Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Dunn.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up, one of my most vivid memories of my mother was of her with her camera hanging around her neck. As a kid I remember we had pieces of furniture peppered around the house with drawers crammed full of photos of our family. But when it came to important events or benchmark times she became particularly meticulous about getting us all together. And those images were the ones that ended up on the walls and in the picture frames in our house. The ones that told the story of our family. Who we were. Our mythology. Everyone has a story about who they are and where they come from. I can still remember where each one of the pictures was placed in the house and how each picture catalogued a different step on our journey.
Several years ago my Mom gave me a camera she was exchanging for a newer one and unknowingly set me on a new path. It came at a time when I was having to redefine many of the most significant aspects of my life. Photography helped me start to look at life in new ways. And now that she is no longer with us, photography is one of the ways I have of staying connected to her. My experience growing up with her capturing our lives as a family is a big part of what motivates and inspires me to want to do the same.
I took the hand me down camera and started experimenting with how it worked by pointing it at things on our family’s ranch in Lampasas. That first lens had a switch on it that would convert it to a Macro lens, or one that would take really close up pictures. And suddenly a field of flowers that was once a splash of yellow was now a single bud with a whole new world of detail. My life was in a state of upheaval and uncertainty but when I focused in on the minute detail of things everything slowed down and I found quiet and peace.
On most of the trips to our ranch I would bring my daughters. So at some point I started photographing them as they ran around the property, much like I had when I was their age. During one of these trips one of them jumped on my lap while I was trying to photograph her. She was way too close. And I was caught off guard and sort of instinctively just kept shooting. When I got back to Dallas and looked through the images the ones of her too close to the camera where unlike any my previous shots I had taken. And again, my perspective changed.
Through all of this experimentation I was posting my images to social media. And I started getting compliments from people. Then I got requests from people to photograph their family, or their pet, or surprise party, or wedding. And I started thinking that I might want to work on really figuring out how to use a camera correctly. So as I got technically more proficient my images started drawing closer to the vision I had in my head. And I found that I got more requests. It was sort of a snowball effect.
At some point my wife Traci convinced me to enter The Dallas Morning News Amateur Photography Contest. Which, after some persuasion, I did and I ended up winning the Portrait category. After which I began to think that maybe I could build a business out of what was quickly becoming more than a hobby.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part the journey has been smooth. There are certainly challenges and struggles that have come just as a result of learning something new. I have had lessons to learn. Times when the camera settings were not correct or I ran out of daylight. But nothing that has been catastrophic thankfully. Or that has led to any crying.
Please tell us about Patrick Dunn: Photography.
We are a very small operation. Currently, it consists of myself and my wife, Traci. I do all of the photography with Traci assisting me. Then we both have a hand in post-production, marketing, proposals and client contact.
Our main focus is Portrait work (individuals, families, seniors, etc). But we have experience shooting all sorts of things: Weddings, Sports, Commercial Spaces, Architecture, food, pets, landscape to name a few. I enjoy the variety that comes with shooting so many different subjects. I find that one subject always informs and strengthens how to shoot a completely different subject and vice versa.
The thing that I am most proud of currently is that we just got selected to have 14 of our photographs featured in the public spaces for The Stella Hotel in Bryan, Texas. The opening was April 6th and it was quite a thrill seeing the shots in such a public setting. And touching for me personally since the majority of the images were shot on our family ranch in Lampasas.
I think the thing that sets me apart is that the images I am drawn to and work at capturing are the ones where the facade is gone. Those moments when someone has dropped their guard, either because they are laughing or lost in thought or completely at ease. Those gaps between the public personas are the ones I watch for.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood? So much of my conversation keeps returning to our ranch in Lampasas. But it would have to be one winter when I was about 11 or 12 years old. And my family was at the ranch for deer season. The hunters had all gotten up before the sun and my grandfather and I had made our way in the dark to a spot next to a huge tree on the property. After we left the house there hadn’t been any talking during our walk. So it was completely quiet after we had taken our place sitting next to the tree. It is just one of my favorite memories of one of my favorite people. Sitting next to this man that I admired as the sun started making its way up and the world around us came to life. Glancing over at each other from time to time. Not saying a word. I think about it every time I see that tree.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8519 Arborside Drive
Dallas, Texas 75243 - Website: www.patrickdunn.smugmug.com
- Phone: 214-546-4589
- Email: patrickdunn.photo@hotmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/wpatrickdunn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrickdunn.photography
Image Credit:
Patrick Dunn : Photography
Phyllis
May 17, 2017 at 6:10 pm
So very proud of your achievements and your artistic eye. You capture the inner spirit of your subject.
Linda
May 17, 2017 at 9:22 pm
What a nice article! My husband and I recently used Patrick and Traci for a marriage vow renewal ceremony. They made us feel so comfortable, and caught so many sweet moments of the event with our children and grandchildren present. I’d highly recommend his photography talents!