Meet Andrea Kirk of DreasVision in Las Colinas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Kirk.

Andrea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started taking photos with disposable cameras when I was about 15/16 yrs old at my first job in Harlem, NYC (which is where I was born and raised). I worked at a youth center called P.A.L off 119th and Manhattan Ave, they have multiple locations throughout the city. My coworkers and family members that worked there, all hung out after at the center.

We would play basketball, board/card games, pool, us girls would sneak in the downstairs area to watch the guys workout in the gym, chill in front of the building or around the corner and wild out. So, I started to buy disposable cameras and snap pictures of all the fun that was going on. I never wanted to leave because I would always have fun. Little did I know, the photos would be forever lasting moments of my teenage years.

Same thing happened while in college, I was the camera girl everywhere we went. I bought a lot of disposable cameras. I wanted to remember those moments and the fun people I was surrounded by. I didn’t care how you looked or what you were doing I would snap away. Once I graduated, I stopped taking photos because I didn’t see a need to take photos anymore and plus camera phones were becoming a thing.

About six years passed I had that itch of photography again, so I bought my first Samsung camera which was a point and shoot. I was living in Dallas at this time and I started taking photos of coworkers and our outings and they loved them. A year after, I decided to buy my first professional camera which was a Nikon DSLR. This is when I started to teach myself how to use the camera. I never heard of a DSLR, I just wanted better quality photos. Nobody showed me how to use a DSLR, I just went out and started shooting. I learned as I went.

Coworkers would ask me to take their photos for parties, birthdays, of their children, products, etc. I was doing it free at first because I was new and it was a hobby. There were times I didn’t have gas in my car to get around, so I would take their photos and they would put gas in my car if I was hungry I would take their photos in exchange for food or a plate. If they had products I like, we would exchange services; the barter system. I didn’t want to charge them because they were my friends. After a while, a lot of people would contact me for business, this is when I started to charge people. I ended up setting a standard price for friends and coworkers only, (the low low deal, you know. I had bills to pay). I still do the barter system here and there, but not with everyone. I don’t have any family out here, so most of my business came from friends and coworkers. When I do visit my family and they want photos, I do not charge them. (For what?) Now if it’s a big event thats time consuming, I may want a little change.

Fast forward to now, I have been taking photos professionally since 2011, but I didn’t become consistent until I bought me an expensive new lens in 2018. One of my cousins named Sidney is a photographer in NYC and he came to visit me in Dallas. He had the big time lens, so I tested it on my camera. I fell in love with the outcome. It was breathtaking, so about six months later I went and bought the same lens. I said if I buy this lens, I promise I will continue to take photos and not take no breaks because I know, my work will pay the money back for the lens I bought.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all. My main struggles at the beginning were confidence and being in a city were nobody knows me. I’m an introvert, very anti-social. I didn’t speak to people unless they spoke to me first. Being a photographer, I had to learn and still is today how to step outside my comfort zone. My confidence played a big part when it came to my work. I started to see other photographers work and was intimidated. I was like, my work don’t look like theirs so I don’t want to do this anymore. After a while, I was glad my work didn’t look like everyone else’s, I stood out. Now, I am perfectly fine with standing out.

Everyone who books me love their photos, so thats all that matters to me. Other struggles which is still relevant today is buying new equipment, new clientele, EDITING. Since I started with disposables, I didn’t have to edit the photo. I love photos as is. I dislike the manipulation part about photography. Reason I struggle with editing, but I’m learning everyday. Now also having an 8hr job is a struggle, It can get stressful, but it doesn’t bother me much because this is what I want and love to do.

DreasVision – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a photographer that capture moments you will treasure for a lifetime. I am mostly known for portrait outdoor/location photography. This year, I recently started working with a known videographer named Mello Vision and I’m known to be his behind the scenes photographer. I am most proud of my growth. I am anxious to see what more I will learn. What I feel sets me apart from others is, I am able to switch up my style. I don’t like for my photos to all look the same.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is doing what you love. Learning from your mistakes and always growing. Ain’t nothing to it but to do it, you will never know the outcome.

Contact Info:

• Email: dreasvision@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreasvision/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreasvision/

Image Credit:
Main image: Sidney Kirk of SidkPhotography, Andrea Kirk of DreasVision

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