A Higher Calling…

November 11, 2010November 11, 2010
by Victoria J

So often, when we hear that someone has a “calling” on their lives, we assume that they are called into full-time ministry in the church… and honestly, that is the nature of the photos I wanted to share today, but, that is not the only type of calling a person can have. For me, I’ve heard the beckons of my camera for many years now, and I answered it. And I did not start out as a “professional photographer” who relied on the earnings from this “ministry” as my sole income – no. As a matter of fact, it has been a process, but it is one that I’m glad I took. How many of us have these inklings, these proclivities, these leanings, these passions, and these talents that lay dormant in us? How many of us have heard people tell us that we are really really good at something, but we get scared to move forward with it? Again, I am not implying that you should quit your job, I only want to encourage you to not let your talents pass you by.

Recently, I had a headshot portrait session with a youth pastor in Pennsylvania. The session was great, well-run, and I felt the images really captured his personality and his calling… But what really stood out when I was touching up the images was how his entire “look” came together. He had the ascots, the ties, ultimate color coordination, Luis sunshades, jackets, vests, and then some – and he only did 3 outfit changes. But the reason that so much attention and detail went into the stylistic elements was because someone else was walking in their calling. On the set, the Pastor had his Style Consultant putting his outfits together and just making sure that he was wearing all of the accessories the right way. His Consultant was willing to take risks with some of the outfits, and pair things that you might not automatically pair together, but it all worked, well. So when you see the final product, know that it wasn’t only my ability to capture this Pastor – not at all. What you see is all 3 of us – the Pastor, the Style Consultant, and myself – walking in our callings! My question to you is what is your calling, and are you walking in it?

By the way, if you see something you like, leave a comment below!

Call Him “Mr. O”

October 27, 2010October 27, 2010
by Victoria J

The other day at the School Reform Town Hall Meeting at Bus Boys and Poets, one of the panelist shared a statistic that is still shocking every time that I hear it: of all US teachers, only 1.9% are black males. This measure does not show that black males have no desire to teach because if you take a closer look at the data, you will see that the #1 profession for black males with a bachelor’s degree is Primary Teacher, #3 Secondary Teacher, #9 Administrator, and the #10 profession is Counselor. The issue really was found in looking at the number of black males that actually earn a college degree, which is 15% (a bachelor’s degree is typically a requirement for teacher certification).

I share these numbers not to paint a negative image, but rather to motivate and encourage others towards college and possibly the teaching profession. Contrary to popular belief, teaching can be a lucrative career, but even more than that, it provides people with an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our future leaders! As I complete my graduate degree in education, I have the pleasure of learning and teaching alongside a few distinguished gentleman. Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph one of these men in a portrait session at a local elementary school. Below are images of “Mr. O,” and by the way, if you see something that you like, feel free to post a comment!

Fun and Free…

September 20, 2010
by Victoria J

Now I am not referring to the price of this headshot session at all, rather, I am referencing the general flavor of the session. I had the opportunity a while back to photograph a woman in a headshot portrait session in Maryland. Her main goal from the session was to have nice images to post on social networking/media sites, so this drove the kinds of poses that we used.

Check out select images from this session below, and if you see something you like, PLEASE leave a comment!

Write the Vision…

August 26, 2010
by Victoria J

I recently had the opportunity to photograph headshots of a young, up and coming writer. Though she has not yet published her first book, she has been getting all of her pieces in place to make this dream a reality. In listening to her plans and passions, I was inspired to keep moving forward, setting goals, and to continue believing. She was also inspired by my business and drive.

Most of us have heard the old verse, “Faith without works is dead” – spoken in and out of context – nonetheless, this is a true saying. I believe that you write the vision (or your goals) and make them plain and clear. Then, it is very important that you take real steps and do some preparation towards your goals! Do research, start writing, start meeting people that are doing what you want to do, make some investments in equipment or classes or other materials. Then, you have the process of continuing to believe in yourself. I know when we see people that are doing what we want to do, and have been doing it for years, we have a tendency to get intimidated by their skill. But we cannot despise the day of small beginnings. We all have to start somewhere. We cannot simply expect to try something out for one day and be a master at the craft. It can happen, but it’s the exception, and not the rule. Again, believe in yourself! Seek God’s guidance in your pursuits! No matter what, KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

I have included images from the headshots session below.

Like Mother, Like Son…

April 23, 2010
by Victoria J

Earlier this week, I had an opportunity to photograph a mother and son Pastoral team in Downington, Pennsylvania in a headshot portrait session. They were both beautiful people with beautiful personalities, which makes my job easy! As they intended to use the photographs as graphics on flyers, invitations, and other print media, I brought in a large green background that I could knockout with a photo editing program, and then set the majority of the images on a white background. Now towards the end of the session, I found out that their church was connected to a church I had visited in Delaware a few times before. It is truly amazing how small our world really is… and how interconnected we are, but just don’t know it yet! I have included some of the images from this session below.

Ministering, Up Close and Personal

April 6, 2010
by Victoria J

From Ministers to Authors to Artists and Actors and Corporate Executives, people need headshots for bios and portfolios. I recently had the opportunity to photograph headshots for two ministers of the Gospel, and I took both professional and some casual shots. Here are some of my favorites from the session.