This Georgia imagemaker believes in taking the road-less-traveled
approach to life and his career, as well. He’s unconventional,
witty, enthusiastic and energetic, and says he’ll do whatever
it takes to capture the best images for his clients—even
dance, lay on the ground, or act like a fool.
Javon tells of one bride who was having a particularly stressful
day and wasn’t much interested in smiling for the camera.
She was reclining on a sofa, resting, while Javon was attempting
to photograph her. When she refused to cooperate, he jumped atop
a nearby banister and began dancing a jig. She cracked up laughing!
He captured some really great, natural expressions as a result
of his being willing to act silly. Javon attributes his fast-rising
success to his unique personality and approach to his craft—plus
his wife, Dawn, of course!
In the small Southern Georgia community of Valdosta, Javon and
Dawn Longieliere operate their thriving photography studio. Ninety-five
percent of the studio’s revenues are generated by weddings,
while the other five percent are portraits. However, most of their
wedding business comes from other areas, not locally. After only
three years of specializing in weddings, Javon Longieliere Photography
is already a household name in Atlanta, Georgia, three-and-a-half
hours by car from Valdosta. They also shoot several out-of-state
weddings annually, and even some in other countries, like France
and the Bahamas, for example. Javon and Dawn make the perfect team.
Besides assisting at every event, Dawn also handles all the business
aspects of the operation, while Javon sticks to the creative photographic
realm. MORE >>
Studio of the Month Flashes Photography
By Lynne Eodice
WPPI member Teri Lowery is the owner and principle photographer of Flashes Photography,
a wedding and portrait studio located in Kansas City, Missouri. Her studio has been in
business for eight years, and Teri’s creative, fashion-magazine style of photography
is very much in demand.
A Lifelong Passion
Teri’s passion for photography goes back to childhood. “I’ve loved taking pictures since
I was a little girl,” she declares. Her mother was the youngest of 14 children, and the
one photo of her grandmother that all of Teri’s aunts own was taken by Teri when she
was in the sixth grade. “It was literally a point-and-shoot camera,” she recalls fondly.
She later attended college, but never considered becoming a photographer. After she got
married and had children, she was inspired to pick up a camera once again. When her
daughter Brooke was two years old, several people approached Teri about having Brooke
do some modeling for them.
Teri knew she could take her daughter’s own promotional pictures, and she sent
these images off to a modeling agency that wanted to sign Brooke up immediately.
When Teri told the agency owner that she had taken the images for Brooke’s composite
card, the owner declared, “I’m sending my models to you,” thus launching Teri’s
career. “I guess you could say that I started out as a model photographer,” she
says. Then her doctor’s sister asked Teri to shoot her wedding. Teri was hesitant
at first, but after giving it some thought, she photographed the event after
all. “Then I shot a family member’s wedding and everybody loved all the pictures.
I just went in and shot this wedding the way I would want mine shot.” From then
on, Teri became a wedding photographer, “and never looked back.”
MORE >>
In the Studio & on Screen
Rediscovering Your Artistic Roots: Achieving Success & Taming the Beast
By Casey Bradley Gent
Stepping backward isn’t something we talk about much in the business
world—let alone professional photography. Mostly, we are consumed
with moving forward: with catching the next fast track to color
management and dreaming up promotions to keep our businesses on
the A-list. For me, 2003 was all about catching that speeding train
toward a huge studio with huge profit. After speaking
to an incredibly receptive crowd at WPPI, I took another giant
leap forward by moving my then-seven-year-old home-based studio
to a modern storefront. Snowshoe
Studios Inc. raced along—mall shows, greeting cards, a staff
of five amazing women, a storefront in which no expense was spared—and
what was left for me to do? Fire away.
Fire away I did, bringing eight or nine shoots to the studio each
day and maxing out my weekends with high-end weddings. The key
word in my misdirected growth is: maxed out. Without really stopping
to analyze my art or grow my photography style, I had acquired
more overhead than my superhuman pace could carry. While I understand
that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a home-based office,
there are 12 steps to opening a storefront and entering into a
competitive lease that, in hindsight, I’d recommend every forward-moving
studio owner consider. MORE >>
Business Landscape
Photographer’s Insurance:
A Review of Photographer Risks and WPPI Package Choice
By Richard Reyes
Photographer’s Insurance: A Review of Photographer Risks
and WPPI Package Choice By Richard Reyes of Hill & Usher Insurance
It is not uncommon for a professional photographer to operate his
or her business without purchasing any kind of written insurance
policy. Perhaps the conscientious care you take with cameras and
other photographic equipment eliminates any need for insurance
protection, especially when paying your annual or monthly premiums
is viewed as a direct invasion of your profits. MORE >>
Member News
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Seeks Photographers Now
I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS), is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization
committed to assisting parents and families going through the difficult
time when they experience an early infant loss. NILMDTS connects
families with photographers and provides them with a DVD and a
reproducible CD of the images of their baby. MORE >>
