Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey McWhorter.
Jeffrey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a Dallas native, went to Trinity Christian Academy in Addison and have loved photography since I was 13 years old. I graduated in 2009 from UT-Austin with degrees in Plan II Honors and photojournalism. Inspired by my time spent in East Austin working on a documentary project and volunteering with a local ministry.
I started out working part-time for an after-school program at Kealing Middle School and part-time for the ministry I’d volunteered within that same community. After marrying my wife Kelly in 2010 and spending our first year together in San Antonio while she finished up pharmacy school, we moved back to Dallas in the summer of 2011, which is when I officially went full-time as a professional freelance photographer/videographer.
I started out with a lot of cold calling and reaching out to childhood friends, and by the providence of God, I started building a network of clients in DFW. Seven years and four kids later, I am thankful to have consistent work which allows me to provide for my family by doing what I love.
Much of my work is for non-profits, schools, and universities, but my true passion is documentary photojournalism. I enjoy every opportunity I get to shoot for the Dallas Morning News and Associated Press, and I am currently working on a long-term documentary project about the Thomas Jefferson High School boys varsity soccer team.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being from Dallas, I was fortunate to have a pretty good network when I was first starting out. And it truly has been by the providence of God that I’ve been able to do the work I do profitably.
I would say the biggest struggle has been balancing the somewhat uncertain life of a freelancer with being a husband and father of four. On the one hand, I can set my own schedule, which allows me to do things many other working people cannot, like go to the zoo with my family on a Wednesday afternoon. On the other hand, I work a lot of nights and weekends and my schedule is always written in pencil.
I am thankful to have a very understanding and encouraging wife who not only flexes with the uncertain schedule but also encourages me to do things that stir my soul, such as the personal documentary project I am working on now.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m known for my documentary style of capturing moments of emotion, whether I’m shooting a high school football game, a corporate event, or a non-profit fundraising video. Because of my formal training in photojournalism, I try to avoid contriving scenes as much as possible, even in corporate or commercial work and capture moments authentically.
I like to think this approach puts clients and subjects at ease and gives them the confidence that they will not be portrayed as something they aren’t. My goal in any job is to honor the person I am photographing by portraying them honestly and respect the trust they have given me by allowing me to capture a moment of their life.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, definitely. Dallas is a place where business is booming (at least it seems like it to me), and if you’re not picky about what kind of work you do, there’s plenty to go around. With social media the way it is, everyone is crazy for 1-2 minute videos, and if you can shoot and edit 2-3 quality interviews, you’ll never go hungry. The challenge, in a digital world so flushed with visual imagery, is maintaining the value of your work and standing out from the noise.
Honestly, the most important thing you can do is produce excellent work while treating people kindly and respectfully. And that second part is probably more important.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jeffreymcwhorter.com
- Phone: (214) 808-5079
- Email: jmcwhorter11@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmcwhorter11/
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