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VTalk Radio Photography Spotlight
Today's Guest: Tom Holloway of Pro Image Photography in Niceville, Florida
Today's Host: John Bentley

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JOHN - Welcome to VTalk Radio Photography Spotlight. Today's program is sponsored by More Photos. The online total photo sales solution for professional photographers worldwide. I'm your host, John Bentley.

JOHN - Today we're in the studio with Tom Holloway of Pro Image Photography of Niceville, Florida. Welcome to the program Tom.

TOM: Well thank you, John.

JOHN: Can you tell us a little bit about your business.

TOM: Well, I've been in business full time now for around 15 years. I'm located in Niceville, Florida, which is about 10 minutes from the beaches of Destin. Destin is a super nice vacation area - it's gotten really popular over the years, and my specialty pretty much is doing family portraits on the beach. It's not limited just to that, but I do a lot of those especially during the tourist vacation time lines.

JOHN: What other types of photography do you do, Tom?

TOM: Well I do quite a bit of event-type stuff , little league, soccer; you know that type of stuff. I do quite a bit of religious ceremonies, first communion, confirmation, lots of preschools,and a lot of private and secondary schools.

JOHN: What got you into photography to begin with Tom?

TOM: Well, like I said, I've been in it full time for 15 years that's with my business. It's always been a hobby even prior to that. I actually was in school back in college and photo journalism and I've told the story so many time that it was what I really wanted to do out of college; however, I was in photojournalism, and my dad who is really neat guy, he basically told me yah, you can do that, but you'll starve. You know you're going to go work for the paper and one of those glorified jobs and make minimum wage. So, basically I went into the wholesale pharmaceutical business and I was in that for almost 15 years and some changes were made in that industry, and forced me to get out of that and that's when I started this business. And I've always said it's kinda funny how life works out. But it worked out really well for me, and that's kinda how I wound up doing it.

JOHN: Were you born and raised in the Florida area?

TOM: I'm from north Mississippi, originally, but I've been away from there probably around 30 years. I did four years in the military from '72 - '76, went to school when I got out and lived in Monroe, LA, for about 10 years, and I've been in the Florida panhandle for the past 17 years.

JOHN: Now you have a website. Why don't you share with our audience your website address?

TOM: My website address is www.proimagephoto.net.

JOHN: Now do you do outdoor shooting? Do you do indoor shooting? What's your favorite kind of event to shoot?

TOM: Well, my specialty is family portraits and I guess for the most part, family portraits on the beach.  Most of my photography work is done on location, environmental type portrait photography. I really don't do a lot of studio type work. I do that on site event locations for example to preschools and first communion events and stuff like that, but I really don't have a walk in type studio location that I do that. So basically what I do, everything is out on location.

JOHN: Now when a client is coming for a photo shoot with you. What is something they should bring to the photo shoot? What should they do to prepare themselves for a shoot with you?

TOM: Well, ya know, and I have a lot of information on my website such as clothing suggestions and basically what they need to do when they come. For example if we're doing family portraits on the beach, it 's very casual and kind of a laid back type portrait session; which is good. I mean it really, the guy types like that so much better than what we used to do 20 years when they had to put on the three piece suit and walk in all stiff necked and everything and you know have their portrait done inside a studio. Guys pretty much hated that. Most people on the beach, there again, I've got lots of samples on my website, but most people tend to wear khakis and black or white jeans and white. A real popular thing most people do is go barefooted because there again it is real casual environment. It's real laid back so you know; its very stress free I guess is what I'm trying to say.

JOHN: Can you tell me what makes your service unique? What sets you apart from other photographers?

TOM: Well I guess the number one thing is my love for it. Obviously, we're all in business for business and to make a living, but I guess the one thing that really makes me happy is creating an image that somebody truly loves and knowing they are going to have that in their home for years. I just really do enjoy creating that image I know people are going to cherish and have for a lifetime and possibly even pass that on to their children. I think it's very special.  I know that everybody says a picture is worth a thousand words, but when you can capture that great image that really shows people for who they are, everybody changes, the kids grow up, time flies by so fast and it sort of like a freeze frame of that moment in time when they can always look back with great pleasure.

JOHN: We are in the studio Tom Holloway of Pro Image Photography of Niceville, Florida. You are listening to VTalk Radio's Photographer's Spotlight. We'll be right back after these commercial messages.

ANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Spotlight is sponsored by More Photos. The online photo sales solution for professional photographers world wide.

VTALK RADIO ... we now return you to VTalk Radio Photographer's Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.

JOHN: Welcome back to VTalk Radio Photographer's Spotlight. We are in the studio via telephone with Tom Holloway of Pro Image Photography of Niceville, Florida. Welcome back Tom.

TOM: Thank you John.

JOHN: Well we've been talking about your photography business. Couple things I noticed on your website; first of all some very nice black and white photos. I love black and white photography. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

TOM: Yeh, ya know for a lot of years black and white really wasn't  that popular. It seems like over the past 8 - 10 years, maybe a little longer than that, it's become popular once again and you know black and white to me has always been really classy and kinda timeless and artsy, and I think people have kinda rediscovered that and you get more and more requests for black and white.  I offer the option of doing in color or black and white same pricing on both and there again, it's just become really popular.

JOHN: There are a couple of shots on there of children I find rather appealing. There's a shot of two girls sitting on a deck facing the ocean. Very nice, natural pictures. What do you do with a photo session with children to make them comfortable?

TOM: Well, I just want them to have fun and kinda be themselves. Obviously, we try to do the more posed type shots to get the perfect family portrait .  After they loosen up a little, kinda get to know me, I just kinda let them do their thing and walk and play in the sand if that's where we're doing it on the beach. Surprisingly kids do really well, even the very young ones do great on the beach. I guess because they are kinda infatuated with the sand and the water and ya know it just it flows really well out there. I just kinda let em do their thing and follow them. I call those posed, candid shots. I kind of direct them, but I want them to kinda be themselves and capture them as their doing their own thing.

JOHN: Yeh, I like the shot of the two girls in their beautiful white dresses and playing in the sand, that's very nice. Now you also do commercial and residential photography. Can you tell us a little bit about that aspect of your business.

TOM: Yeh, I do quite a bit of work for a lot of the custom home builders in the area. I'm sure most areas of the country have the Parade of Homes where different custom builders show case their work and you know have the tours of their different homes and stuff and I've worked with several local custom builders in the area and done the photography work for them and help coordinate putting their books together that they give out to customers and that's a different type work, and I actually kind of enjoy that every now and then. It's, as I say, I get to see how the other half lives, because I've shot some really nice, big houses. Very impressive and its neat to see what other people are doing for a living and how they handle things. I've also done some work for one of the pizza places in town.  I also do quite a bit of work for our local high school. That's more or less a community service project. I do the high school football yearbook every year, and I do that complimentary for the community, and the cover shots as well for that, you know it's been really good. I get to know all the people here in town and in this area and it's worked out well for me.

JOHN: You're in Niceville, Florida. Can you tell me some of the area cities you service?

TOM: Basically, I cover between Pensacola and Panama City. Panama City Beach has become a very popular spring break area. I don't do a whole lot of stuff that far down, it's probably about 70 miles to the east of me. I do quite a bit between here and Pensacola. Of course Niceville is located right in between Pensacola and Panama City; and it's close to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Also Seaside and that area along Highway 30A.  Seaside is a very exclusive vacation-type area. Several years back they did a movie set out there. It was with Jim Carey, I can't remember exactly the name of the movie, but it's a really neat, quaint community. The beaches are incredible. Some of the beaches along this area, like Miramar Beach, and Grayton Beach, and Crystal Beach which is very close to me. I'm about 10 minutes from there. You know, it's just a super area to vacation and a great place to get away and relax and obviously to have your family portrait taken.

JOHN: Do you do any photography in the panhandle or the gulf coast area?

TOM: That's basically where I'm located . It's in the panhandle area of Florida; the north panhandle area.

JOHN: Great Tom. Well we appreciate you coming in here today. Do you have any final thoughts you 'd like to share with our listeners?

TOM: I really don't. Just when they get a chance, or if they have any questions, you can either email me straight from the website or give me a call. My telephone number and all that information is located on the website as well. But I'd be glad to answer any questions and hopefully get a chance to meet you and your family and create an image that will last a lifetime.

JOHN: Why don't you go ahead and give us your phone number and your website address, Tom?

TOM: I'll do that. My telephone number is 850-897-1888 and my website address again is www.proimagephoto.net. Also on my website, I have a link there to my blog site. I know that over the years, blogs have gotten increasingly more popular. With my blog site, I probably do it a little different, but I kind of give a little personal information about myself and my family. I've got three children. Becky and I have been married for 27 years and I've got three children, a son who is 10, a son that's 22 that's currently active duty in the Navy - he's been in 13 months and a daughter who is 24 who lives right out by Seaside about 30 miles from me and she currently teaches 8th Grade English at local junior high school.

JOHN: We are in the studio via telephone with Tom Holloway of Pro Image Photography of Niceville, Florida. Thank you for joining us today, Tom.

TOM: Thank you, John.

JOHN: This is VTalk Radio's Photographer's Spotlight. Thanks for joining us. Have a great day.



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