Today we’d like to introduce you to Shallah Dozier.
Hi Shallah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Shallah Dozier and I am the owner of Mind of Divine Photography.
I began my photography journey in 2018. It started off with a $60 toy drone my wife got me for my birthday. After a few weeks of crashing and landing in the neighbor’s backyard, I built up the courage to take It around Charleston to get a different view of the city. A few of my photos caught a few local news stations’ attentions and graced their social media pages. After seeing the big impression, I was able to make with a “toy” drone, I invested in a professional drone and began to take my photos to new heights. One thing led to another and friends began to ask to have me take pictures of them. My wife had a Nikon D3300 collecting dust for a while so I picked that up and enrolled in YouTube university. I would study various fields of photography over time however, Real Estate Photography would become my niche.
After practicing and studying for about a year, I hosted my first photographer/model meet-up called “iRespect The Shoota” event here in Charleston. This event allowed for creatives to link up and network for a fun walk and shoot at no cost. The event was a hit and over time I hosted 3 of these that helped create connections for other creators as well as myself.
As time progressed and my work began to grow around the city, I decided it was time to turn my hobby into a business. I invested in reliable gear, networked with revolving clients, and September 2019 Mark Hammond stamped the LLC to my business. Shortly after that I would partner with a big real estate builder in Charleston, shoot for some of the top-selling realtors in the low country, and add 11 solo weddings under my belt. In the midst of taking my business to the next level, I was in my 4th year working as a Preschool Director, so my business came 2nd to my career. But It’s funny how life works. COVID hit preschools pretty hard, and at the end of 2020, I lost my job.
Of course, I panicked and was fearful of finding another job that met my family’s needs but, in the meantime, I was going to push photography until I found that perfect fit. After months of not settling for anything less than what I had on my checklist, that’s when my wife and I decided that doing photography full time, was going to not only provide but be the best fit for our family. Keeping the faith and putting in the work blessed me with the opportunity to shoot for many businesses around Charleston including hotels, custom builders, local small businesses, and even afforded me the opportunity to travel throughout the state to do what It is that I enjoy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to success is not a straight line, but you can definitely see the greater good on the other side. “There’s beauty in the struggle”- Cole
The biggest struggle along this journey was wondering “where will my clients come from”, “how will I be able to make a living strictly doing this full time?”
I was always confident in my craft; I just didn’t know if I was late to the party. Charleston is FILLED with already established photographers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business gives viewers and clients a glimpse of what I see or how I envision things. I capture and create art. I was known for capturing landscape shots in the beginning of this journey but now I’m known for my real estate magic I create. My real estate photos are what set me apart from other photogs and that’s what I’m most proud of. I’ve taken pictures of homes with no power, pitch black, but looking at the photos you would never know.
I offer a magnitude of add-on services for my real estate photography and the virtual staging is the service that is a hot commodity at the moment.
What’s next?
I’m looking forward to seeing how big I can grow this business. The goal is to add like-minded creatives to the team
Contact Info:
- Email: PrintsByDivine@gmail.com
- Website: www.MindOfDivinePhotography.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MindOfDivine
Image Credits
Shallah Dozier
