Vero Image Photography:
Paul McKelvey and Mario Romero Pair Right and
Left Brain Talents
By Mary McGrath
Coupling their talents in the event and wedding arenas, Paul McKelvey and Mario Romero, founders of Vero Image, have found a great recipe for success. Paul, the more traditional shooter of the two, hails from a background in event shooting, whereas Mario’s expertise is wedding photography. Their talents overlap though, and both of them participate in 95% of the shoots the studio undertakes.
And if you were curious, Vero is not some small Italian village, but rather a combination of their names, borrowing the “ve” from McKelvey and the “ro” from Romero. Hearing the name, I can’t help but think of the many places I’ve visited in Italy though, which is probably why “Vero” has such a nice ring to it.
Paul and Mario are currently undergoing a revitalization of their website, which is designed and executed by Paul, to capitalize on their event and wedding endeavors. Clients such as Diesel, Sony, Hennessy and BMG have used Vero, and the list keeps expanding. The studio has also documented Screen Actors Guild parties and post-Grammy events. How do they do it? Divide, combine and conquer.
With Paul as more of the planner and traditional photographer, he often prefers to visualize a shoot before he undertakes the event. Mario prefers to dive right in and see what happens. But this juxtaposition of styles serves them well. Between the two of them, they have all the angles covered. If Paul pulls out a telephoto, then watch for Mario to go wide. Should Mario go for a close up, then leave it to Paul to take in a group shot. It’s all yin/yang, which serves them well and means they get a wide variety of images at a wedding or event.
But the shoot is only a miniscule part of what is involved. “The shoot is the fun part,” Mario beams. In post-production, each shot will be color-corrected so the final result is a roster of brilliant images to augment a particular moment in time. The images are shown during the reception, adding momentum to stimulate sales and interest.
In interviewing this team, I wanted to delve into more detail about their unique partnership.
WPPI: What made you decide to work together?
Vero Image: We both had our own photography businesses but were always working with one another on our jobs and exchanging checks back and forth. We were always able to rely on one another since we have the same vision on a wedding shoot. Other photographers who assisted us did not provide the vision we were looking for. Therefore, we decided to combine our strengths and talents to form Vero Image: Paul’s strength in post-production, marketing and graphic design and Mario’s strength in sales and working with the customers.
WPPI: Tell me a bit about your family background and how you got into photography.
Mario: I was born and raised in Los Angeles in a Mexican-American family. My wife, Flavia, and I live in Whittier, CA. At age 27, I began in a high school portrait studio as a delivery driver. Through a strong work ethic and a desire and passion for photography, I seized all the opportunities presented to me and worked my way up to director of photography in the company.
Paul: I was born and raised in Northern Ireland (Strabane, Tyrone). I’m married to Sarah, and we have two daughters, ages four and seven. We currently reside in La Habra, CA. Photography is in my blood: I was brought up into photography through the influences of my father, John, and my older brother, Aidan. We had a darkroom in our house, and it was there I learned how to print. In high school, I was a member of the camera club, but my passion was in art and technical drawing. My first work experience was in graphic design for a sign company. In my early 20s, I moved to London and worked as a camera operator for a screen-printing company. When Macintosh computers came out in the mid-1980s, I realized I needed to change careers or I would be out of a job. It was then that I went toward my true passion, photography. I freelanced part time in London, doing magazine editorial work. Yearning to travel, I went to Australia and New Zealand to shoot stock photography for Tony Stone, now Getty Images. When the year was over, I still had the traveling bug and decided to work as a photographer on a cruise ship. I continued with my stock photography and worked my way up to manager. When I received my green card two years later, I decided to go to California. There I continued my magazine editorial work and got my first taste of Hollywood by working red carpet events. To supplement my income, I worked at a high school portrait studio as a photographer. That’s where I met Mario. As digital became more prevalent in the industry, instead of running from it, I embraced it and helped move that studio from film to digital.
WPPI: Did you experiment with other types of photography before specializing in weddings?
Mario: Yes—sports, portrait and journalistic.
Paul: Yes, I specialized in editorial, event and commercial photography.
WPPI: Between the two of you, who does what in relation to your photo shoots? How does that work?
Mario: Paul provides the more traditional approach to shooting weddings; I provide the journalistic approach. We blend the two styles together. We have learned we cannot have two key photographers at a wedding or event. Therefore, whoever is the liaison with the clients is the key photographer on the day of the shoot. Most of the time the contact person is me for weddings and Paul for commercial and event photography.
WPPI: I notice many of your images are taken at a slant. Is there a reason for this?
Mario: Half is my artistic approach and how I see the shot, and the other half is composition.
WPPI: Do you use film, digital or both?
Mario: We both use digital.
Paul: We both started in film, but now only use digital. After a client at a large event demanded the images the next day, it was inevitable that we switch to digital.
WPPI: Can you give me an idea of the type of equipment you use—cameras, lighting, computers, printers?
Vero Image: Canon Mark II and 5D cameras, Canon L-series lenses, PC computers, Epson printers and Pictage for online proofing.
WPPI: Do you prefer to work in color or black and white? Is there a conscious choice for this?
Mario: Sometimes when I am shooting a photo, I see it in black in white.
Paul: The beauty of new technology is we have both options in post-production.
WPPI: What are some of the largest challenges you have as wedding photographers?
Mario: Shooting on the wedding day itself is the most enjoyable part for me and comes naturally. The post-production side of weddings is more of a challenge.
Paul: Being the photographer and handling all the post-production leaves little time to devote to creative marketing.
WPPI: Do you ever turn down a shoot? If so, for what reason?
Vero Image: Yes, if the wedding/event was not a wise financial choice—if we think we would lose money and not gain from the experience.
WPPI: How do you differentiate yourself from other wedding or event photographers?
Vero Image: We have a partnership based on trust and understanding. We each offer strengths, allowing us the freedom to do what we do best. We also have a strong friendship, which makes each experience we share on a photo shoot enjoyable.
WPPI: Do you have any advice for aspiring wedding photographers?
Mario: Don’t sell yourself short.
Paul: Keep your wedding shoot simple; don’t overcomplicate them.
WPPI: Could you describe one of your favorite shoots and one of your worst shoots?
Mario: Some favorites were the Post-Grammy Awards party in New York and the Amanda Fox engagement and wedding. For the engagement, we spent the whole day, traveled to Temecula, went wine tasting, and experimented with fun locations and backgrounds. The worst involved an intoxicated wedding party. That experience showed the advantage of having two professional photographers. In this situation, Paul came in and handled some of the heat and stress of the situation.
Paul: Some of my favorites were the Post-Grammy Awards party in New York and the test shoot for Miss Renegade Wheels. What started as just a few head shots, turned into a full shoot within minutes. Thanks to Mario’s encouragement, I entered one of the shots in WPPI’s 2006 16x20 print competition, and it took third place in the Technical/ Scientific/ Industrial category.
Both Paul and Mario say WPPI has greatly helped build their business through the inspiration they’ve received from attending the conventions. The print competitions have allowed them to be recognized for their work, rather than be mere faces in the crowd. They won several awards in the 2005 and 2006 Awards of Excellence and 8x10 print competitions.
For some people, going solo is the only way to go. But for others, teaming with a peer you respect can result in great success, as it has for Paul and Mario. It will be interesting to see what develops for Vero in the years ahead. For more information visit www.veroimage.com.
Mary McGrath is a freelance writer and photographer whose work has appeared in many magazines, newspapers and on several websites. She can be reached at grathy@aol.com or through her website at www.marymcgrathphotography.com.
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