Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Almeida.
Luis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been the creative kind! I started like anyone else, from the bottom, with one camera body and a few kit lenses photographing in auto mode what I considered to be the wonders of life. At first, I thought that camera equipment by itself made great photographs. Incorrect! I couldn’t understand my photos were not as good as the commercial landscapes, wildlife, and portraits I was seeing in print magazines and in mainstream media in the beginning. Go figure, what did I know about photography back then?
What makes Dr. A Photo LLC different than other media enterprises is creativity and how I connect with clients often informally organically to be able to produce a once-in-a-lifetime photo session that will last a generation or more.
I got to where I am today by failing and watching the failure of others… by pushing the limits and rejecting 90% of my good work to scale the great 10%.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely! Easy? No, not really. In the beginning, I couldn’t understand why my Sony DSLR camera body and kit lenses weren’t bringing me the money I expected while shooting without understanding the basics of exposure and light! The first challenge was technical, for sure. Other real challenges included balancing raising a child and our business simultaneously, convincing non-artists in the general public that what I offer can’t be accomplished by anyone using a smartphone, and getting paid by state contractors. It took me 6 months to get paid for a photoshoot I did for a state park in Alabama, previously! Lastly, getting people to know that you exist is expensive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a professional photographer who takes pride in producing micro-content for clients’ social media outlets at scale. I’m known for my “immigrant photo-eye,” photoshoot versatility, advanced post-production skillsets, and my ability to transform the usual into the unusual. Dr. A Photo LLC is an all-in-one shop. Clients can schedule a variety of event or portrait photoshoots, buy photos, custom or not, for their commercial establishments using AR technology straight from our website, order photo booth services, and print photos in high quality.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Absolutely. I learned the value of an image. In 2020 and 2021, I realized that people desire and need the outdoors. My landscape photography was accepted into galleries those years and Cheaha State Park put in an order to carry my retail products in their mountain store.
Pricing:
- Events starting at $200
- Photo booth starting at $150 an hour
- Landscape photography starts at $75
- Portraits start at $50
- Printing your own photos starts at $15
Contact Info:
- Email: amanda@draphoto.biz
- Website: https://www.draphoto.
biz/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/draphotobiz/
