Most photographers about me page seem to start out with “Since I was young, I’ve always love taking pictures.” Well, I’m not like that, I’ve always loved to figure out how things work. Special electrical stuff like radios and stuff. But being from a small town, electronics wasn’t offered in school. So, I spent a lot of time at the local library studying the handful of electrical books there. And near those books also were books about cameras. That lead to me getting one of those Kodak box cameras, you know with the little flash cube that sat on top.
Then sometime around high school I got interested enough in cameras that I got my first slr camera from sears, you know... mail order straight from the catalog. It was a starter package with a camera and two kit lenses.
Now growing up outside of Needville on a cotton farm there wasn’t much to photograph. So, I photographed a lot of sunsets and fields. But without having a space where I could develop my photographs, I was relying on sending my film off and that got expensive. And I didn’t have the control to make adjustments on the way the film was developed. Everyone liked the photographs, but it wasn’t what I was wanting it to look like. That’s when electronics started to take over. There was always something electrical to work with and bring in money. But that slowly pushed photography away for years.
Until I think it was, around 2005~6 when my sons started playing baseball and soccer. I grabbed the digital point-n-shoot camera we had. But that wasn’t cutting it for me. It was too slow, and I kept missing the action shots.
So, I bought a digital slr that worked with my old lenses. After a few games, working with the manual focus lenses that I had, I bought some new autofocus lenses. That was it, the itch was there.
After that first baseball season, I didn’t want to put the camera down. I looked around for things to photograph. Not really wanting to take pictures of sunsets and fields any more I found One Talent Source online doing photography workshops in the area. Models in blue bonnets in Brenham was the theme for that one. And I signed up for it quickly.
And after that first photoshoot, headed home with over a thousand photos thinking, “Ok that was fun, I’m good for a year.” Then two weeks later they had another photoshoot in Wallis this time….”That’s closer” I thought, so, I signed up for it too.
Then the next month they posted one in Richmond…. And 10 years later, I was still going. By then they had changed their name to “Texas Photo Shoot Workshops” and moved to Needville. And then they added me to their mentor list to help with the photoshoots. They don’t do as many photoshoots as they did back then, but when they do, I’m there, working with the models for the day and helping any new photographers that want it.
I’ve had so much more fun with photography than I’ve had with electronics. And I’ve gotten to work with so many interesting people because of photography. Popular DJ’s, famous singers, actresses and models, even few that modeled for the Playboy magazine.
No, I’m not a full time, 9 to 5 photographer. I don’t want to do that and make it into a “job.” I’ve seen 9 to 5 photographers that during a photoshoot are just waiting for 5 o’clock. They’re tired and want to go home. How creative can you be if you’re waiting for the end of the day. I feel sorry for their last client of the day and really that one on Friday. During my session I’ve been known to lose track of time, until my batteries go dead. I’ve worked into the darkness using headlights and flashlights before.
Also, in the 20 or so years that I have been doing this I have seen so many people walk into a store, buy a camera and within months start photographing weddings. Making that big money. Then get burned out and find out it’s more work than they thought and are gone. I don’t want that. I want to keep photography fun. This way it gets to stay as a passion of mine. And the more fun I have with my passion the better photographs I create!
Enough about me, now I have a question for you…
No matter what type of portrait I create for you, I absolutely guarantee you will be THRILLED (not just "satisfied") with your portraits or I will do whatever is necessary to see to it you are THRILLED, or I will give you all your money back. No hassles and no hard feelings either. If you're not THRILLED, I don't deserve to be paid. That's just the honest way I feel about my photography.
Needville Tx 77461, in Fort Bend County just outside of Sugar Land, not far from SW Houston.
Is on Saturday in the afternoons, any time on Sundays or in the evenings during the week. If I can't get to the phone, PLEASE leave me a message with your contact number and I will call you back just as soon as I can.
