Dominique:We have a studio in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Yorkshire is a beautiful area to work in and we’ve found Scarborough a great place to base our studio and a lovely place to live. We specialise in wedding photography and love being a part of a couples’ big day. We also do portraits, model portfolios and photo makeovers. We enjoy all the areas of our photography and wouldn’t like to choose our favourite!
What inspires you as a photographer?
Liam: I draw inspiration from cinematic imagery and am always looking to combine this into our photography, in particular our wedding photography. At the moment I'm finding inspiration in the extraordinary cinematography of the 1950’s.
Dominique: For me working with fun, exciting people is the biggest motivation you can get. Everyone we photograph brings their own style and dynamic to the image and we are always looking for the next best shot of our career.
How long have been a photographer?
Liam: Professionally, 5 years.
Dominique: The same, although I studied photography at University and did some part-time work before then, so it’s always been my passion.
When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?
Liam: In our studio, editing and coming up with new ideas for future projects.
Any books that inspired you {or helped you} in your business?
Dominique: We love the The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson, his street photography has influenced generations of photographers. Also, Annie Leibovitz; in particular how she poses her subjects, it’s very striking.
Best marketing idea?
Dominique: I think it is imperative that you have a great web presence.
Liam: That, and referral by meeting or exceeding expectations.
Worst marketing idea?
Dominique: I think at the beginning of your career it is important to spend your marketing budget wisely and we wouldn’t recommend spending loads of money on something that is not tried and tested by others.
Do you have a studio and if not do you feel having a studio would help your business grow?
Dominique: We own a lovely studio in Scarborough, it does help our business grow by allowing us to take on a wide range of projects and as we are based in the centre of the town we get plenty of passing trade too.
What do you think makes a photographer successful?
Dominique: Lot’s of hard work, a natural flair for capturing moments and oodles of creativity and energy.
What’s your weakness in this business?
Liam: We would like to concentrate on developing a stronger presence in our marketing.
Are you a Nikon or Canon?
Dominique: Canon, definitely.
and Lens?
Liam: We love all prime lenses but I think the 85mm 1.2 is absolutely gorgeous.
Dominique: Also, the 24-70 F2.8 is pretty essential for its versatility.
If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?
Liam: Something in a related creative field, perhaps a cinematographer. I think it’s inevitable that in the next few years the boundary between photography and filming will be well and truly blurred.
Can you give the readers your best piece of advice for starting or running a photography business.
Liam: Firstly, work hard. No matter what you do, putting the hours in is so important with a new business. Secondly, pay attention. Learn from everything and everyone all the time. Finally, be passionate about your work, realise you are in a lucky position to be able to do something you love, so enjoy it.
Tell us your proudest moment of your career?
Dominique: We love it when our clients come to pick up their photos in person and feel immensely proud when they love the shots. Probably the proudest moment though was getting the keys to our studio; that was an amazing feeling!
Many thanks to Dominique & Liam, and you can find more of their great work here...
website http://www.yorkplacestudios.co.uk/
blog http://www.yorkplacestudios.com/blog/
twitter http://twitter.com/yorkplacestudio
facebook http://www.facebook.com/yorkplacestudios
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