Professional Portrait Photographer
I’m a Cali born, burrito lovin’, black belt, creative father, living in Austin!
As a photographer I always hear “ Oh, I’m not very photogenic, or “I’ve never modeled before”. Potential clients will say “I don’t like my (insert slight imperfection here )”. I guess its human nature to see your flaws before you see your beauty. While I do listen to your concerns and genuinely want to understand and address your feelings, my response is pretty much the same every time. “It is my job to make you look great, all you need to do is have fun and follow my direction! My gift is putting people at ease in a short amount of time. A lot of my clients come in nervous, frazzled and some downright scared to step in front of a camera. To this I say don’t worry, we are in this together. After the first few minutes they are comfortable and ready to give their best. Never fails!
Skills
I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I have a formal photography education from Chabot College, though my appreciation for photography began years before when my mom decided to build a darkroom in our once toy room. It’s now her sewing room. I come from crafty people! I am a 6th degree black belt in Kajukenbo, I’ve practiced Capoeira, Escrima, and was an amateur U.S. Thai Boxing heavyweight champion. I also love burritos, power naps, and motorcycles!
FAQs
Why you don’t want to hire me?
If you want a button pusher, I’m not your guy. If you have the need to control every aspect of a shoot, my creative process will be stifled and you will get less than my best as an artist. I believe the best creation can be achieved with a collaborative effort. I also believe the work will be greatly enhanced when we can discuss the scope of the project together. Let’s build something we can both be proud of.
Is a retainer or full payment required?
To be placed on the calendar a full payment is required for any projects under $1k. Anything above $1k requires at least a 50% retainer due at the signing of the contract and the remaining 50% due 1 week before the shoot. My creative process begins at our first consultation. I start to think of your project during the initial consultation. It’s one of the most exciting times for me in the entire process. I begin the planning, and logistics, and start gathering my proverbial building blocks and materials. The building of great works has started up front, and my time is billed accordingly. Great pictures don’t just happen, they are constructed with labor. It just so happens that it’s a labor of love!
Is my retainer refundable?
I love what I do and I want to be able to keep helping people to create images we can both be proud of. My work begins before I ever touch my camera bag. Understand that connecting with you means I have chosen to arrange my schedule to allow for creativity to flow from that first consultation we had. That also means someone else is waiting for that time. Since my schedule is tight, non refundable retainers are necessary for those who do not follow through with scheduling commitments, in order to make time slots and inspiration spaces available for those who do.
