Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Lee.
Christopher, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started by shooting music videos for my music, local talent, and my friends. Those same people started coming to me to take pictures for their CD covers and from there, it just took off. I had a small little point and shoot camera and a camcorder that I bought from a pawn shop for I believe $75.00. I thought I was the best ever. I still shoot music videos to this day.
I got serious into photography about six years ago. I bought myself a Canon 70D with the kit lens, a new laptop, and DSLR backpack. I changed my name and T.R.U. Work Media was created. I started taking photos of whoever wanted me to for free. I did parties, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and dog photos, anything to get my feet wet and in the door. The very first photo I ever took was of my beautiful wife, who is also part of T.R.U. Work Media.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. I’ve had plenty of roadblocks and struggles. I’ve had my equipment stolen, car stolen and wondering if I could make a business out of photography. There have been days where I thought of quitting photography and selling all my equipment. My bills started to increase and the income I had wasn’t enough to take care of my day to day expenses while trying to build my brand. But, instead of me getting a part-time job, my wife told me to market my photography business to make extra money. I had the equipment and the know-how, I just needed that push that only my wife could give me. Before her, I would just post pictures to my regular Facebook page and it was random. Now, I have created a social media presence which allows me to engage with potential and current clients. Now that I have business pages via social media, I’m able to market my work to people all over the world. Sometimes, when you feel that it’s time to give up, you just have to look at things from a different angle.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At T.R.U. Work Media, we offer everything media, but we specialize in photography and video. I’m mostly known for my photography. I try to capture the moments like no one else can. If I’m working at a party or event, I try to get angles that most people wouldn’t think of. For instance, other photographers may like to get close up shots of an artist on stage. However, I would rather get a wide shot of the artist and the crowd to show the massive amount of people that came out to support the artist. In a party or event, I like to capture the moments of laughter, sentimental moments, tears, & other unique photos. I am constantly educating myself to be able to provide keen details to all my clients during & after their photo sessions. As a photographer, I love to have sessions with my clients in the natural elements of outside, allowing me to capture different prime shooting times of the day, One of my amenities I offer my clients is a pop-up changing room. This allows my clients to change into additional outfits without losing much time during their sessions. But, what sets me apart is that I offer exclusive photo & video packages for reasonable prices. It makes me feel good to be able to capture all my clients special moments, without making them break the bank.
What were you like growing up?
When I was growing up, I was the youngest with 3 older brothers. I grew up in Pleasant Grove, TX with my mom and brothers. We are a small but close family. I believe I was pretty awkward kid & expressed myself in unique ways. I didn’t talk to a lot of people, I kept to myself majority of the time. I would often be chilling at the back of the bus with my headphones on and 2pac playing (2pac is top 5). Art was how I escaped from everything; from drawing pictures, writing poetry, music, videos, photography, dance, cooking, and so much more. Growing up, I never really liked taking pictures of myself and to this day, I still don’t have many compared to the average person. But now, I don’t miss an opportunity to get behind my camera to capture others! I was never into the latest fashions, I had my own style. You could catch me any given day on my bike, headphones in my ear, white tee, jeans, & boots (regardless of how the weather was outside, that was my go-to look)! I guess simply put I was an artistic kid with big dreams & I created my own lane.
Pricing:
- I offer 30-minute photo sessions
- I offer 1-hour sessions
- I offer an hourly rate for events & or parties
Contact Info:
- Phone: 214-949-3044
- Email: Truworkmedia@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truworkmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TRUworkmedia/
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