Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Guillory.
Hi Tony, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always had a interest in photography but really pursued it after I got married in 2004. My wife had small children and we had no camera, so I purchased a film camera and starting taking pictures of the kids and their school activities. The teachers at my youngest one’s school loved the images and that bolstered my confidence to continue shooting and ultimately upgrade to a digital camera. From there, I wanted to learn more and take better quality images and realized that I needed better lenses, but they were incredibly expensive. I was working casino events as a dealer, as a side-hustle, and saw a photo booth set up with an actual photographer/attendant taking the pictures and printing on site. I was intrigued with the set up and asked the her all about it. She graciously made me a list of everything she had – camera, software, lighting, green screen, etc. She included prices and where to purchase. I researched all of the equipment and eventually took out a loan against the retirement account and purchased everything I needed to get started. There was no training back then so I read books on photography, watched whatever YouTube videos I could find on the subject of photography (note, there was nothing on green screen). I asked photographers for tips, signed up for affordable classes, anything I could take to learn how to shoot better images. I also had to learn how process images in Photoshop and use chroma-key technology (aka green screen). The photography classes taught me lighting techniques and practiced a lot in my garage. Practice, practice, practice, whatever I could do to learn about a work flow, set up and tear down, all of it. Not only did I have to be a good photographer, but I had to be fast, produce quality images, and do it all by myself! In 2008, I hung my shingle and purchased the DBA Just Say Cheese Photos! (Funny story, when I was opening up my business account at the bank, the banker asked me for the name of my business and told me that I could purchase the DBA there, also. I didn’t even have a name picked out! I sat there and thought about it for a few minutes and “Just Say Cheese Photos” came to mind. I thought it was corny, but I couldn’t think of anything better. Well, I should have copyrighted it because now there are so many versions of “Just Say Cheese” or “Say Cheese” photo companies that I get calls from as far away as Canada and Florida from clients wanting to book me locally. I have to tell them “uh, you know I am in Dallas, right?”)
Alright, 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?
Building up an event photography business is a continuous challenge. I started my business without a defined marketing plan and without a funnel of potential customers. For example, in my first year, I only booked one event, however that one event paid me more that working 10 casino events as a dealer. The following year I was determined to book more and probably booked 3 or 4. After that year, probably in 2010 or so, I managed to meet and work for an event planner that began booking me regularly and things took off! I was working steadily and upgrading gear regularly. I was also streamlining my workflow and perfecting my technique. Every event was on the job training for me because each venue had different lighting requirements and posed it’s own set of challenges. Contrary to what you may think, “one size” does not fit all when it comes to photography lighting. I also learned the hard way about redundancy. I have had equipment to break or malfunction and I was left to improvise or sometimes had to stop working altogether. If something broke, like my printer, I went out and purchased another one the next day. I had to learn to adapt and adjust quickly and plan for malfunctions. I defiantly have horror stories but lets just say that I will never work a Cotton Bowl event with only one printer again!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I believe I am most known for the quality of my green screen photos and on site printing. I have received many compliments on the quality of my images and I am very honored and humbled. Quite often, clients want to take a deeper dive and want to know more about the quality as they notice a difference in my images compared to a traditional “booth” that is operated by the guests. Many have told me that my images looked better, so they booked me for that reason. I have proudly served the Dallas Fort Worth area since 2008. My prices are budget friendly and affordable and I always use industry leading technology for my events. I take pride in producing quality prints on site in as little as 7 seconds. I am not just a photo booth operator, but an actual photographer. Guests do not have to walk up and push buttons and run back to pose. They can simply grab a prop or two, walk up, pose, and have a great time. I like to engage all the guests with a smile and a great sense of humor – something a machine cannot do! If you come to my corner of the event, you will have a great experience!
What differentiates me from other event photography companies? I produce great images or the retakes are instant. How many times have you seen printed bloopers? How many times did you have to retake photo booth images because you blinked? Well, that is not the case with Just Say Cheese Photos. I capture the moments, the laughs, the jokes, the smiles. I create an experience that goes beyond the photo. Simply put, guests have fun! They remember me and refer me to their friends and family. They love the images and and appreciate the quality. Most referrals I get are based upon these three key elements – quality, price, and speed!
Special shout out to Amy Doty (Amy’s A-List) and Peta Silansky (Events by Peta). These two dear friends and amazing event planners have provided me with the opportunities to pivot and grow into serving some of he most amazing customers in the Jewish community. I shoot a lot of Mitzvahs and love it!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am pretty much an open book and have shared tips and lessons learned about my business. It was hard to find mentors when I started. I imagine it’s still difficult. Also, there are a lot of “business-in-a-box” opportunities out there to package price everything you need to get started in your “very own photo booth business”. Those kits are insanely expensive and tend to saturate the market with cheap photo booth businesses, cheap pricing, and poor quality. I try to use that to my advantage as some of my clients come to me after having a bad experience with the other guys. I believe that honing the skills and honest pricing and major keys to success. Be Honest and Be Good!
I am still kicking since 2008, so that means something, right?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://justsaycheesephotos.com
- Instagram: dfwjustsaycheesephotos
- Other: https://jscp.photoreflect.com
