Last week I was so honored- and totally blown away- when I opened an email sent to all of the fabulous Showit users from David Jay. There it was. A shout-out from a person- and a company- that I absolutely respect and admire. I stared at the screen in disbelief for a moment before a huge smile spread across my face, I wanted to jump for joy- I didn’t- but I wanted to. All I can say is that it was an amazing feeling to know that David Jay and Showit support my efforts with my Be Inspired Interviews. :) It’s an amazing feeling and I can’t thank all of you enough for continuing to support other photographers in this industry and share your kind words. Here’s a little preview of the email…
I am so excited about this week’s interview with someone I have been friends via Facebook for a few years now. This year, while in Vegas at WPPI, he and I were finally able to meet face to face. :) Of course, he felt like an old friend, despite this being the first time really meeting him. :) His name is Trevor Dayley. Many of you are probably already familiar with his work, as he is an amazing photographer based out of Phoenix, Arizona. I hope you enjoy this week’s installment of Be Inspired!! Enjoy!
My name is Trevor Dayley and I am an enthusiastic, life-loving, lucky husband and daddy to 5 children….. wedding photographer!
What are 3 things we should know about you?
1. I will be celebrating 11 years of marriage to my beautiful wife Shirley this week. We met each other as penpals (nope not email… we actually wrote letters to each other. Romantic ay?) We have 5 incredible gorgeous little kiddos ranging in age from 10 years old to 6 months. (Katelyn, Anabelle, Elin, Kash & Ace).
2. I am an admitted addict to using exclamations far to often to end sentences!
3. I might also have an addiction to half-melted Otter-Pops!
Define your style in 5 words:
Memorable, Unique, Contemporary, Intimate, True-to-Life.
What is your specialty?
Weddings! On weekdays I like to do high school seniors, couples, families, babies and events. I feel like every session I shoot I continue practicing my skills in all different scenarios, lighting and environments – so I try to get out and shoot as much as possible.
What inspires your work?
I am constantly finding new things to be inspired by. I love watching short films on Vimeo and studying the way videographers use natural light (since that is my typical work scenario). For instance check out this short film called Apricot (http://vimeo.com/8076064). I also enjoy watching music videos and studying the art of various photographers throughout the world. Some of favorites include; Jeremy Cowart, Kalle Gustafsson, and Jerry Ghionis.
Where is your dream location to do a shoot or wedding?
Oh wow, I have so many dream locations. I would love to shoot a wedding in Thailand, Ireland, South Africa, India, Indonesia.. the list goes on and on. I also absolutely love the country of Mexico and have dreams to shoot more weddings there including in the antique city of San Miguel de Allende, the ruins of Tulum – Riviera Maya and many other exotic locations in the beautiful country.
Divulge one of your dreams for your business:
In addition to shooting, I love teaching others photography. So Id love to continue building up my series of workshops to teach others the craft, the business and the amazing life of making your career a photographer. Super stoked for my workshop outside the country this July. We are hosting it in Cancun, Mexico for just 10 photographers who are looking at taking their skill levels and business to new heights. (5 seats open!) http://workshop.trevordayley.com Absolutely cant wait!
What do you love most about being a photographer?
Two things actually! Probably number one would be the ability that we have as photographers to create meaningful pictures that our clients can cherish for a lifetime (and even their heirs many years beyond that). Second, I love the freedom I have in my days. When I want to, I can go and eat lunch with my kids at their school cafeteria, or decide to take the family on a trip in the middle of the week to hang out on the beach in San Diego. Those moments with my family are priceless!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Well my oldest daughter will be 15, so most likely I will be looking out the front window next to the door waiting anxiously for her to return home from a weekend night out with friends… oh and still having an incredible time doing exactly what Im doing today… namely creating amazing images with my clients and teaching others that want to learn the craft.
If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be & why?
I love meeting everyone. I am a people person. I love hearing their life stories, their trials, their victories. I guess though if I had to choose just one person – it might be Jerry Ghionis. Really all I would need is a few seconds to thank him. A few years ago I had the chance to converse with him one on one at a photographer convention after one of his classes. During that meeting, I asked – Jerry if there is one piece of advise you could give me, what would it be? His answer stuck with me, and I literally reminded myself of it before every shoot. He said, Trevor, dont worry about the competition. Dont worry what photographer A or photographer B down the street is doing. Just go out and make sure your next shoot is better than your last shoot. To this day I try to live up to that piece of advise that changed the way I think before every shoot.
As a fellow Showiteer, tell us what you love about Showit:
First and foremost the Showit program which allows anyone and everyone to build insanely cool websites that can be totally custom to whatever you want it to look like. Once you have your site, their is an incredible group of Showit users, called Showiteers – that are the most genuine group of individuals I have ever met. In an industry where people try to keep everything a secret, Showiteers will do anything or share anything to help one another out. We all grow together!
What advice do you have for new photographers?
Stop thinking that you need to go spend thousands of dollars on new equipment to become a photographer. You dont! Stop reading all the specs on the latest camera thinking, If I just had that camera I could… I far too often see beginning photographers who simply want to upgrade their cameras thinking suddenly their photographs are going to magically get better. They need to first learn everything about the camera they have. They should be able to tell me what all the advanced menu features can do, how to customize the camera, how to shoot in manual, how to white balance, how to make changes to all the settings with your eye still trained on your subject in the viewfinder, and lastly learn to think exactly as your camera does. Know how it sees and captures light, after all that is exactly what we do as photographer – see and capture light. In fact one of my favorite quotes is about that exactly. It was said by the famous George Eastman, inventor of Kodak – Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.
Trevor, I can’t thank you enough for being a part of Be Inspired. :) You are such a great guy with a ton of talent, you are definitely inspiring!
Be sure follow Trevor:
Website: http://www.trevordayley.com
Blog: http://www.trevordayleyblog.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/modernphoto
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/trevordayley
