and his philanthropic contributions. In addition to his position as President at Eisenberg and producing shows on Broadway, Terry is Chairman of the Capital Campaign at Resource Center Dallas, serves on the President’s Council of the Advisory Board of Booker T. Washington and the board of directors of The Dallas Way.

Look for the upcoming issue of PaperCity Magazine hitting newsstands soon! For your own commercial photography session, get in contact with me on the web or by phone.

Creativity is Key: The Bleeker O’Brien Group

Over the past few weeks, I’ve interviewed a variety of different people that have come by the studio for headshots in Dallas. Everyone from tax attorneys to style gurus to Real Housewives of Dallas have come by the Beau Bumpas studio for commercial photography. This week’s slightly different: I had the chance to photograph and interview two of Dallas’ hottest and most successful real estate agents – Brian Bleeker and Melissa O’Brien of the Bleeker O’Brien Group.

I know – anyone who knows my line of executive portraits knows I’ve shot more than a handful of real estate agents. It’s Brian and Melissa’s industry savvy and commitment to their clients that sets them apart.

With a combined 13 years of experience, and over $150 million in sales, Brian and Melissa are consistent Top Ten Multi-Million Dollar Producers, and have been overwhelmed and grateful to have received numerous professional awards and distinctions. As effective negotiators and dedicated advocates, Brian and Melissa are equipped to handle the most complex transactions and deliver a fluent close.

And while that sounds prestigious, it’s the heart at the core of their work that makes them different. While Brian and Melissa were in studio for their headshots, they were glued to their phones counseling clients and ensuring each individual received the highest level of care. These two may look like they’re at the top of their game, and it’s because they are – they consistently deliver the highest caliber of client service and exceed expectations.

The Bleeker O’Brien group has been recognized by countless publications and institutions, including D Magazine’s Best Real Estate Agency and The Dallas Voice Reader’s Choice Award.

If you’re in the market to buy or sell, give them a call or visit them online. If you’re jealous of Brian and Melissa’s incredible shots, give me a call today and I’ll hook you up.

The Tax Titan: Interviewing Deborah Gregory

I shoot a wide array of people as a headshot photographer in Dallas, Texas. Everyone from doctors to dog walkers have walked through the doors of my Deep Ellum studio. It’s always fun to shoot different executives or business professionals in Dallas and learn about what they do, but it’s extra special when those people have a passion for what they do. That’s exactly why I was so drawn to the top tax attorney in Dallas, Deborah Gregory of the Gregory Law Group. She’s smart, sassy, sexy, and has more inside knowledge of how the IRS works than anyone I’ve ever met. I sat down with Deborah to learn more about her and the law group.

Before she opened the Gregory Law Group, Deborah worked as a Senior Attorney for the IRS’ Office of Chief Counsel for over 12 years.  Her experience as an IRS Senior Attorney gave her unique institutional knowledge of the IRS and she’s used her knowledge in helping her clients. Her biggest joy, besides her husband and beautiful children, is helping people get out of their financial situations and attain freedom.

Deborah’s the managing member of Gregory Law Group.  She personally meets with every client that comes in for their free consultation and crafts a specific resolution for each case.  Her background as a former IRS Attorney coupled with her tax law experience makes her uniquely qualified to help you resolve IRS problems. (Cue Destiny Child’s “Independent Women.”)

When Deborah’s not acting like Superwoman at her Plano law group, she’s relaxing with her husband and two boys. She’s also got a flair for fashion, so you might catch her at Neiman Marcus.

What I loved most about Deborah was I could relate to her passion. While shooting corporate headshots in Dallas and commercial photography in Dallas isn’t as life changing as solving someone’s IRS issues and debt, we both connected on helping others. It’s refreshing to find a dedicated attorney who’s more concerned about their client than the bottom line.

A Sassy Shoot with Steve Kemble!

A Sassy Shoot with Steve Kemble

As a headshot photographer in Dallas, I get a wide array of clients. Everyone from Real Housewives to commercial shoots to recent law graduates have come by for executive portraits and large scale headshot sessions just this year. So when I got a call from my dear friend Steve Kemble to photograph him for his new Dallas headshots and promotional materials for his new PR headshots, I jumped at the opportunity. This week, I had a very sassy shoot with Steve Kemble!

Steve’s known as “America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru” and, in my personal opinion, is the busiest man in Dallas. Steve’s been the magic behind countless corporate events, weddings and other sassy ventures for more than two decades, throwing parties for everyone from President Obama to the Dallas Cowboys. The event industry’s king of self-promotion, known as “America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru,” is the industry’s most visible, vocal and unique personality!

Steve has been dishing out fashion disses at celebrities for more than five years as a Top Cop for US Weekly Magazine’s Fashion Police, on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards, American Music Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. His “Dose of Sass” segment can be heard daily on CBS radio, and he has gone toe-to-toe with some of TV’s other big personalities from Melissa Rivers to Donny Deutsch.

Our recent headshot session in Dallas was fantastic! Steve has one of the most vibrant personalities I’ve ever encountered. He’s extremely approachable and very down to Earth, despite his larger than life delivery. We had so much fun! He’s open to the creative process and understands the cardinal rule in headshots: if it feels uncomfortable, it will probably photograph beautifully!

Brandi Redmond: Bravo’s Rising Star

In honor of Monday being Real Housewives of Dallas night on Bravo and Memorial Day, I thought it would be appropriate to post about my recent studio session with Bravo’s fastest rising star, Brandi Redmond. She’s also a patriotic woman, having opened up on the show about her veteran brother Michael’s struggle with PTSD on RHOD. This week, I sit discuss my recent Dallas headshot photography session with Brandi Redmond: Bravo’s Rising Star!

My experience with Brandi was better and more down to Earth than I had anticipated. She’s probably one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met! Brandi, her mother Jana Nace, and her two gorgeous daughters Brooklyn and Brinkley all stopped by the studio and it was exactly like the show – Brandi is 100% authentic. What I wasn’t expecting was how in awe of her I would be! First of all, I’ve been a Dallas headshot photographer for over 15 years – I thought I would be much more composed myself. Second, anyone that knows me knows I’m a Bravoholic and absolutely obsessed with the housewives, so to have this opportunity with Brandi was surreal! Despite the scenes on the show and the reputation she’s been given, Brandi’s extremely composed. She handles herself with tact and poise, even with two adorable children under 7 years old!

The Housewives franchise is not Brandi’s first time in the spotlight. Brandi is a former All-Star, Pro-Bowl and five-time Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Brandi’s also extremely involved in the Dallas charity community, heavily involved in Folds of Honor benefitting the families of our lost soldiers – a cause near and dear to her heart.

For more on my recent headshot Dallas session with Brandi, check out my Facebook and Instagram. To get your own summer headshots in Dallas, give me a call or submit an inquiry online today.

Pretty Professional: An Interview with Nance Cole

Pretty Professional: An Interview with Nance Cole

 

As a headshot photographer in Dallas, I meet a lot of different people. Whether I’m shooting business headshots or acting headshots, it’s never a dull moment. So when I had the chance to meet Nance Cole, the Practice Coordinator of Plastic Surgery of Texas, I became instantly obsessed. This business owner has made a profession of being beautiful and making sure others look their best. I sat down with Nance to hear about how she got into the plastic surgery world.

Nance got into the industry purely by chance. Her original plan was to become a model – she started with Kim Dawson in Dallas, then jumped to Wilhelmina Models in New York City. While modeling, she listened to the advice of her mother and got her esthetician license so she could take care of her own skin. Soon after, Nance started her own cosmetics line, Beauty Mark by Nance. As the industry and scope of cosmetic procedures changed, Nance adapted and earned her laser license.

After 30 years in the industry, things are going pretty smoothly for Nance. She and her husband Dr. Ben Tittle own and operate Plastic Surgery of Texas, Highland Dermatology and Dr. Tittle is the medical director of Grand Spa in Dallas. You could call these two the royal couple of youth in Dallas! When I shot their corporate headshots, I was shocked to see how beautiful Nance was, but also how business savvy she is. She has an eye for the aesthetic and a marketing mind.

Nance runs a tight ship at Plastic Surgery of Texas and Highland Dermatology. She handles the marketing and sales for all of Plastic Surgery of Texas’ offices and Medical Spas along with overseeing the development of their expanding locations. Give them a call or request a consultation online today.Check out some of Nance and Dr. Tittle’s shots on my Facebook and Instagram pages and make sure to book your session soon!

Check out some of Nance and Dr. Tittle’s shots on my Facebook and Instagram pages and make sure to book your session soon!

4 Lessons from a Commercial Photography Shoot

 

 

 

I pay my bills as a Dallas headshot photographer, but when opportunities come up I take them. Recently, one of those opportunities presented itself – I had the chance to shoot a new creative campaign for a very successful dentist in Dallas. My past experiences in commercial shoots have been interesting to say the least, but this one went off without a hitch. This week, I’m sharing my recipe for success with you: 4 lessons from a commercial photography shoot.

  1. Pre-game with the creative team
    I cannot stress this enough. When I’m doing business headshots, it’s pretty simple. But this time, I was taking photographs for a full-scale campaign to be featured in print and on the web. The creative director, copywriter, and client service rep sat down with me and laid out the goals and expectations. We had a clearly-defined goal in mind.
  2. Solve your client’s problem
    Very rarely are people taking photos “just because.” There’s a problem or issue in mind. Clearly define your client’s problem or issue and create a solution. In this case, it was to differentiate them from the other dental practices in the area. So we decided to take exaggerated lifestyle shots.
  3. Find the perfect talent
    A photographer in Dallas has a great pool of talent. There are major modeling agencies like Kim Dawson, Campbell or Paige Parkes with loads of different looks at your disposal. If your client (like most) tries to set a low budget, there are other agencies out here with models just starting to build their portfolios and need sample shots. Explore your resources, you’ll be glad you did.
  4. Speed of service is everything
    Your client probably wanted these photos yesterday. Start. Retouching. Now. I couldn’t get the photos on my computer fast enough.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to follow these four simple tips on your next commercial shoot, on either the client or creative side. For your next headshot session or commercial photo shoot, contact me or give me a call today.